The impact of Cursor 3 — The end of the VS Code era
On April 2, 2026, Anysphere released Cursor 3. The biggest change is that it abandoned forking VS Code, building a new agent-centric interface from scratch.
A shift from "an editor for writing code" to "an IDE for orchestrating AI agents" — that is the concept behind Cursor 3.
Key new features
| Features | Details |
|---|---|
| Agent Window | Switchable from an editor-centric layout to an agent-centric layout |
| Multi-Workspace | Manage agents across multiple repositories simultaneously on a single screen |
| Local/Remote Integration | Seamlessly transfer active sessions to remote environments or bring them local |
| Background Agents | Execute tasks autonomously in the background and notify upon completion |
While previous versions of Cursor were "AI-equipped editors," Cursor 3 has transformed into an "agent management platform."
Comparison with Claude Code — Differences in design philosophy
Although Cursor 3 and Claude Code share the "AI coding tool" category, their design philosophies are completely different.
| Item | Cursor 3 | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | GUI (proprietary IDE) | CLI (terminal) |
| Basic operation | Edit interactively within the editor | Natural language instructions → autonomous execution |
| Context window | Limited (model-dependent) | Up to 1M tokens |
| Multi-file editing | Visual editing with Composer | Agents automatically edit across files |
| Code completion | Supermaven (real-time completion) | None (conversational only) |
| Git integration | GUI operation | Automates through commit and PR creation |
| Pricing | $20/month (Pro) | $20/month (Claude Max) |
Benchmark performance
In comparisons on SWE-bench Verified, Claude Code recorded a top-tier score of 80.8%. It excels at understanding large codebases and fixing complex bugs. Cursor, on the other hand, boasts an autocompletion acceptance rate of 72%, giving it an edge in the day-to-day coding experience.
What is the right way to balance their use after all?
In conclusion, using both together is the optimal solution.
Scenarios where Cursor 3 excels
- Everyday coding — Real-time completion and inline editing directly boost productivity
- UI/frontend development — Iterative edits while checking live previews
- Code reading — Exploratory work navigating between the file tree and editor
- As a standard tool distributed across the entire team
Scenarios where Claude Code excels
- Large-scale refactoring — Executing structural changes spanning dozens of files in one pass
- Complex bug investigations — Surveying entire codebases with a 1M-token context
- Git workflow automation — Streamlining everything from commit message generation to PR creation
- For architectural work by senior engineers
Recommended stack
When planning adoption across a development team, the following combination is practical:
全メンバー: Cursor Pro ($20/月) → 日常のコーディング
シニア/リード: + Claude Code ($20/月) → 設計・レビュー・大規模変更
合計コスト: $20〜40/月 per 開発者The right question is not "which is superior?" but "which one should be used for which task?"
Getting started with Cursor 3
Existing Cursor users can migrate to Cursor 3 via automatic updates. For new users:
- Download the installer from cursor.com
- After launching, automatically import existing VS Code settings
- Switch to the Agent Window to experience the new UI
Most VS Code extensions will work as-is, though compatibility should be verified for some extensions.
Conclusion
The release of Cursor 3 signifies that AI coding tools have transitioned from "assistive features" to "the core of the development workflow."
- Cursor 3: An IDE for the agent era. GUI-based, intuitive, and designed for all team members
- Claude Code: An autonomous terminal agent. Strong on large-scale tasks, suited for senior engineers
- Optimal approach: Use both strategically. Dramatically improve development efficiency for $40/month
Choosing AI coding tools has shifted from an era of "picking just one" to an era of "combining them based on roles."
Related articles
- Claude Code Case Studies: Building AI-Driven Development Workflows — Practical adoption examples for Claude Code
- Cursor Announces "Composer 2": Surpassing Opus 4.6 at 86% Lower Cost with Self-Summarizing RL — A deep dive into Cursor's model technology
