Agents UI
This is really IDE vs terminal. Cursor is an AI-first IDE built on VS Code; Claude Code is a terminal-native agent. Editor-centric developers lean Cursor; terminal-centric developers lean Claude Code — ideally hosted in a terminal built for agents.
At a glance
| Feature | Cursor | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Freemium | Included in Claude plans / API usage |
| Open source | No | No |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Interface | IDE | CLI |
| Terminal-native | No | Yes |
| MCP support | Yes | Yes |
When to choose Cursor
You prefer working inside a graphical editor with inline AI edits.
Cursor strengths
- Tight AI integration inside a familiar VS Code UI
- Inline edits and codebase chat
- Cross-platform
When to choose Claude Code
You live in the terminal and want an agent you can script and orchestrate.
Claude Code strengths
- Strong agentic reasoning over large codebases
- First-class MCP support
- Runs directly in the terminal
How Agents UI compares
If your work centers on AI coding agents, it's worth weighing a third option. Agents UI is an open-source macOS terminal built specifically to run agents like Claude Code, Codex, and Gemini CLI — with multi-agent orchestration, SSH, and a Python SDK in one workspace. See Agents UI vs Cursor, or explore the best terminals for multi-agent workflows.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cursor better than Claude Code?
This is really IDE vs terminal. Cursor is an AI-first IDE built on VS Code; Claude Code is a terminal-native agent. Editor-centric developers lean Cursor; terminal-centric developers lean Claude Code — ideally hosted in a terminal built for agents.
When should I choose Cursor?
You prefer working inside a graphical editor with inline AI edits.
When should I choose Claude Code?
You live in the terminal and want an agent you can script and orchestrate.