Agentic IDE Comparison: Cursor vs Windsurf vs Antigravity

Codebases these days are large, interconnected, and slow to reason. Traditional AI tools speed up code writing, but still require human intervention for planning, coordination, and verification. This is where Agentic IDEs step in and become helpful.

In this article, we’ll compare Antigravity, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code Agents. We’ll also cover their features, autonomous capabilities, use cases, and pricing to help you choose the right tool for your workflow.

What are agentic IDEs?

Agentic IDEs are development environments where the AI agents handle tasks autonomously. They perform all the required tasks such as planning workflows, executing changes across files, running terminal commands, and also verifying their work, all on their own, rather than just suggesting the next line of code. You describe what you want to build, and the AI figures out how to build it from scratch.

This is possible because modern AI models can reason over large codebases and recover from mistakes on their own. So, your role shifts from writing every line to just defining requirements, reviewing the implementations, and refining them if needed.

So which agentic IDE should you use?

Top 4 agentic IDEs compared

Looking back at 2025, four agentic IDEs stood out. They are:

• Antigravity
• Cursor
• Windsurf
• VS Code Agents

Each of these offers autonomous coding, but their approach and execution will vary from one another. Let’s understand what each of these offer and how do they differ:

Google Antigravity

Antigravity is Google’s free agentic IDE that treats AI as your development team rather than a coding assistant. You don’t work alongside the AI, you manage it. Open the Manager view, describe what you need to build, and agents go to work autonomously. They write code, run tests, fix errors, and present their work when done.

Transparency and parallel execution set Antigravity apart. It is possible to run several agents simultaneously, each of which is working on a different task in a different workspace. Agents communicate through artifacts such as implementation plans, screenshots, and task lists, which help verify their work without reviewing every line of code.

Key features:

• The manager view acts as mission control for orchestrating multiple agents
• Parallel agents can run simultaneously on different tasks
• Artifacts include plans, screenshots, and task lists that explain the agent’s work
• Agents have full access to your editor, terminal, and browser
• Supports Gemini 3 Pro, Claude Sonnet 4.5, and OpenAI models
• Free in public preview

Cursor

Cursor is an AI-native IDE that is built on top of VS Code and it prioritizes developer flow. While the other tools focus on full task delegation, Cursor combines inline autocomplete with the agent capabilities. AI suggestions appear as you type, and when you need something more substantial, you can also switch to Composer or Agent mode to manage all the multi-file changes.

Cursor’s speed and context awareness are what set it apart. Based on what you’re working on, it comprehends your entire codebase and recommends relevant completions. Agent mode takes over to plan and carry out a larger refactor or feature when you need the AI to handle it, while you review changes in real time.

Key features:

• Deep code context awareness across your entire codebase
• Inline autocomplete that predicts multiple lines ahead
• Composer mode for multi-file edits with direct oversight
• Agent mode for autonomous task execution with iteration
• Fast feedback loops that keep you in active development flow
• Supports Claude Sonnet, GPT-4, and other frontier models
• Pricing starts at $20/month

Windsurf

Windsurf is an agentic IDE designed for enterprise teams and large codebases. It was developed by Codeium and is superior to other tools in comprehending complicated repositories. Its Cascade feature automatically finds and loads the relevant context for your task without you having to tag files manually. Because of this, it works especially well for monorepos and multi-module projects with hundreds of files of code.

What sets Windsurf apart is its focus on context retrieval and enterprise readiness. Cascade can reason across your entire repository, figure out which files matter for a given task, and load them automatically. Even when you move between projects, the Flow feature preserves continuous context that never resets. For teams, Windsurf offers admin controls, security features, and integration with existing development workflows that enterprises need.

Key features:

• Cascade mode automatically determines and loads relevant context
• Handles large monorepos and multi-module architectures effectively
• Flow maintains persistent context across coding sessions
• Enterprise features include admin controls and security compliance
• Clean, polished interface designed for intuitive use
• Supports Claude, GPT-4, and Gemini models
• Pricing at $15/month with enterprise plans available

VS Code agents

VS Code Agents directly incorporate the agentic capabilities into the standard VS Code environment through GitHub Copilot. If you’re already using VS Code, you can activate the Agent mode without altering the configuration. This makes it the lowest barrier option for developers who want to explore agentic workflows.

Flexibility and ecosystem integration are the main reasons that users are drawn to VS Code Agents. GitHub Copilot handles everything from planning tasks, editing files, executing terminal commands, and iterating on feedback. Apart from Copilot, VS Code also supports third-party agents like Cline and custom agents that you can build yourself, creating a growing ecosystem of specialized tools that fit different workflows.

Key features:

• No fork required, works in standard VS Code
• Agent mode integrated with GitHub Copilot
• Supports local agents, background agents, and cloud agents
• Compatible with existing VS Code extensions and settings
• Growing ecosystem of third-party and custom agents
• MCP server support for external tool integration
• Pricing tied to GitHub Copilot subscription starting at $10/month

These four IDEs share agentic capabilities but differ fundamentally from traditional AI-assisted tools.

Agentic vs AI-assisted development

The key distinctions between agentic and AI-assisted development are mostly how they are controlled and their scope. Selecting the appropriate tool for your workflow is easy when you know this difference.

AI-assisted IDEs

AI-assisted IDEs act as reactive helpers that enhance productivity without changing how developers fundamentally work. They blend in with current coding practices, in which the developer organizes the work, determines the sequence of steps, and confirms each result. This model appears as follows in practice:

• Autocomplete and inline suggestions that speed up writing code
• Chat-in-editor for explanations, refactors, or debugging assistance
• A request-response interaction model where the AI waits for prompts
• Manual execution of code changes, terminal commands, and tests
• Full developer control over sequencing, decisions, and validation

Agentic IDEs

Agentic IDEs function at the level of intent and go beyond support. Agents are in charge of moving a task toward completion, which frequently involves several files and tools, rather than assisting with isolated actions. This method usually entails:

• Dividing a broad objective into manageable subtasks
• Coordinating changes throughout the codebase
• Executing build commands, tests, and linters independently
• Seeing mistakes or failures and making adjustments in response to feedback
• In line with the more general definition of agentic AI, which refers to systems that have the ability to plan, act, and adapt in order to accomplish goals

These tools actually change how work is expressed. With AI-assisted tools, developers think in instructions. With agentic tools, they think in outcomes, shifting from managing steps to supervising results.

Now let’s compare how these four agentic IDEs stack up across key dimensions.

Comparison of agentic IDEs

Here’s how Antigravity, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code Agents compare across the features that matter most:

When to use which agentic IDE:

• Choose Antigravity if you need to manage multiple agents working on different tasks simultaneously. Its parallel execution and artifact-based reporting make it ideal for complex projects where you want to delegate several workstreams at once.

• Choose Cursor if you want to stay in active development flow with fast feedback. It’s best for developers who prefer hands-on coding with strong AI assistance rather than full task delegation.

• Choose Windsurf if you work with large monorepos or enterprise codebases. Cascade’s automatic context retrieval and enterprise features make it the strongest option for complex, multi-module architectures.

• Choose VS Code Agents if you’re already comfortable with VS Code and want to explore agentic workflows without switching tools. It offers the lowest barrier to entry with familiar interfaces.

Conclusion

Agentic IDEs are development environments where AI agents autonomously handle complete tasks like planning, coding, testing, and iteration. The four main options are Antigravity for parallel agent orchestration, Cursor for blending inline coding with agent modes, Windsurf for large codebases with automatic context retrieval, and VS Code Agents for agentic capabilities in your existing setup. Your choice depends on your workflow, codebase size, and how much control you want to maintain.

If you want to build your own AI agents, check out Codecademy’s Learn How to Build AI Agents course course. It covers agent design and autonomous task execution.

Frequently asked questions

1. Is Cursor better than VS Code Agents?

Cursor offers a more polished experience with deep codebase awareness and faster inline suggestions. VS Code Agents works in standard VS Code without requiring a fork. Choose Cursor for a dedicated AI-native IDE or VS Code Agents to stay in your existing environment.

2. Is Antigravity based on VS Code?

Yes, Antigravity is a VS Code fork. It maintains compatibility with VS Code extensions and shortcuts while adding the Manager view and agent orchestration on top.

3. Which is better: Windsurf or Cursor?

Windsurf excels with large codebases through automatic context retrieval, making it better for enterprise teams. Cursor is better for individual developers who want fast feedback and active coding flow. Choose based on your codebase size and workflow preference.

4. Is Cursor better than Copilot’s agent mode?

Cursor provides deeper codebase context and a more seamless inline experience. Copilot’s agent mode works in standard VS Code and costs less at $10/month versus $20/month. Choose Cursor for the best AI-native experience or Copilot for lower cost in VS Code.

5. When should I choose Antigravity over other IDEs?

Choose Antigravity when you need multiple agents running on different tasks simultaneously. Its parallel execution and artifact-based transparency work well for complex projects with multiple workstreams. It’s also free in public preview.