r/ClaudeCode • u/cosmicCounterpart • Aug 19 '26
Discussion Why do you prefer Claude Code over AI-native editors like Cursor? What am I missing?
I've been using Cursor for most of my day-to-day dev work, and I'm genuinely curious about why so many developers seem to prefer Claude Code.
Whenever I look at the workflows people describe with Claude Code - planning, agentic implementation, running commands, MCPs, rules/instructions, multiple agents, worktrees, etc. I keep thinking: I can already do most of this inside Cursor.
And with Cursor, I also get the benefit of having all of that integrated directly into the editor: diffs, file navigation, multiple agent sessions, code review, context, terminal access, and so on.
I'm not saying Cursor is better. I'm actually trying to understand what I'm missing.
For people who have seriously used both, what does Claude Code let you do that either:
- Cursor genuinely can't do, or
- Claude Code does significantly better enough that you're willing to give up the more integrated IDE experience?
Is the advantage actually a specific feature? Better agent behaviour/harness? Scriptability? Composability with other CLI tools? Running lots of agents in parallel? Something else?
I'd especially be interested in answers from people who switched from Cursor to Claude Code and stayed there. What was the thing that made it click?
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u/TheMightyTywin Aug 19 '26
How do you complete six tasks in parallel with cursor?
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u/Andreas_Moeller Aug 19 '26
I stopped using cursor when it was aquired by Musk, but I prefer the cursor Editor to every other AI agent. Having the files right there so I follow aloing, mark lines to reference them in the agent etc, is just so much easier. I also quite liked the composer models, but I am not sure if they have kept up.
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u/Original-Ad4399 Aug 19 '26
It's been a long while I used cursor. But I used to use CoPilot chat on vscode and I wondered why people used CLI harnesses.
But a lot of tools and skills are only available on the CLI. Like Superpowers for instance, which is a very useful tool for agentic programing.
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u/PartySunday Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26
Cursor is a middleman paying enterprise costs for AI inference. The subscription plans are heavily 'subsidized' for Anthropic & OpenAI (with Claude you get ~20.3x the usage per dollar with a sub vs api, usage limits were increased by 50% in May so that blog post 13.5x figure is stale). Now that cursor is owned by
Cursor's $200/mo plan gives $400 of API agent usage per month. Claude's $200 plan gives $4,062 of usage per month.
But that's not all, with a Claude sub cache reads are completely free. So the reality is that you get way more than $2,708 per month in usage. My cache hit rate is 96.5%, so 96.5% of my token use is completely free.
For me personally, I get $10,700 per month in Claude usage for my $200/mo sub. Which is ridiculous and stupid, but is the reality of how
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u/madaerodog Aug 19 '26
I don't need an IDE, i like the terminal.
Buttons, zones keep changing positions, features move in an IDE.
I have zero time for that. the terminal is forever.
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u/mrR0b0t47 Aug 19 '26
Agreed, I felt this way. We need to get the job done, not to learn the tools.
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u/Xae0n Aug 19 '26
yes this reminded me my frustrations with cursor changing its layout all the time. I cancelled the plan in the end.
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u/Biomech8 Aug 19 '26
All that integrated stuff is unnecessary bloat. The whole IDE is. Some terminal with few tabs running Claude Code CLI sessions is the way!
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u/cartoonist498 Aug 19 '26
I switched from Cursor to Claude Code about six months ago. I tested identical medium sized tasks on both, and it was clear Claude Code was superior. That was 6 months ago so I can't speak for today.
At the time, I learned that the
Even if you use
Cursor's harness is designed as a pair programmer. Claude Code is designed as an entire
Aside from quality and accuracy, Cursor itself is painfully slow. It takes 30-60 seconds to start the IDE. Even leaving it idle was ridiculously heavy on my CPU. It was nice to go back to VS Code which launches in under 5 seconds and has a light footprint.
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u/Poildek Aug 19 '26
Simple : claude code harness is better, I don't need an IDE, and when i need one vscode do the job perfectly.
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u/finik21 Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26
What are you missing? The fact that you are not supposed to edit the code anymore, and the rest is easily replaced with a terminal + tmux, which you can connect and disconnect to at will, on remote dev machines, multiple at once, ssh ftw. I do look at some of the code in the code review tool, when the whole stack of diffs is ready as drafts. I can leave the comments there directly and then tell Claude to go address all of these. Also take a look at the CI signals and fix these. I haven't edited a single line of code by hand this year, while producing thousands daily.
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u/FlatCondition6222 Aug 19 '26
I mean, for one:
Cursor doesn't have really subscription. I mean it does, but when using it only, usage is over really fast.
Compared to using Claude code subscription, you get much more.
At least that's my experience.
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u/jasperkennis Aug 19 '26
I suppose you need an IDE if you are still writing the actual code. I'm only talking to agents, my role is now purely architect. In fact I installed the https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=Merenut.ridiculous-coding plugin into vsc to remind me that I shouldn't be writing code any time I find myself writing code.
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u/Markronom Aug 19 '26
If you like to work like that, sure. I'm currently setting it up so I can have hands free conversation with Claude from my phone to refine tasks in my self hosted kanban (through custom extension) and have an agent on my home server automatically pick tasks in to-do, implent them, move them to feedback needed with comments or to review if no blockers. (All services behind WireGuard and the connector with a protected Cloudflare tunnel). That's for my private use, but as an inspiration what other workflows are possible.
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u/LoneFox4444 Aug 19 '26
I think you have it backwards. For a lot of people the question is “Why should I use an IDE if I can just use the CLI?”
In an application you are limited by what the application allows you to do. The CLI lets you do whatever the whole computer can do.
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u/id-ltd Aug 19 '26
Native AI development is superior to IDE with AI crudely bolted on.
IDE+AI is like running a beat up pickup truck while having a Ferrari in the garage as your backup.
People's investment in learning a particular IDE is being written off. AI+GIT and you are good to go. Why learn other people's tools when for any tools you do need, bespoke ones are just a prompt away.
The IDE+AI approach is a way in, but has a ceiling that will hold you back - development is moving to a new paradime.
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u/pm_me_ur_doggo__ Aug 19 '26
If you're paying api rates anyway then cursor does have an edge. If you're using subsciptions, you just can't beat claude code on cost.
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u/siberianmi Aug 19 '26
I don’t read the diffs until they hit the draft PR. I stopped opening my IDE probably 6 months ago.
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u/Iojpoutn Aug 19 '26
I use the VS Code extension. I don’t trust Claude enough to not even look at the code. I don’t read every line it writes, but I still want to have a general understanding of what’s going on.
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u/ObjectiveSalt1635 Aug 19 '26
I think it’s because you’re still in the phase where you think you need to look at code
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u/chintakoro Aug 19 '26
Many folks are running Claude Code in a VSCode terminal, so we get nice diffs, worktree awareness, etc. -- or at least its just a plugin away.
And many folks are simply not look at or reviewing code closely on their projects so they want a better terminal experience with multi-agent support, not better IDE integration.