What do you think is Cursor’s most irreplaceable strength?
To be honest, I find Cursor’s VS Code experience quite uncomfortable. However, the fact that it runs seamlessly within my codebase is what keeps me from abandoning it.
That said, if Copilot were to offer the same level of integration, I don’t think I’d continue using Cursor. Copilot is gradually catching up with the features Cursor provides, and it works within IntelliJ, which is a big advantage for me.
Are there any other major strengths of Cursor that I might be overlooking?
What’s the biggest reason you love Cursor more than anything else?
Replies
Graphify
I actually used Copilot first before trying Cursor. When I switched, I immediately noticed how much better the overall experience was. Cursor just writes and analyzes code in a way that feels more intuitive and helpful for my projects. Also, the way it integrates AI suggestions directly into the workflow feels smoother compared to Copilot. Copilot is great, but for me, Cursor just feels like it understands the context better and produces cleaner, more relevant code.
BYO API key. Thats all I need. Unlimited use of o1, sonnet 3.7, gpt 4.5. Bare no expense. time is money
Cursor was built with an "AI-first" approach and that's pretty evident when you use it. This is what was missing in VS Code and IntelliJ IDEs. I was a diehard fan of IntelliJ IDEs for over a decade! But the AI integration was so non-native that I had to switch. You're absolutely right that it's just a matter of time before others catch up, and until then, Cursor it is. The biggest reasons that I love Cursor is the pace of release of updates (Agents, MCP...), & the choice of models I check out for hassle-free online processing.
For larger projects, Cursor still seems to be the superior choice. However, as someone who primarily uses IntelliJ and Android Studio, if Copilot’s contextual understanding reaches the level of Cursor, I would naturally switch to Copilot without hesitation
I used Copilot for several months before switching to Cursor, and for fresh projects, Cursor has been a game-changer. The biggest strength, in my experience, is its ability to understand context at a deeper level, making it significantly better for generating structured code from scratch. Unlike Copilot, which often provides fragmented suggestions, Cursor feels more like an AI pair programmer that aligns well with the project’s flow. If Copilot ever reaches the same level of contextual awareness and structured assistance, it might be a closer call, but for now, Cursor is ahead.