Cursor is an AI-first code editor built on VS Code with integrated Claude AI assistance, while JetBrains IDEs are traditional integrated development environments with language-specific optimization and extensive built-in tooling. Cursor excels for AI-assisted coding workflows, whereas JetBrains dominates for enterprise development and language-specific features.
Cursor vs JetBrains IDEs — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Choose Cursor if you prioritize AI-assisted coding, are working with modern web frameworks, prefer a lightweight editor, or want lower costs. Choose JetBrains if you need advanced language-specific features, professional refactoring tools, enterprise support, or develop in Java, Python, or Kotlin extensively.
AI-powered code editor built on VS Code for professional developers
Family of professional IDEs (IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, etc.) with advanced language-specific features and enterprise tooling.
Cursor vs JetBrains IDEs — Comparison Data
Structured comparison data for Cursor vs JetBrains IDEs with 176 attributes.
Primary AI Model Quality (MMBENCH score)
Cursor vs JetBrains IDEs — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Cursor vs JetBrains IDEs.
JetBrains PyCharm is superior for professional Python development due to advanced debugging, profiling, testing frameworks, and Django/Flask tooling. Cursor is better if you want AI-assisted coding but lacks PyCharm's language-specific optimizations. For learning Python with AI help, Cursor excels; for production Python projects, PyCharm is preferred.
Can I use Cursor as a replacement for JetBrains?
Partially. Cursor works well for web development, scripting, and small projects with AI assistance, but lacks the advanced refactoring, profiling, and enterprise tooling of JetBrains. Large teams, complex language-specific projects, and enterprises should stick with JetBrains. Cursor is a viable replacement for solo developers and startups on tight budgets.
What's the difference in AI capabilities?
Cursor integrates Claude AI directly with a 500K context window and intuitive Tab/Cmd K interfaces, making AI a core workflow. JetBrains AI Assistant is an add-on plugin with a 200K context window and requires additional setup. Cursor's AI is more accessible; JetBrains' is supplementary. For AI-first coding, Cursor is superior.
Cursor is significantly lighter, requiring 4GB RAM and 2-3 second startup time. JetBrains IDEs demand 8-16GB RAM and 5-8 seconds to start, with continuous background indexing. On older machines or laptops with limited resources, Cursor is the clear winner.
What about community and plugin ecosystem?
VS Code (Cursor's foundation) has a larger plugin ecosystem with 50,000+ extensions. JetBrains has a curated, smaller ecosystem but with higher-quality language-specific plugins. Cursor inherits VS Code's advantage; JetBrains compensates with native features built directly into IDEs.