If you've been riding the AI coding wave, chances are you've heard about Cursor.

But here's the thing: Cursor isn't perfect. Maybe you're frustrated with its recent pricing changes that left users scratching their heads over usage credits and API costs. Perhaps you need something with better privacy controls for your enterprise. Or maybe you just want to explore what else is out there before committing to a $20/month subscription.

Whatever your reason, you're in the right place. After weeks of testing alternatives and diving deep into the AI coding assistant landscape, I've put together this comprehensive guide to help you find the right tool for your workflow.

What Makes a Good Cursor Alternative?

Before we jump into specific tools, let's establish what we're looking for. A solid Cursor alternative should offer:

• Intelligent code completion that understands context, not just autocomplete on steroids
• Multi-file editing capabilities for refactoring across your codebase
• Conversational AI chat for asking questions and getting explanations
• Transparent pricing so you actually know what you're paying for
• Privacy and security options that meet enterprise requirements
• Model flexibility to choose between different AI models based on your needs

Now, let's get into the alternatives. And we're starting with something that's quite different from the traditional code editor approach.

Base44: When You Need an App Builder, Not Just a Code Editor

Here's where things get interesting. While most Cursor alternatives focus on helping developers write code faster, Base44 takes a completely different approach. It's not really a code editor at all—it's an AI-powered app builder that lets you create fully functional web applications using nothing but natural language.

You describe what you want in plain English, and it generates a complete application with backend, database, authentication, and frontend all deployed instantly on their hosting platform.

What Makes Base44 Different

Base44 was recently acquired by Wix for a reported $80 million, which tells you something about its potential. Unlike Cursor, where you're editing code files and managing your development environment, Base44 handles everything for you.

You literally type something like "Build me a customer feedback dashboard with admin access, email alerts, and data export," and Base44 creates the entire application. The AI interprets your requirements, generates the necessary code structure, and deploys it live. No Git setup, no deployment pipeline, no DevOps headaches.

The platform includes a drag-and-drop visual editor for tweaking the UI after generation, so you can adjust colors, spacing, and layout without touching code. But the real magic is in how it handles the backend. Base44 automatically provisions databases, sets up user authentication, configures file storage, and integrates with services like Stripe for payments, all based on your natural language prompts.

Base44

Best For: All-in-one AI app builder with beautiful design. Plus, integrated database, authentication, and AI agents.

Visit Base44

Base44 Pricing

Base44 offers a free plan with limited daily credits (around 7 messages per day), which is enough for experimentation. Paid plans start around $30/month for the Starter tier, with Professional plans at $99/month that include more credits, custom domains, and advanced integrations.

The catch? You're locked into Base44's hosting infrastructure. While they've recently started beta testing GitHub export features, the platform is fundamentally designed as an all-in-one solution. Your app lives on their servers, uses their database, and runs in their environment.

When to Choose Base44

Base44 makes sense if you're a founder trying to validate an MVP quickly, a product manager who wants to prototype without bothering the engineering team, or a non-technical person who needs to build internal tools. It's perfect for rapid prototyping and getting something functional in front of users within hours.

But if you're a developer who wants full control over your codebase, prefers working in your own IDE, or needs to integrate with existing systems, Base44 probably isn't the right fit. For those scenarios, you'll want an actual code editor alternative.

Windsurf: The Editor That Pioneered Agentic Coding

If Cursor's Composer mode feels magical, you have Windsurf to thank for it. Codeium's Windsurf Editor was the first to introduce true agentic coding workflows, and Cursor later followed their lead with a similar approach.

Windsurf isn't just slapping AI features onto an existing editor. It's built from the ground up to integrate AI agents throughout your development workflow. The star feature is Cascade, their multi-file AI agent that can automatically understand your codebase context, run commands, detect and fix lint errors, and coordinate changes across multiple files all without you having to manually specify every file it should look at.

Why Developers Are Switching to Windsurf

The interface feels cleaner and more polished than Cursor's. Where Cursor can feel cluttered with AI buttons everywhere, Windsurf takes an Apple-like approach to design. Everything you need is accessible, but it doesn't overwhelm you with options.

One killer feature: Windsurf writes changes to disk before you approve them. This means you can see the results in your live dev server immediately, check if the UI looks right, and spot build errors all before accepting the changes. If something's not quite right, you can continue iterating in the chat without committing to the changes. It's a subtle difference that makes the workflow feel more collaborative.

Windsurf also pioneered the concept of "Memories," where the agent remembers important details about your codebase and workflow across sessions. It's like having a junior developer who actually pays attention and remembers what you told them yesterday.

Windsurf Pricing

The Pro plan costs $15/month (compared to Cursor's $20), and includes 500 User Prompt credits plus 1,500 Flow Action credits. For power users, Pro Ultimate runs $60/month with unlimited prompts.

For teams, it's $35/user/month, significantly cheaper than Cursor's $40 team plan.

The pricing transparency is refreshing after Cursor's confusing usage-credit rollout. You know exactly what you're getting, and the credit system is clearly explained on their dashboard.

The Windsurf Trade-offs

The autocomplete isn't quite as snappy as Cursor's Tab feature. Some users report Cascade occasionally suggesting changes that don't align with the actual context, requiring manual cleanup. And while the UI is cleaner, it sometimes means you need to dig into menus to find features that Cursor surfaces more directly.

Still, at $5 less per month with comparable (and in some cases superior) features, Windsurf deserves serious consideration.

GitHub Copilot: The Safe Enterprise Choice

Let's address the elephant in the room. GitHub Copilot is the most widely adopted AI coding assistant, and for good reason. It's from Microsoft/GitHub, which means it automatically gets blessed by IT departments who'd otherwise make you jump through security review hoops for six months.

Copilot has evolved significantly since its 2021 launch. The latest versions include multi-file editing, agent mode, code review features, and support for multiple models including GPT-4.1, Claude Sonnet, and Gemini.

GitHub Copilot Pricing

The big news is GitHub's revamped pricing structure as of 2025. There's now a free tier with 2,000 code completions and 50 chat requests per month which is perfect for trying it out or light usage.

Copilot Pro costs $10/month (half the price of Cursor) and includes 300 "premium requests" for advanced models, unlimited completions with the base GPT-4.1 model, and access to agent mode. The new Pro+ tier at $39/month gives you 1,500 premium requests and access to all available models.

For businesses, Copilot Business is $19/user/month, while Enterprise (which requires GitHub Enterprise Cloud) runs $39/user/month and adds features like custom model training on your private repositories and integration throughout the GitHub platform.

The GitHub Advantage

The integration is unbeatable if you're already in the GitHub ecosystem. Code reviews on pull requests, security scanning with Copilot Autofix, and the ability to ask questions about your repository's documentation right on GitHub.com. It all just works.

The model selection is solid too. You can switch between Claude 4.5 Opus, GPT-5, o1, Gemini 3.0 Pro, and others depending on your task. And with IP indemnity protection on Business and Enterprise plans, legal teams sleep better at night.

Where Copilot Falls Short

Copilot is fundamentally a suggestion tool that got upgraded with some agent features. It doesn't feel as native or powerful as editors built specifically for agentic workflows like Cursor or Windsurf. The multi-file editing isn't as smooth, and the agent mode can feel tacked on rather than core to the experience.

Also, those "premium requests" can disappear faster than you'd expect. Heavy users report burning through the monthly allowance in the first week, which means either paying $0.04 per additional request or downgrading to the base model.

Cline: The Open-Source Powerhouse

What if you could have Cursor's capabilities but completely free, open-source, and running entirely on your machine? That's Cline.

Cline is a VS Code extension that's become something of a cult favorite in the developer community. It hit 30,000 GitHub stars faster than most projects hit 1,000, and for good reason: it's genuinely powerful and costs exactly zero dollars.

How Cline Works

Cline operates on a bring-your-own-key model. You install the extension, connect your own API keys from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, or any OpenAI-compatible provider, and you're off to the races. Want to use local models with Ollama? Cline supports that too.

What makes Cline special is its transparency. Every action is visible. Every file read, every command executed, every decision the AI makes—you see it all in real-time and approve each step. Nothing happens without your explicit permission.

The extension supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP), which means Cline can create custom tools tailored to your workflow. Ask it to "add a tool that fetches Jira tickets," and it will generate an MCP server, install it, and start using it. This extensibility is powerful for teams with specific workflows.

Cline's Advantages

Cost control is the obvious win. You pay your AI provider directly at wholesale rates—no markup, no subscriptions, no surprises. If Claude Sonnet costs $3 per million tokens from Anthropic, that's what you pay. Cline doesn't add a cent.

The client-side architecture means your code never touches external servers beyond the AI provider's API. For companies with strict data policies but who can't justify Tabnine's enterprise pricing, Cline offers a middle ground.

And because it's open-source, you can audit every line of code. Security teams love this. There's no black box, no proprietary secret sauce, just transparent code doing exactly what it says.

Cline's Limitations

There's no GUI magic here. You're working with a VS Code extension panel, not a purpose-built AI editor. The experience isn't as polished as Cursor or Windsurf.

You're also managing API keys yourself, which means dealing with rate limits from providers, potential downtime, and monitoring your spending across different services. For developers who want to tinker and optimize, this is perfect. For those who want everything to just work, it's friction.

But at zero cost beyond API usage, and with the flexibility to use any model from any provider, Cline is hard to beat for individual developers and small teams.

The Hidden Cost Factor:

Remember that Cursor's move to usage-based pricing means your bill can be unpredictable. If you're using heavy models like Claude Opus in MAX mode with large context windows, that $20/month can disappear in days.

Windsurf's clearer credit system and GitHub Copilot's premium request limits are more transparent, but you still need to watch your usage.

The bring-your-own-key approach with Cline gives you maximum control but requires more active management. You'll need to monitor your API usage across providers and potentially deal with rate limits.

How to Actually Choose: A Decision Framework

After testing all these tools extensively, here's how to make the decision:

Choose Cursor if:

• You want the most polished, mature AI coding experience
• You're willing to pay premium pricing for cutting-edge features
• You don't mind navigating usage credits and monitoring your spending
• Multi-file agentic editing is crucial to your workflow

Choose Windsurf if:

• You want Cursor's capabilities at a lower price point
• You prefer a cleaner, more intuitive interface
• The ability to preview changes before accepting them matters to you
• You like being an early adopter of innovative features

Choose GitHub Copilot if:

• You're already deep in the GitHub ecosystem
• Enterprise compliance and IT approval are major concerns
• You want something that's proven at scale with millions of users
• Price predictability matters more than having the absolute latest AI features

Choose Cline if:

• You're comfortable with VS Code extensions
• You want complete control over costs and model selection
• Open-source transparency matters to your team
• You're happy managing API keys and monitoring usage yourself

Choose Base44 if:

• You need to build complete applications, not just write code
• Speed to market matters more than full control
• You're prototyping or validating ideas quickly
• You're comfortable with platform lock-in for the convenience

The Multi-Tool Strategy

Here's something most guides won't tell you: you don't have to pick just one.

Many developers use a combination. Cursor or Windsurf for their main work, GitHub Copilot because their company pays for it, and Cline for side projects where they want to experiment with different models. Some keep Base44 around for rapid prototyping before building the real thing in their primary editor.

The key is understanding that these tools have different strengths.

What's Coming Next

The AI coding assistant space is evolving rapidly. We're seeing a few clear trends:

Agentic workflows are becoming standard. The old model of autocomplete-style suggestions is giving way to AI agents that can plan, execute, verify, and iterate on complex tasks across your entire codebase.

Pricing is getting messy. The VC-subsidized era of cheap tokens is ending. Expect more tools to move toward usage-based pricing as the real costs of running these AI models become clear. The $200/month "power user" tier (like Cursor Ultra) is becoming a pattern.

Open-source is gaining ground. Projects like Cline are proving that you don't need to be a big company to build competitive AI coding tools. The transparency and flexibility of open-source are compelling for developers who value those principles.

Specialization is happening. We're seeing tools focus on specific niches - Base44 for rapid app building, for example

Final Thoughts

Cursor is excellent at what it does. But the AI coding landscape is rich with alternatives that might be better fits for your specific situation. Whether you need better pricing transparency, stronger privacy controls, faster performance, or just want to avoid putting all your eggs in one basket, there's an option that makes sense.

The right choice depends on your priorities. Are you optimizing for cost? Performance? Privacy? Ease of use? Integration with existing tools? There's no universal "best" answer.

My advice? Pick two or three that sound promising and actually try them for a week each. Most offer free tiers or trials. Pay attention to which one fits naturally into your workflow, where you're fighting the tool versus working with it, and whether the pricing model makes sense for how you actually code.

The AI coding assistant market is still young. These tools are improving weekly, new competitors are emerging, and pricing models are still finding equilibrium. What's true today might change in six months. Stay flexible, keep experimenting, and don't get too attached to any one tool.

The future of coding is clearly AI-assisted. But which specific assistant? That's up to you to decide.

Base44

Best For: All-in-one AI app builder with beautiful design. Plus, integrated database, authentication, and AI agents.

Visit Base44