Agent-first coding environment vs an extensible editor platform.
Official product sites
Cursor is an agent-first coding product with a VS Code-based desktop app, parallel Cloud Agents, Bugbot, Automations, CLI, and web access. VS Code is Microsoft's extensible editor product, with local and cloud agent sessions, Claude and Codex harnesses, MCP, remote development, and a large extension marketplace.
Choose Cursor for a more opinionated agent-first workflow. Choose VS Code for a general editor and extension platform with several agent harnesses. Solo is a separate desktop workspace for local agents and project commands.
Choose Cursor for its integrated AI workflow or VS Code for its extension and agent ecosystem. Choose Solo when local agents and project commands should live outside the editor.
Cursor fits best when you want an AI-first editor with native cloud-agent workflows.
VS Code fits best when you want extension breadth, unified agent sessions, third-party agents, MCP, and the flexibility of a larger editor ecosystem.
Solo is relevant when the conclusion is not “pick Cursor” or “pick VS Code,” but “move the local environment for agents and project commands out of the editor entirely.”
| Feature | Cursor | VS Code | Solo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | AI-first code editor with agent workflows | General-purpose editor with Copilot AI and agent ecosystem | Local process dashboard for agents and project commands |
| Replaces your editor |  | | — |
| Built-in AI agent | Agent mode with autonomous multi-file editing and terminal access | Copilot agent mode with autonomous coding and error self-correction | — |
| Background/cloud agents | Parallel Cloud Agents in isolated VMs and branches | Cloud sessions through supported harnesses | — |
| Agent harnesses | Cursor agent across desktop, CLI, web, and cloud | Local, Copilot, Claude, Codex, and Cloud | Supported installed CLIs |
| Automated PR review | Bugbot; optional usage-billed Autofix can launch a Cloud Agent | Copilot code review features | — |
| Event-driven automations | Yes — code pushes, Slack, PagerDuty | — | — |
| AI model choice | Models from Cursor and major providers | Depends on the selected harness/provider | Uses installed agent CLIs; no bundled model |
| Tab completion | Proprietary model predicting multi-line edits | Copilot completions (2,000/mo on free tier) | — |
| MCP integration | MCP servers and marketplace plugins | Agent harnesses connect to MCP servers | Exposes an MCP server for external tools |
| Extension ecosystem | Open VSX; many popular extensions, but not every Marketplace extension | Microsoft extension marketplace | — |
| Remote development | Remote SSH plus web access to Cloud Agents | Containers, SSH, WSL, and web | — |
| Local process dashboard | Editor and terminal views, not a process supervisor | Tasks and terminals, not a process supervisor | Yes — sidebar with CPU/memory stats per process |
| Auto-restart for project commands | — | — | Yes — self-exit and file-watch restarts |
| Shared project command config | Rules and project settings | .vscode/tasks.json and .vscode/mcp.json | solo.yml — version-controlled, team-shareable |
| Open source | — | Code - OSS source is MIT; Microsoft VS Code has its own product license | — |
| Free tier | Hobby — limited agent requests and Tab | Free editor; Copilot Free has limited AI credits and 2,000 completions | 4 projects and 20 processes |
| Paid plans | Pro $20/mo, Pro+ $60/mo, Ultra $200/mo | Copilot Pro $10/mo, Pro+ $39/mo, Max $100/mo, Business $19/user/mo, Enterprise $39/user/mo | Pro plan |
| Ownership | Acquired by SpaceX in August 2026 | Microsoft | Independent |
| Platform | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Windows, Linux, web | macOS and Windows |
Cursor is a VS Code fork using Open VSX. Many popular extensions, settings, and keybindings can be imported, but not every Microsoft Marketplace extension is available.
VS Code is Microsoft's original product. Its Code - OSS source is MIT-licensed, while the branded distribution uses the Microsoft product license.
Solo is not an editor and has no relationship to the VS Code ecosystem.
Cursor combines local agent mode with parallel Cloud Agents, Bugbot, optional Autofix, and event-driven Automations.
VS Code supports Local, Copilot, Claude, Codex, and Cloud harnesses. Authentication and billing depend on the selected harness.
Solo runs CLI agents alongside dev servers and workers without providing its own coding model.
Cursor provides Remote SSH and web access to Cloud Agents alongside its desktop, CLI, and integration surfaces.
VS Code provides remote development through containers, SSH, WSL, and the web, plus debugging, Git, and extensions.
Solo adds local process management regardless of editor. Both solo.yml and workspace .vscode/tasks.json can be shared; Solo adds a dedicated supervision and resource view.
If Cursor is your editor, Solo adds value for the non-coding parts of your local environment.
If VS Code is your editor, Solo adds a local process management layer.
Solo can run alongside either editor as a dedicated workspace for local agents and project commands.
The pricing difference here mirrors the product difference: Cursor sells a more opinionated AI-first editor surface, while VS Code is the broader editor platform with optional Copilot layers.
Cursor pricing lens
Cursor has a free/hobby entry point and paid plans above that.
VS Code pricing lens
VS Code is free as an editor, with optional Copilot Free and paid Copilot tiers.
Where Solo fits
Solo is not a substitute pricing line item for either editor. It is a separate local environment layer if you do not want the editor to own that part of the workflow.
Cursor provides an opinionated agent-first coding environment across desktop, CLI, web, and cloud. VS Code provides a general editor and extension platform with several agent harnesses and remote-development modes. Choose the editor workflow you want. Solo fits when local agents and project commands should live in a separate desktop workspace.
Related comparisons
If you are evaluating Cursor, VS Code, Solo, these are the closest next comparisons in the matrix.
Start with one project and a small task. These guides walk through the setup and what to check when the work finishes.
Set up both tools in one project, give one agent implementation work, and ask the other to review the diff.
Read the guide →Give a lead agent a plan, shared todos, and a scratchpad so workers have clear assignments and a useful handoff.
Read the guide →Put a Laravel server, Vite, and a queue worker in solo.yml, then manage their output and restart behavior in Solo.
Read the guide →The Free plan includes every feature, so you only need Pro after you outgrow four projects.
Team seats
Buy seats under one Stripe subscription, then share a claim link in Slack or email. Each claimant signs in or registers and receives a normal Solo Pro license. Optional auto-grow adds prorated seats automatically when the pool is full, so your team never hits a license wall.
Seats 1–3
$99/seat/yr
Seats 4–10
$89/seat/yr
Seats 11–50
$79/seat/yr
Seats 51+
$69/seat/yr
Brackets apply per seat — a 10-seat team pays $99 each for seats 1–3 and $89 each for seats 4–10.
Free for four projects on macOS and Windows.
Start with a terminal and add the programmable meta-harness when you need to coordinate agents with your local development stack.
“I can't live without it.”
