Coda vs Cursor
Dev workspace next to your editor vs AI editor
Quick summary
Cursor is an AI code editor built on VS Code. Cursor 3 added an Agents Window with tiled agents, a browser the agent can drive, git worktrees with best-of-N runs, and cloud agents.
Coda is not an editor. It runs the dev servers and CLI agents for all your projects next to a browser pane, restarts servers that crash, and starts everything again when it opens. Many people keep their editor, Cursor included, and run Coda next to it.
Choose Cursor to write and review code with AI. Choose Coda to run and supervise your projects, with any vendor’s CLI agent on your own subscription.
Who should choose Coda, and who should choose Cursor?
Choose Coda if
- You use CLI agents like Claude Code or Codex on your own subscriptions.
- You want dev servers supervised outside the editor, restarted on crash and started in order.
- You switch between several projects and want each one’s servers, agents and browser kept together.
- You want everything back after a restart without opening anything by hand.
Choose Cursor if
- You want a full code editor with AI completions.
- You want to run the same task with several models in separate worktrees and compare the diffs.
- You want cloud agents you can reach from the web or your phone.
- You need Windows or Linux.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Coda | Cursor |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A Mac app for dev servers, CLI agents and browser panes, grouped by project | An AI code editor based on VS Code |
| Runs your dev servers | Each service has a command, a folder and a port | Terminal; an Await tool lets agents wait for output |
| Restarts a server when it crashes | Per service, up to 3 attempts, 2 seconds apart | Not documented |
| Starts the services a server needs first | Starts each required service and waits until its port accepts connections | environment.json start then terminals, cloud agents only |
| CLI agents from several vendors | Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, OpenCode, Copilot and pi, plus any CLI added with a JSON file | Many models; loads Claude Code and Codex configs, but hosts its own agent |
| Agent conversations resume after a restart | Each agent pane resumes its own session at launch | Chat history and agent resume in the CLI |
| Servers start again when the app reopens | Services that were running start again, agents resume and browser tabs reopen | Restoring processes on relaunch is not documented |
| Built-in browser with DevTools | WebKit pane with the Chrome DevTools frontend beside the page | Browser pane; a user DevTools panel is not documented |
| Agents can use the built-in browser | 21 browser tools over MCP, with an approval policy per action | Navigate, click, type, screenshots, console, network, Design Mode |
| MCP server that controls the app | More than 50 tools for services, logs, views, tasks and the browser. Off until you turn it on | MCP client only |
| Shell commands as buttons | Per project, run in their own pane | Custom slash commands are prompt templates, not shell buttons |
| Split panes | Views with split panes, layout presets and floating windows | Tiled Agents Window and editor splits |
| Task board | Kanban board per workspace that agents can read and update | No task board |
| Git worktrees and diff review | No worktree management or diff view | /worktree, /best-of-n and a diffs view |
| Code editor | Plain text editor and file drawer, no syntax highlighting | Full code editor |
| Configuration as plain files | Plain files in a .coda folder | Files in .cursor |
| Built with | Native Swift | Electron (VS Code fork) |
| No account needed | No account | Needed for AI features |
| Platforms | macOS 14 and later | macOS, Windows, Linux |
| Price | Free during the public beta | Free Hobby plan, Pro $20 a month |
“Not documented” means we found no mention of it in Cursor’s documentation.
Do you need Coda if you use Cursor?
Cursor is where you write code. Coda is where your project runs: the API, the frontend, the worker, the agents working on them and the page you are testing, for every project you have open. Coda has no code editor beyond a plain text view, so it sits next to Cursor rather than replacing it.
Agents: Cursor’s own vs the CLI you already pay for
Cursor runs its own agent on the models in your Cursor plan. Coda runs each vendor’s CLI, such as Claude Code, Codex or Gemini, signed in with your own account, and resumes each one’s conversation when the app opens again.
Where Cursor is ahead
Cursor’s browser has Design Mode for pointing the agent at elements, and its worktree tools can run several models on one task and compare the results. It also runs in the cloud and on three operating systems. Coda has none of these.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Coda and Cursor together?
Yes. Open your project in Cursor to edit and use Coda to run its servers, agents and browser. Coda’s file drawer can open files, but it is not a code editor.
Does Coda include AI models?
No. Coda runs the agent CLIs you have installed, on your own subscriptions or API keys.
Try Coda
A native Mac app for your dev servers, CLI agents and browser panes. Requires macOS 14 or later.
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Last reviewed October 5, 2026. Product features and prices change; tell us on the contact page if something here is out of date.