Cursor

Overview

Cursor is a code editor built around artificial intelligence rather than bolting it on afterwards. It is a fork of VS Code, so it feels instantly familiar to most developers, but the AI sits at the centre of the experience. You can ask it questions about your project, have it write new features, refactor messy files, or fix a failing test, all in natural language. Because it indexes your entire codebase, its suggestions are grounded in how your project actually works rather than in generic snippets.

For an agency that builds custom logic around no-code platforms, Cursor matters because a growing share of real work now lives in code: API integrations, serverless functions, custom scripts that extend Webflow, and glue between tools. Cursor lowers the barrier to producing and maintaining that code cleanly. It does not replace a builder like Webflow, it complements it, handling the layer of custom functionality that a visual tool cannot express on its own.

How it works

You install Cursor like any desktop app and open a project folder. It quietly indexes the files so the AI can reason across the whole repository, not just the file in front of you. From there you work in a few modes. Inline editing lets you highlight code and describe the change you want. A chat panel answers questions with full awareness of your files. The agent mode goes further: you give it a goal, and it plans the change, edits multiple files, runs commands, reads the output, and iterates until the task is done.

Cursor connects to leading language models and lets you pick which one handles a given request. It also respects your existing tooling: your extensions, your Git workflow, your terminal. In practice you stay in control, reviewing each change as a normal diff before you accept it.

Key features

• Codebase awareness: indexes the whole project so answers and edits fit your real code.
• Agent mode: completes multi step tasks across many files, running commands and self correcting.
• Inline edits: select code, describe the change, and get a reviewable diff.
• Smart autocomplete: predicts multi line edits, not just the next token.
• Model choice: route requests to different frontier models depending on the task.
• VS Code compatibility: keep your extensions, themes, and keybindings.

Use cases

Cursor suits anyone who writes code alongside no-code work. A developer at an agency can use it to build the custom API layer behind a Webflow site, wire up a payment flow, or write the serverless function that a form submission triggers. It is a strong learning aid too: a junior can ask why a piece of code behaves as it does and get an answer tied to the actual project. For maintenance, it shines at reading an unfamiliar codebase and explaining it, which shortens the ramp up on inherited projects.

In a BeBranded style setup, Cursor is the tool that handles everything the visual builders cannot: the bespoke logic that turns a good looking site into a working product.

Pros

• Real productivity gains on writing, refactoring, and understanding code.
• Low friction for VS Code users, who keep their whole environment.
• Agent mode handles tedious multi file changes end to end.
• Great for onboarding onto unfamiliar or legacy code.
• Flexible model choice balances speed, cost, and quality.

Cons

Cursor is powerful, but it is not a substitute for knowing how to code, and pretending otherwise causes trouble. The AI can produce confident code that is subtly wrong, so every change still needs review by someone who understands it. Leaning on the agent for work you cannot evaluate is how bugs and security holes slip in. There is a cost: the useful tiers are a recurring subscription, and heavy model usage adds up. Sending code to external models also raises privacy and compliance questions that some clients will care about, so you need to check what can leave the machine. Finally, over reliance can erode a developer's own fluency over time. Treated as a sharp assistant for people who already read code carefully, Cursor is one of the most useful tools in a modern build stack. Treated as autopilot, it will eventually ship something you regret, and the time you saved will be spent tracing the bug it introduced.

Cursor pricing

Cursor has a free Hobby plan with limited AI usage, a Pro plan at around $20 per month for individuals who use it daily, and a Business plan at around $40 per seat per month with team features and central billing. Heavy model usage can add to the total on some plans, so always confirm current rates on cursor.com.

Cursor alternatives

The most common comparison is Cursor vs GitHub Copilot: Cursor is a full AI first editor built on VS Code, while Copilot is an assistant that plugs into existing editors. Other alternatives include Replit for browser based building and v0 for generating UI from prompts. Your choice depends on how much of the workflow you want the AI to own.

Cursor with Webflow and no-code

Cursor speeds up the custom code and integrations that surround a Webflow project, such as API layers, serverless functions and scripts that extend a site. It does not replace Webflow, it handles the bespoke logic a visual builder cannot express. Our team uses tools like this to deliver the functional layer as part of our web apps service.