Cursor FAQ
The questions people actually ask about Cursor, answered plainly and kept current. For depth, follow the links into the guides.
Common Cursor questions
What is Cursor?
Cursor is an AI-first code editor built on VS Code that adds AI autocomplete, a codebase-aware chat, and an autonomous agent that can edit files and run commands.
Is Cursor free?
Yes — there's a Free (Hobby) tier at $0 with limited model usage. Paid plans start at $20/month (Pro). See our full pricing breakdown for how the credit model works.
Is Cursor worth it?
For developers who code daily, Cursor Pro usually pays for itself if it saves even 20–30 minutes a week. Heavy users of premium models should budget for Pro+ or usage-based pricing.
Is Cursor just VS Code with AI?
It's a fork of VS Code, so it's familiar and supports most extensions — but the AI autocomplete, chat, and agent are built into the core editing loop rather than bolted on.
What's the difference between Ask, Agent, and Composer?
Ask is read-only Q&A about your code, Agent makes multi-file changes and runs commands, and inline edit (⌘/Ctrl+K) makes one focused change. 'Composer' was the earlier name for multi-file editing, now merged into the Agent.
Does Cursor train on my code?
Not when Privacy Mode is enabled — it's available on all tiers. Most models also run under zero-data-retention agreements, so providers don't store or train on your inputs.
Is Cursor HIPAA compliant?
Yes, on the Enterprise plan as of 2026 — Cursor signs HIPAA BAAs. You must enforce Privacy Mode org-wide and restrict work to eligible services. See our healthcare guide.
Cursor vs GitHub Copilot — which is better?
Neither is strictly better: Cursor leads on agent depth and model choice, while Copilot stays inside your existing editor with tight GitHub integration. The pick depends on whether you value agent capability or zero editor change.
Why does Cursor forget what I told it?
Every model has a finite context window; a long chat fills it with stale tokens. Start a fresh chat per task, scope context tightly, and use rules for durable conventions.
Do I need to know how to code to use Cursor?
You can build small things with little coding knowledge, but you'll get safer, better results if you can read and review the code it writes. Cursor amplifies judgment; it doesn't replace it.