Cursor alternatives: IDE and terminal options compared

The best Cursor alternatives in 2026 split into two groups. If you want another AI editor, look at VS Code with GitHub Copilot, Zed, Cline, Kilo Code, Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf), Google Antigravity or Kiro. If you would rather keep your editor and add an agent in the terminal, look at Claude Code, Codex CLI, OpenCode, Aider or Darce.

Last checked: October 2026. Facts about each tool come from its official site, docs or repository. Two well-known Cursor alternatives, Continue and Roo Code, are no longer maintained; details below.

Why people look for a Cursor alternative

Cursor is a strong product. It has a free Hobby plan, paid individual plans from $20 a month, team plans, cloud agents, Bugbot code review and a CLI. People still look elsewhere for a few reasons:

• They want to stay in their own editor: VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim or Zed.
• They want open source, so they can read what runs on their machine.
• They want local models for privacy, cost or offline work.
• They prefer the terminal and treat the editor as a place to review, not to prompt.
• They want different pricing: bring-your-own-key, a free tier, or a plan they already pay for.

Cursor alternatives at a glance

IDE alternatives to Cursor

VS Code with GitHub Copilot

The closest like-for-like swap if you want a familiar editor with a built-in agent. VS Code's docs describe agents in chat with a choice of harness: "Copilot, Anthropic Claude, or OpenAI Codex". Models can come from your Copilot plan, your own API key, or a supported local model. There is a Plan option for planning before edits, and an Agents window for running multiple sessions. Best if your team already pays for GitHub Copilot.

Zed

A fast, open source editor from the creators of Atom and Tree-sitter. Its agent panel works with provider API keys and local models, and it has edit predictions as you type. Zed also runs other agents inside the editor through the Agent Client Protocol (ACP): its docs list Claude Agent, Codex, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Copilot, Cursor and others, and any ACP-compatible agent can be added. Best if you want speed and the freedom to plug in whichever agent you like.

Cline

An open source (Apache-2.0) autonomous coding agent for VS Code and JetBrains, now also available as a CLI and an SDK. It works with most providers and with local models through Ollama and LM Studio. Every file edit and terminal command needs your approval unless you turn on auto-approve, and changes are tracked with checkpoints you can undo. Plan and Act modes separate thinking from doing. Best open source pick for staying inside VS Code.

Kilo Code

MIT licensed, with VS Code and JetBrains extensions and a CLI. The Kilo Gateway offers hundreds of models through one endpoint, with bring-your-own-key and usage tracking. Agent modes include Architect, Ask, Debug and Orchestrator. Its CLI is a fork of OpenCode, so the editor and terminal share configuration ideas.

Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)

Windsurf is now part of Cognition's Devin product line: windsurf.com permanently redirects to devin.ai/desktop. The product describes itself as a place to "manage fleets of local and cloud agents from one surface", with a full IDE included. If you were evaluating Windsurf, this is what it is now; check Cognition's pricing page for current plans.

Google Antigravity

Google's agentic development platform, with a desktop app (macOS, Windows, Linux), a CLI and an SDK. Its site says it is "available at no charge" for developers. Best if you want a free, agent-first environment built around Gemini.

Kiro

Amazon's agentic IDE, built on Code OSS so VS Code settings and Open VSX extensions carry over, plus a CLI. Its signature feature is spec-driven development: it writes requirements, a design and a task list before code. Pricing is credit-based, with different multipliers per model.

Skip these two: Continue and Roo Code

Both still show up in older "best Cursor alternative" lists. The continuedev/continue repository now says it "is no longer actively maintained and is read-only", and its final 2.0.0 release shipped in June 2026. Roo Code was shut down on May 15, 2026, and its repository is archived; its README points users to Cline and a community fork. Existing installs may keep working, but don't adopt either for new work.

Terminal alternatives to Cursor

A terminal agent works alongside any editor. You keep VS Code, JetBrains or Neovim, and the agent reads the repo, edits files and runs commands from a terminal pane. You review the diff in your editor or with git.

Claude Code

Anthropic's agent and the most feature-rich option: MCP, hooks, skills, subagents, background agents, GitHub Actions and an SDK, plus VS Code, JetBrains, desktop and web surfaces. Needs a Claude subscription or an Anthropic Console account. Best if you mostly use Claude models. See our Claude Code alternative page for how it compares with Darce.

Codex CLI

OpenAI's open source agent, included with ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, Edu and Enterprise, or usable with an API key. It runs commands in a sandbox and can use local open models with --oss. See Darce vs Codex CLI.

OpenCode

The most popular open source terminal agent, with 75+ providers, local models and ChatGPT, Copilot or GitLab Duo logins. Best for maximum control over providers. See our OpenCode alternatives roundup and Darce vs OpenCode.

Aider

Git-native pair programming: a repo map for context and an automatic commit for each change. Works with almost any model, including local ones. Its last tagged release was v0.86.0 in August 2025, so it moves slower than the others. See Darce vs Aider.

Darce

Darce is the agent this site is about. It is an MIT licensed terminal agent with one plan for 250+ coding models through OpenRouter, so there are no provider keys to manage. Switch models with /model or Shift+↑/↓ mid-task, or race three models on the same task with /derby and keep the best diff.

What makes it different from Cursor's agent is the safety net. /undo reverses every change, including files that shell commands created, changed or deleted, and every command is risk-scored before it runs: risky ones ask first with the reason, and anything undo can't reverse (deploys, migrations, releases) always asks. See Safety.

Honest limits: it has no editor UI and no tab completions, it doesn't run local models, shell-command undo needs a git repository, and undo history lasts for the session.

Is there an open source Cursor alternative?

Yes, several. In the editor: Zed (open source editor), Cline (Apache-2.0) and Kilo Code (MIT), both of which run inside VS Code, which is itself open source. In the terminal: OpenCode (MIT), Codex CLI (Apache-2.0), Aider (Apache-2.0), Gemini CLI (Apache-2.0) and Darce (MIT). Copilot, Devin Desktop, Antigravity, Kiro and Claude Code are not open source.

Can I use a local LLM instead of Cursor?

Yes. The tools with documented local model support:

• Cline: Ollama and LM Studio, or any OpenAI-compatible server.
• Zed: local models in the agent panel.
• VS Code + Copilot: "connect a supported local model".
• OpenCode: Ollama, LM Studio and llama.cpp. Its docs suggest raising Ollama's num_ctx to about 16k to 32k if tool calls fail.
• Codex CLI: codex --oss --local-provider ollama (or lmstudio).
• Aider and Crush: both work with local models.

A practical warning: agent work needs a model that handles tool calls reliably and a large context window. Ollama's own Claude Code guide recommends at least 64k context for local models. Small models on a laptop often struggle with multi-step edits, so test on a real task before committing. Darce doesn't run local models; it is built for hosted ones.

Which Cursor alternative should you pick?

• Same experience, different vendor: VS Code with GitHub Copilot.
• Fastest editor, any agent: Zed.
• Open source, inside VS Code or JetBrains: Cline or Kilo Code.
• Free, agent-first: Google Antigravity.
• Spec-first planning: Kiro.
• Best agent for Claude users, in any editor: Claude Code.
• ChatGPT subscriber: Codex CLI.
• Local models in the terminal: OpenCode or Aider.
• Many models on one plan, with undo for shell commands: Darce. Try npx darce-cli (free trial, no account), then read Getting started and see pricing.

Sources

• Cursor pricing
• GitHub Copilot in VS Code
• Zed AI overview
• Zed external agents
• Cline on GitHub
• Kilo docs
• Kilo CLI docs
• Devin Desktop
• Google Antigravity
• Kiro
• Continue on GitHub
• Roo Code on GitHub
• Claude Code overview
• Codex on GitHub
• OpenCode providers
• Aider on GitHub
• Crush on GitHub
• Ollama: Claude Code integration
• Darce on GitHub

Frequently asked questions

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