Comparison
Cursor alternatives in 2026: free, open source and paid
Several tools on older lists are gone. The editors and agents still worth switching to, with what each costs.
The best Cursor alternatives in October 2026 are VS Code with GitHub Copilot, the cheapest paid option at $10 a month, with a free tier; Devin Desktop, the new name for Windsurf since June 2026; Zed, a fast open-source editor that runs Claude Code, Codex and other agents; Kiro from AWS and Google's Antigravity, both with free plans; and JetBrains AI for JetBrains users. Open-source extensions such as Cline and Kilo Code bring agents into VS Code with your own keys, and terminal agents such as Claude Code and Codex work alongside any editor. Several names on older lists are gone: Cursor bought Continue and shut it down, Void was archived, and Tabnine was sold to Tricentis.
Key takeaways
- Cheapest paid plans: GitHub Copilot Pro, Zed Pro and JetBrains AI Pro, each $10 a month.
- Free plans: Copilot Free, Devin Desktop, Zed, Kiro and Antigravity.
- Open source: Zed, Cline (Apache 2.0) and Kilo Code (MIT).
- Gone or changed in 2026: Continue (bought and shut down by Cursor), Void (archived June 2), Tabnine (sold to Tricentis), Amazon Q Developer's IDE plugins (ending April 2027) and Windsurf (renamed Devin Desktop).
| Type | Free tier | Paid from | |
|---|---|---|---|
| VS Code with GitHub Copilot | Editor extension | 2,000 completions; limited chat and agent | $10 a month |
| Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) | Editor | Light quota; unlimited completions | $20 a month |
| Zed | Open-source editor | 2,000 edit predictions; your own keys | $10 a month |
| Kiro | Editor and CLI | 50 credits a month | $20 a month |
| Google Antigravity | Editor, app and CLI | Weekly quota | $19.99 (Google AI Pro) |
| JetBrains AI | IDE plugin | 3 credits a month | $10 a month |
| Trae | Editor | None listed | $3 a month |
| Cline | Open-source extension | Free with your keys | Usage at cost |
| Kilo Code | Open-source extension | Free with your keys | $15 a user (Teams) |
| Claude Code / Codex | Coding agents | Codex: ChatGPT Free | $20 a month |
Prices from each vendor's pricing page on October 5, 2026.
Which editors are the closest swap?
- VS Code with GitHub Copilot. Free gives 2,000 completions and a limited number of chat and agent requests; Pro is $10 a month, Pro+ $39 and Max $100, with Business at $19 a user and Enterprise at $39. Usage is billed in GitHub AI credits, and completions don't use them. Models include Claude Opus and Sonnet 5.5, the GPT-6 family and Gemini, and agent mode works in VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Eclipse and Xcode. It can hand tasks to Claude or Codex, in preview.
- Devin Desktop, Windsurf until June 2, 2026: free with a light quota and unlimited completions, Pro $20, Max $200, and Teams at $80 a month plus $40 a seat. It can run Codex, Claude's agent and OpenCode inside it.
- Kiro, from AWS: free with 50 credits a month, then $20, $40, $100 or $200, built around writing a spec before the agent codes. It replaces Amazon Q Developer's IDE plugins, which end support on April 30, 2027.
- Google Antigravity: an agent-first editor, app and CLI with a free weekly quota, and higher limits on Google AI Pro ($19.99) and Ultra. Paid plans can run Claude models. Antigravity vs Claude Code.
- Trae, from ByteDance: plans from $3 to $100 a month, with no free plan listed.
Which are open source?
- Zed (GPL-3.0 and Apache 2.0): a native editor written in Rust, fast, with multiplayer editing. Free with 2,000 edit predictions and unlimited use of your own keys or outside agents such as Claude Code, Codex and Gemini CLI; Pro is $10 a month.
- Cline (Apache 2.0, about 70,000 GitHub stars): a VS Code extension, CLI and desktop app, free with your own keys or model usage at cost.
- Kilo Code (MIT): VS Code and JetBrains extensions with 500 or more models, free, with Teams at $15 a user; Anaconda bought it in July 2026.
Void, the best-known open-source Cursor clone, was archived on June 2, 2026, and Continue's product shut down after Cursor bought it, though its code stays Apache 2.0. Open-source terminal agents are covered in Claude Code alternatives.
What about JetBrains users?
JetBrains AI has a free tier with 3 credits a month, Pro at $10 and Ultimate at $30, and includes its own agent, Junie, plus Claude's agent and Codex. You can also bring your own key or connect outside agents. Copilot, Kilo Code and Augment Code also work in JetBrains IDEs; Augment Code sells flat team plans from $20 a month.
Do you need a new editor at all?
Often not. Terminal agents such as Claude Code and Codex work alongside any editor, and Claude Code's extension installs in Cursor, Devin Desktop and Kiro. Zed and JetBrains run outside agents directly. If the reason you're leaving Cursor is price or usage, compare Claude Code vs Cursor and the best free AI for coding first.
What changed in 2026?
- Windsurf became Devin Desktop on June 2.
- Continue was bought by Cursor in June and shut down.
- Void was archived on June 2.
- Kilo Code was bought by Anaconda in July, and Tabnine by Tricentis on July 30.
- Amazon Q Developer's IDE plugins end support on April 30, 2027, with Kiro as the replacement.
- Cursor itself was acquired by SpaceX in August.
Which should you pick?
- The cheapest paid swap, staying in VS Code: GitHub Copilot.
- The closest feel to Cursor: Devin Desktop.
- Speed and open source: Zed.
- A free start with an agent-first editor: Kiro or Antigravity.
- JetBrains IDEs: JetBrains AI or Copilot.
- Agents in VS Code with your own keys: Cline or Kilo Code.
- A group building together in a browser, with approval before each change: Poly (usepoly.co), which runs Claude Code and Codex in a shared room. What is Poly?
Common questions
What is the best free alternative to Cursor?
VS Code with GitHub Copilot Free is the simplest. Zed is free with your own keys or outside agents, and Kiro, Antigravity and Devin Desktop all have free plans.
What is the best open-source Cursor alternative?
Zed, for an editor, or Cline and Kilo Code, for agents inside VS Code. Void, once the best-known open-source Cursor clone, was archived in June 2026.
What happened to Windsurf?
It was renamed Devin Desktop on June 2, 2026. Its free plan, Pro at $20 and Max at $200 continue under the new name.
Is Continue still available?
No. Cursor bought Continue in June 2026 and shut the product down; its code remains available under the Apache 2.0 license.