Cursor AI Review 2025: Is It Worth $20/Month for Developers?
After testing Cursor AI for 4 months of active development work, here is an honest assessment for developers considering it in 2025.
Cursor AI Review 2025: Is It Worth $20/Month for Developers?
The Verdict: Yes, for Most Developers
Cursor AI at $20/month is the highest-ROI AI tool available for developers who write code daily. The productivity gains from context-aware, multi-file editing are real and measurable. Most developers who try it do not go back to standard VS Code.
What Makes Cursor Different
Cursor is not just autocomplete. The key differentiators:
- Codebase context: Cursor indexes your entire codebase. When you ask it to make a change, it understands how files relate to each other.
- Multi-file editing: Ask Cursor to implement a feature, it edits the relevant files across your project. Not just the file you have open.
- Natural language editing: Cmd+K opens an edit mode where you describe what you want changed in English. It applies the changes, you review them.
- Chat with context: Reference files, functions, or symbols in chat using @filename syntax. Ask questions about specific parts of the codebase.
Compared to GitHub Copilot
Copilot ($10/month) is good for line-level completions. Cursor ($20/month) is better for multi-file understanding and natural language refactoring. If you code in VS Code and primarily want faster completions, Copilot is fine. If you want to have conversations with your codebase and make broader changes more efficiently, Cursor wins.
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