As AI-powered developer tools continue to reshape how we write code, Cursor and Replit stand out as two prominent solutions in the market. Both offer sophisticated AI-powered coding assistance, but while Cursor focuses on enhancing the traditional VS Code experience with AI capabilities, Replit provides a complete cloud-based development environment.
This comparison will help you understand the key differences and make an informed decision for your development needs.
Feature Comparison
Code Completion
Cursor
Cursor offers sophisticated code completion through its Cursor Tab feature, providing multi-line code suggestions and modifications. It can suggest entire code blocks and even modify existing code based on context. Users can partially accept suggestions using Ctrl/⌘ →, with free users getting 2,000 suggestions and Pro users enjoying unlimited access.
Replit
Replit's Complete Code feature provides contextual code suggestions activated by the tab key. While more basic than Cursor's implementation, it integrates seamlessly with the development environment and offers real-time suggestions based on the current context.
AI Chat Capabilities
Cursor
Cursor's AI chat system is highly sophisticated, offering context-aware code discussions with support for multiple AI models. It preserves chat history, automatically includes relevant file context, and features web search capabilities. The chat interface is customizable and includes instant code block application functionality.
Replit
Replit's AI Chat provides real-time coding help directly within the workspace. It allows for continuous dialogue about code-related questions and integrates with other features like code explanation and generation. While functional, it appears less feature-rich than Cursor's implementation.
Context Awareness
Cursor
Cursor excels in context awareness with automatic indexing of codebases, embeddings-based search for accurate code references, and customizable indexing rules via .cursorignore. The system maintains a comprehensive understanding of the entire codebase for more accurate suggestions.
Replit
Replit's context awareness is primarily focused on the current file and immediate workspace. While it provides contextual assistance, it doesn't appear to offer the same level of comprehensive codebase understanding as Cursor.
Privacy and Security
Cursor
Cursor emphasizes privacy with an optional Privacy Mode, no permanent storage of plaintext code, and local processing of sensitive information. It offers transparent data handling policies and configurable codebase indexing, making it suitable for sensitive development work.
Replit
The documentation doesn't provide detailed information about Replit's privacy measures, though it's noted that code and prompts are processed through AI systems. This suggests a more cloud-centric approach with potentially less privacy control than Cursor.
Pricing
Cursor
- Hobby
- Free for individual users
- Pro two week trial
- 2000 completions
- 50 slow premium requests
- Pro
- $20 per month
- Unlimited completions
- 500 fast premium requests
- Unlimited slow premium requests
- 10 o1-mini uses per day
- Business
- $40 per user, per month
- Enforce privacy mode org-wide
- Centralized team billing
- Admin dashboard with usage stats
- SAML/OIDC SSO
Replit AI
- Free Plan
- Free for individuals
- Access to basic AI features
- Standard code completion
- Basic AI assistance
- Replit Core
- $15 per month
- Exclusive access to advanced AI models
- Enhanced AI features
- More powerful code generation capabilities
Conclusion
Cursor and Replit serve different developer needs while both leveraging AI capabilities. Cursor is better suited for developers who prefer a traditional desktop IDE experience with powerful AI enhancements, offering deeper codebase understanding and more sophisticated AI features. It's particularly strong for those already familiar with VS Code and those working on larger, more complex projects.
Replit, on the other hand, excels as a cloud-based development environment with integrated AI features, making it ideal for quick prototyping, learning, and collaboration. While its AI capabilities may not be as comprehensive as Cursor's, its browser-based approach and simplified workflow make it more accessible for beginners and those who prefer cloud-based development environments.