In December 2024, I wrote an article sharing my expertise utilizing VSCode (GitHub Copilot) and Cursor (Claude 3.5 Sonnet) from the angle of a Knowledge Scientist.
I concluded the article by stating:
After utilizing Cursor for the previous two weeks, I’ve determined to make use of it for all of my future tasks.
Since writing this text, not solely have there been vital developments to VSCode and Cursor, however a brand new wave of AI-powered IDEs (e.g. Windsurf) have emerged. Upon evaluating and testing these different IDEs, I’ve determined to revert to VSCode as my main IDE of selection.
On this article, I’ll talk about why I’m now not utilizing Cursor, why I’ve reverted to VSCode and GitHub Copilot, and my opinion on what IDE try to be utilizing as a Knowledge Scientist.
What I Preferred Most About Cursor
Let me state this primary: Cursor is a good product. I stored listening to builders talk about Cursor increasingly more, with many benefiting from their 2-week free trial. I used to be hesitant at first, however after studying persistent reward for the software program, I made a decision to kind my very own opinion firsthand.
I liked that Cursor’s interface was the identical as VSCode. Upon set up, Cursor enabled you to obtain all of your current VSCode extensions, which positively helped with adoption because it made you’re feeling proper at residence.
In December 2024, two key Cursor options made it stand out from the group. The primary was the flexibility to make use of quite a lot of completely different LLMs, in contrast to GitHub Copilot, which had restrictions on what LLMs had been out there. Secondly, Cursor had a characteristic known as “Composer” that allowed customers to generate a complete mission code base by merely describing it through a immediate.
As described in my article “Should you switch from VSCode to Cursor?”, these had been the 2 options I used to be most enthusiastic about and based mostly my preliminary evaluation on.
Why I Switched Again to VSCode
VSCode has been my main IDE for over 7 years, I used to be additionally a beta tester for GitHub Copilot, one thing I’ve been paying for since its launch.
As beforehand defined, a key good thing about Cursor is its similarity to VSCode from an interface perspective. Though a minor motive, switching again to VSCode meant I didn’t have to refamiliarise myself with an alternate UI.
GitHub Copilot eradicated one of many two foremost causes for my preliminary transfer to Cursor when it enabled the flexibility to implement SOTA newly-released LLMs. As of writing in April 2025, beneath is the prevailing checklist of LLMs out there through GitHub Copilot:
Claude 3.7 Sonnet was launched on February twenty fourth, 2025. On the identical day, Microsoft announced that this mannequin was now out there through GitHub Copilot. GPT-4.5 was launched on February twenty seventh, 2025, and was additionally made available on the same day in GitHub Copilot Chat to Copilot Enterprise customers.
An enormous enchancment on their LLM providing when in comparison with again in December 2024.
As a Knowledge Scientist, I typically work in Jupyter Notebooks for exploration duties. Though AI-assistance works higher when Programming utilizing .py recordsdata, I discover VSCode is healthier than Cursor when working with Jupyter Notebooks.
Vscode provides GitHub Copilot directions when including a brand new cell to your pocket book, this isn’t out there utilizing Cursor. Though AI-assistance is offered, it’s tougher because the consumer has to make use of Ctrl/⌘ + Ok to start writing their immediate.
When working with Jupyter Notebooks utilizing VSCode and GitHub Copilot, you even have the flexibility to speak along with your AI-assistant, referencing the cells in your pocket book you need the AI to concentrate on. This performance makes it extremely simple to implement AI-assistance in your coding workflow.
The ultimate two elements, which had been much less vital however positively performed a job in my general choice, had been value and utilization in my skilled position.
GitHub Copilot prices $10 per 30 days in comparison with Cursor, which prices $20 per 30 days. I requested myself, am I getting twice the worth from utilizing Cursor over VSCode? The reply to this query was no, due to this fact, this added extra weight in the direction of reverting to VSCode.
Lastly, in my skilled position as a Lead Knowledge Scientist, I take advantage of VSCode every day. I’d by no means choose an IDE based mostly solely on the one I take advantage of in my skilled position, though it positively helps to maintain issues aligned the place doable.
For the aim of this text, I’m highlighting high-level factors from my expertise with VSCode and GitHub Copilot. Be at liberty to message me through social media if in case you have extra particular questions you wish to ask.
How GitHub Copilot Closed the Hole
GitHub was purchased for $7.5 billion by Microsoft in 2018. As Microsoft is a far bigger firm than Anysphere Inc., they’re in a position to place much more sources on bettering their product providing.
As an finish consumer, competitors is inspired because it pushes firms to innovate and develop at a tempo that allows them to maintain up with one another. This additionally implies that when a brand new characteristic is launched and is broadly adopted by the group, all the competitor firms rush to develop that very same characteristic into their very own product providing.
When Cursor was first gaining reputation, it had many options (e.g., Composer, Tab, and Cursor Prediction) that its rivals didn’t have. That is now not the case.
As proven in GitHub Copilot’s changelog, releases are occurring weekly, with some days consisting of a couple of new characteristic being made out there to all GitHub Copilot customers.
As of in the present day, there aren’t many options that Cursor provides that aren’t additionally out there utilizing VSCode and GitHub Copilot. Microsoft has proven previously 4 months that it’s putting big significance on making GitHub Copilot the perfect AI coding assistant in the marketplace. Whereas some enhancements are nonetheless wanted, they’re transferring at a speedy tempo, closing the hole, and are able to steer the market by the tip of 2025.
Remaining Ideas
Firstly, I don’t consider any textual content editor/IDE is healthier than another. You must all the time make this judgment your self based mostly on trial-and-error and never finalise your choice based mostly on what’s most spoken about on-line.
I’ve been utilizing VSCode for a number of weeks now since reverting from Cursor, and I’ve not regretted my choice. I consider Microsoft is making nice progress with GitHub Copilot and has actually closed the hole to all the brand new AI-assistant IDEs.
There’ll all the time be options that pop up right here and there that aren’t out there within the IDE you’re at the moment utilizing. In the event that they’re broadly adopted by the group, all rivals will implement them with time. Don’t use this as a possibility to maintain switching your IDE.
Disclaimer: All opinions shared on this article are my very own based mostly on my private expertise; I’ve no affiliation with Cursor, VSCode, or GitHub Copilot. Until said in any other case, the creator owns all photos included on this article.
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