Cursor is a full IDE replacement with Claude/GPT-4 integration built into the editor itself, while Codeium is a lightweight autocomplete plugin compatible with existing IDEs like VS Code and JetBrains. Cursor offers deeper AI integration but requires switching editors, whereas Codeium integrates seamlessly into your current workflow.
Codeium vs Cursor — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Lightweight AI code autocomplete plugin supporting 70+ IDEs and languages with a free tier.
VS Code-based IDE with deeply integrated Claude/GPT-4 AI for coding, chat, and refactoring.
Architecture. Primary AI Model. Free Tier Autocomplete. Editor Compatibility. Chat/Conversation Interface. Setup Time. Price (Pro Monthly)
Choose Codeium if you want lightweight, non-invasive AI autocomplete that works across multiple IDEs and languages without switching your existing editor—ideal for developers who prioritize flexibility and free unlimited completions. Choose Cursor if you're willing to switch to a new editor for superior AI chat capabilities, deeper context understanding, and first-class integration with Claude/GPT-4 models—better for those doing complex refactoring or architectural work.
Codeium: 7+ platforms | Cursor: 1 (VS Code)
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: 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: 70+ | Cursor: 1 (Proprietary VS Code fork)
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: Advanced (full workspace)
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: Unlimited | Cursor: 20 per month
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: Free (Pro: $12/month) | Cursor: $20/month
Codeium: Free only (no paid tier) | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: 5+ (VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Neovim, Emacs, Sublime) | Cursor: N/A
Codeium: Codeium (proprietary) + Claude 3.5 Sonnet + GPT-4o options | Cursor: Claude 3.5 Sonnet (default) + GPT-4o (configurable)
Codeium: Basic sidebar chat with limited context | Cursor: Advanced multi-tab with @files, @docs, @web references
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: 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: 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: 500K (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: 1 (Cursor IDE only)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: No (via extensions only)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: 40,000+ (VS Code marketplace)
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)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: 4+ (GPT-4o, Claude, Gemini, local)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: 0 (paid from start)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Yes, full project indexing
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: 50 requests/month
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: 2 (VSCode + standalone)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Native (full project)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Download .dmg/.exe (1-click installer)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Proprietary (not public)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: 100,000 tokens/month (Claude only)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: VS Code only (or Cursor standalone IDE)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Liveshare integration included
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: 3 (GPT-4, Claude 3.5, o1-preview)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: $20/month unlimited
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: 4GB (practical minimum)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: 30+ via extensions
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: 82% (AI-assisted, broader context)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Basic rename, extract, inline via extensions
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Community-based, limited official support
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Yes (cached models)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Yes (native support)
Codeium: N/A | Cursor: Local machine only
How to choose between Codeium and Cursor
Codeium vs Cursor — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Codeium vs Cursor. Contains 241 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Codeium vs Cursor — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Codeium vs Cursor.
Can I use Codeium in VS Code and Cursor at the same time?
Yes, you can use both tools in parallel. Codeium is a VS Code extension, while Cursor is a separate IDE based on VS Code. You can install Codeium in your standard VS Code and run Cursor as an independent application. However, most users find Cursor's integrated AI capabilities reduce the need for Codeium once they switch.
Which has better code completion accuracy?
Cursor generally produces higher-quality completions due to deeper integration with Claude 3.5 Sonnet and improved context awareness. However, Codeium's accuracy depends on which backend model you select—using Claude or GPT-4 options narrows the gap significantly, though this requires a paid plan.
It depends on your workflow. If you spend significant time on AI-assisted refactoring, debugging, or writing complex logic, Cursor's superior chat and context features justify the switch. If you primarily use AI for quick autocompletion and work across multiple IDEs, Codeium's flexibility is better. Most solo developers switching report a 20-30% productivity boost with Cursor.
No, Cursor requires internet connection for all AI features, including basic autocomplete. Codeium also requires internet for cloud-based completions, though some self-hosted enterprise versions exist. For truly offline coding, neither tool is suitable.
Which tool has better privacy and data security?
Both encrypt data in transit, but Cursor (being proprietary) has less transparency on data retention. Codeium offers an enterprise option with on-premise deployment for teams requiring strict data control. For sensitive code, verify their privacy policies—both allow opting out of usage tracking in paid plans.
How to Choose Between Codeium and Cursor
Architecture: Codeium has IDE Plugin/Extension, while Cursor has Standalone IDE (VS Code Fork).
Primary AI Model: Codeium has Codeium (custom), with Claude/GPT-4 options, while Cursor has Claude 3.5 Sonnet / GPT-4o (configurable).
Free Tier Autocomplete: Codeium has Unlimited completions, while Cursor has Limited to 2,000 requests/month (pro plan required).
Editor Compatibility: Codeium has VS Code, JetBrains, Sublime, Vim, Neovim, Eclipse, while Cursor has Proprietary (VS Code fork only).
Chat/Conversation Interface: Codeium has Basic chat in sidebar, while Cursor has Advanced multi-tab chat with context awareness.
Setup Time: Codeium has 2-3 minutes (install extension), while Cursor has 10-15 minutes (download, configure, learn new UI).
Price (Pro Monthly): Codeium has $12 USD, while Cursor has $20 USD.