Claude Code vs Cursor: The Terminal vs IDE Debate
Two fundamentally different approaches to AI-assisted development — one lives in your terminal, the other is your IDE. We compare them across every dimension.
The most common question we get: "Should I use Claude Code or Cursor?" It's the wrong question. These tools serve different workflows, and the right choice depends on how you work.
The Terminal-First Approach: Claude Code
Claude Code operates as an agentic CLI. You describe what you want in natural language, and it reads your codebase, plans changes, edits files, and runs commands. It excels at large-scale refactoring, greenfield scaffolding, and tasks that span many files. Its context window encompasses your entire repository.
Where it shines: Multi-file editing (9.4/10) and Context Understanding (9.5/10). When you need to change 15 files to add a feature, Claude Code handles the coordination that would take manual effort in a traditional IDE.
The IDE-Native Approach: Cursor
Cursor is a VS Code fork with AI deeply integrated into the editing experience. Composer mode lets you describe changes in natural language, Tab completions are context-aware, and inline chat helps you iterate on specific code blocks. It feels like a supercharged IDE.
Where it shines: Developer Experience (9.2/10). If you live in VS Code, the transition to Cursor is seamless. The visual diff review, inline suggestions, and familiar keybindings create the most polished AI coding experience available.
The Verdict
There is no single winner. Terminal power users who work across large codebases will prefer Claude Code. Developers who want AI integrated into their visual editing workflow will prefer Cursor. Many developers use both — Claude Code for large structural changes, Cursor for day-to-day coding.
See our full side-by-side comparison for dimension-by-dimension scores.