{
    "products": [
        {
            "slug": "cursor",
            "name": "Cursor",
            "kind": "app",
            "website": "https://cursor.com/",
            "page": "https://listme.name/software/cursor",
            "tagline": "AI code editor with agents, cloud runs and team controls",
            "summary": "Cursor is an AI code editor for macOS, Windows and Linux with coding agents, cloud agents and team controls. It has a free Hobby plan and paid Pro and Teams plans.",
            "platforms": [
                "macos",
                "windows",
                "linux"
            ],
            "pricing": "freemium",
            "price_note": "Free Hobby plan with limits; Individual $20 a month; Teams $40 per user a month",
            "free_to_use": true,
            "open_source": false,
            "strengths": [
                "Free Hobby plan without a credit card",
                "Agents, cloud agents and MCP support on paid plans",
                "Team billing, SSO and usage analytics on Teams"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "Hobby plan limits agent requests",
                "Some features use usage-based billing"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "overview": "Cursor is an AI code editor for macOS, Windows and Linux. Its pricing page lists a free Hobby plan with limited agent requests and no credit card required, an Individual plan for solo developers, and a Teams plan with central billing and admin controls. Agents, cloud agents, MCP tools, skills and hooks are listed as features of the paid plans.\n\nThe pricing page lists Individual at $20 a month, with higher Pro+ and Ultra tiers for heavier agent use, and Teams at $40 per user a month. Enterprise pricing is custom and adds pooled usage, SCIM seat management and audit logs. Developers who want to keep their existing editor may find GitHub Copilot or Cline a closer fit."
        },
        {
            "slug": "visual-studio",
            "name": "Visual Studio",
            "kind": "app",
            "website": "https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/",
            "page": "https://listme.name/software/visual-studio",
            "tagline": "Windows IDE for .NET, C++, web and game development",
            "summary": "Visual Studio is Microsoft's full IDE for Windows, used for .NET, C++, web and mobile app work. A free Community edition is available, while the Professional and Enterprise editions are paid subscriptions.",
            "developer": "Microsoft",
            "platforms": [
                "windows"
            ],
            "pricing": "freemium",
            "price_note": "Community edition is free; Professional and Enterprise are paid subscriptions",
            "free_to_use": true,
            "open_source": false,
            "strengths": [
                "Full IDE for .NET and C++ on Windows",
                "Free Community edition for individuals"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "Windows only",
                "Much heavier to install and run than code editors"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "overview": "Visual Studio is a full development environment built for Windows. Its strongest areas are .NET and C++ projects, with tooling for WinUI 3, Windows Forms, WPF and .NET MAUI apps, plus Unity game development and web work. The Git tool window commits, branches and syncs with repositories on GitHub or Azure DevOps.\n\nThe Community edition gives individuals the full IDE at no cost. Professional and Enterprise add licensing for teams and larger organizations. Visual Studio is far heavier than a code editor such as Zed or Sublime Text, and it runs only on Windows. Microsoft's separate Visual Studio Code is a free editor that also runs on macOS and Linux."
        }
    ],
    "differences": [
        "Only Cursor runs on macOS.",
        "Only Cursor runs on Linux."
    ],
    "shared_rankings": [
        {
            "list": "code-editors-and-ides",
            "name": "Code editors and IDEs",
            "page": "https://listme.name/best/code-editors-and-ides",
            "of": 10,
            "results": [
                {
                    "product": "cursor",
                    "rank": 6,
                    "score": 84,
                    "verdict": "AI code editor with agents, cloud runs and team controls, plus a free Hobby plan. It is a commercial editor you switch to, so teams that want to keep their current editor may prefer an extension.",
                    "best_for": "Developers who want an AI-first editor",
                    "spec": {
                        "focus": "AI-first code editor",
                        "platforms": "Windows, macOS, Linux",
                        "open_source": false,
                        "cost": "Free Hobby plan; paid plans"
                    }
                },
                {
                    "product": "visual-studio",
                    "rank": 4,
                    "score": 86.5,
                    "verdict": "The full IDE for .NET and C++ on Windows, free in its Community edition for individuals. It is much heavier than the editors above and does not run on macOS or Linux.",
                    "best_for": "Windows .NET and C++ development",
                    "spec": {
                        "focus": ".NET and C++ on Windows",
                        "platforms": "Windows",
                        "open_source": false,
                        "cost": "Free Community; paid Pro and Enterprise"
                    }
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "ranks_higher_in_closest_shared_list": "visual-studio",
    "page": "https://listme.name/compare/cursor-vs-visual-studio",
    "json": "https://listme.name/api/v1/compare/cursor-vs-visual-studio.json",
    "notes": [
        "Scores are editorial and only comparable inside one list. Products with connected_to_publisher true receive a disclosed ranking lift: https://listme.name/methodology"
    ],
    "source": "https://listme.name",
    "license": "Free to read and cite with attribution to listme.name.",
    "docs": "https://listme.name/developers"
}