Cursor

Cursor is a fork of VS Code rebuilt around AI-first workflows. Instead of just autocomplete, you chat with your codebase — ask it to refactor functions, explain code, or implement features across multiple files. The AI has context of your entire project, not just the current file. It can edit multiple files simultaneously and understands your architecture better than inline suggestions.

Perfect for solo developers and small teams building products fast. If you're a founder shipping features yourself, this is the fastest way to write code with AI. The free tier is generous, and the paid tier ($20/month) is cheaper than Copilot + ChatGPT subscriptions combined. The VS Code compatibility means your extensions still work.

Downsides: it's newer than Copilot so some edge cases exist, can be overwhelming if you're used to traditional editors, and the AI sometimes suggests overly complex solutions. Also burns through API tokens fast on large refactors. But if you're building a startup and coding solo, this is the tool to beat.