Aider vs Cursor
A detailed comparison to help you choose the right AI tool
Aider
AI pair programming in your terminalCursor
AI-first code editorCategory
Coding Assistants
Coding Assistants
Pricing
free
freemium
Key Features
- Terminal-based
- Git integration
- Multi-file edits
- Local models
- Open source
- AI code generation
- Codebase understanding
- Multi-file edits
- Chat with code
- Tab completion
- Composer
About Aider
Aider is a command-line AI coding assistant that works with your local git repo.
About Cursor
Cursor is a VS Code fork with deep AI integration for code generation, editing, and understanding. Built for AI-native development workflows.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Aider if:
- You prefer free tools
- You need: Terminal-based
- You value: Git integration
Choose Cursor if:
- You prefer a freemium model
- You need: AI code generation
- You value: Codebase understanding