Cursor is a specialized IDE built entirely around AI-assisted coding with native Codeium/Claude integration, while Codeium is an AI autocomplete plugin that works across multiple editors. Cursor offers a more integrated experience but requires switching editors, whereas Codeium provides flexibility across your existing tools.
Codeium vs Cursor — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Free AI code autocomplete plugin supporting 9+ editors and IDEs
AI-first IDE forked from VS Code with integrated Claude and GPT-4 coding
Deployment Model. Setup Required. Free Tier AI Requests/Month. Built-in Code Chat. Editor Compatibility. Training Data Cutoff. Learning Curve for Existing Users
Choose Codeium if you want to keep using your preferred editor (VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, etc.) while adding powerful AI assistance with unlimited free usage and minimal disruption. Choose Cursor if you're willing to switch to a dedicated AI IDE and value deep integration between code editing and AI features, accepting paid premium tiers for advanced functionality.
Codeium: 7+ platforms | Cursor: Cursor app only (VS Code-compatible extensions/themes carry over)
Codeium: 2,000 completions | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: Codeium proprietary model only | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: 2-5 (IDE extension install) | Cursor: Immediate
Codeium: Current file + visible buffer | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: No—suggestions only, manual application required | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: April 2024 (~20 months old) | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: No (default local) | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: Basic GitHub support only | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: Full local processing available | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: 1-2 (one-click install) | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: 2,000 completions/month | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: 64K tokens | Cursor: 200KB (Claude)
Codeium: Cloud-based (enterprise VPC option available) | Cursor: Code sent to Anthropic servers
Codeium: VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Visual Studio, Eclipse (5 platforms) | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: $12/month for unlimited usage | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: Proprietary Codeium model only | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: Cloud (US servers; on-prem available for Enterprise) | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: Limited UI settings only | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: 9+ editors | Cursor: 1 IDE only
Codeium: 1 file native | Cursor: 20+ files
Primary AI Model Quality (MMBENCH score)
Codeium: 72 (Codeium model) | Cursor: 88 (Claude 3.5)
Codeium: 3-5 steps (plugin install) | Cursor: 1-2 steps (download IDE)
Codeium: Standard SAML, No HIPAA/SOC2 | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: Available on Pro/Teams | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: $0 (Free tier available) | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: Optional (server-based default) | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: Yes, with team features | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: Full-featured free tier | Cursor: 14-day free trial
Codeium: 1-2 minutes (API key login) | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: 1-3 seconds (cloud-optimized) | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: 4GB (negligible, cloud-based) | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: 6+ platforms (VS Code, JetBrains, Cursor, VSCodium, Sublime, Vim) | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: 40 completions/month (free tier) | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: No (proprietary) | Cursor: No (proprietary)
Codeium: 6 platforms (VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Neovim, Emacs, Visual Studio) | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: Yes, with role-based access control | Cursor: Limited
Context Retention (consecutive requests)
Codeium: Maintains context across 3-5 requests | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: Unlimited (with rate limits) | Cursor: 50 premium requests
Codeium: 2-5 minutes | Cursor: 60-120 minutes
Codeium: ~50KB per request | Cursor: ~500KB+ codebase context
Codeium: Codeium's proprietary + Claude | Cursor: Claude 3.5 Sonnet + GPT-4
Codeium: Limited (plugin dependent) | Cursor: Full native support
Codeium: 2/10 (familiar editor) | Cursor: 5/10 (new IDE)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: VS Code-based only
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Native & Superior
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Not publicly disclosed
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Significant but undisclosed
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Proprietary Commercial
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Cursor Pro $20/mo
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Business $40/user/mo
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Standalone editor — a fork of VS Code (install Cursor itself)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT, Google Gemini, plus Cursor fast models (per-request switching)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Composer (Agent) plan-execute-verify loop across many files; runs commands and tests
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Whole-repo semantic embeddings with automatic relevant-file retrieval; built for monorepos
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Very fast predictive Tab completions that jump to the next edit location
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: SSO, privacy mode (no retention/training), admin controls, SOC 2
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Graphical IDE (VS Code fork)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Interactive in-editor coding
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Flat plan with request quota + usage add-ons
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Monthly fast-request quota
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Multi-model (Claude, GPT, Gemini, etc.)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Not designed for it
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Workspace indexing + @-mentions
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Low (VS Code familiarity)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Interactive feature building & quick edits
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Yes — free Hobby tier plus a 2-week Pro trial
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Agent (formerly Composer)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Mature indexing with @-symbol references
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Claude, GPT, Gemini families (frequent day-one additions)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Mature enterprise tier with SSO + privacy mode
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: macOS, Windows, Linux
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Largest AI-IDE community and mindshare
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: 0 (paid tier required)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Superior)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Native @-indexing across entire codebase
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: ~15,000 (via VS Code)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Native Claude integration
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: 50-200ms (Tab autocomplete)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Desktop (Mac, Windows, Linux)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Claude 3.5 Sonnet, GPT-4, Others
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: ~500K (estimated based on download trends)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Entire projects (no hard limit)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: 1.5 years (launched Oct 2024)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: 200,000 (Claude 3.5 Sonnet)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: ~50 (via Claude AI)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Limited (chat requires internet)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: 70,000+ (VS Code)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: 4+ (Claude, GPT-4, local)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Electron (VS Code fork)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: 3 (Claude, GPT-4, other)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: 1 (Cursor IDE only)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Code, text, file references
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Native VS Code-based editor
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: 1–3 seconds (avg inline suggestion)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Automatic full-project indexing
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: No native mobile app
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Varies by plan (Pro tier higher)
How to choose between Codeium and Cursor
Codeium vs Cursor — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Codeium vs Cursor. Contains 183 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Codeium vs Cursor — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Codeium vs Cursor.
Does Cursor work with existing VS Code extensions?
Cursor is forked from VS Code, so it supports many VS Code extensions, but compatibility is not 100% guaranteed. Since it's a separate editor, you may need to reinstall extensions and reconfigure your workspace, which adds switching friction.
What's the cheapest way to get unlimited AI coding?
Codeium's free tier offers unlimited requests (with rate limiting ~20 req/min). Cursor's free tier is capped at 50 premium requests/month. For unlimited AI coding, Codeium free is cheaper than any paid plan.
Yes, Codeium has a full-featured VS Code extension available on the marketplace. Install it in seconds, and you get unlimited free autocomplete with rate limiting. This is the primary use case for Codeium users who want to avoid switching editors.
Cursor has deeper codebase understanding because it can load and context-switch across larger files and projects natively. Codeium's context depends on which editor you're using, but for in-file completion, both are competitive. Cursor's architecture gives it an edge for large refactoring tasks.
Can I switch from Cursor back to VS Code easily?
Yes, but you'll lose integrated AI features unless you install Codeium or another plugin. Your settings and extensions can be exported, but you'll need to reconfigure your workspace. Cursor is a major switch; plan accordingly.
How to Choose Between Codeium and Cursor
Deployment Model: Codeium has IDE + editor replacement, while Cursor has Plugin for existing editors.
Setup Required: Codeium has Install Codeium in VS Code, JetBrains, etc., while Cursor has Download and replace current IDE entirely.
Free Tier AI Requests/Month: Codeium has Unlimited with rate limiting, while Cursor has 50 premium requests/month (limited plan).
Built-in Code Chat: Codeium has Yes, in-editor chat interface, while Cursor has Yes, native chat with context awareness.
Editor Compatibility: Codeium has 9+ editors supported (VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Neovim, etc.), while Cursor has Standalone editor only (VS Code fork base).
Training Data Cutoff: Codeium has GPT-4 (April 2024) for Claude model, while Cursor has Claude 3.5 Sonnet (2024) + OpenAI models.
Consider: Learning Curve for Existing Users
Learning Curve for Existing Users: Codeium has Minutes (install plugin in familiar editor), while Cursor has Hours (learn new IDE workflows).