Testing Cursor AI: Our Hands-On Review and Thoughts
Testing Cursor AI: Our Hands-On Review and Thoughts
At Earlybird Advisory, we’re always exploring cutting-edge tools to enhance productivity and simplify workflows for our clients. Recently, we tested Cursor AI—an AI-powered development tool designed to streamline coding tasks and provide intelligent assistance directly within the editor. After putting it through its paces on client projects and internal initiatives, here’s our take on what makes Cursor stand out and where it could improve.
What We Loved About Cursor AI
Seamless Integration with Familiar Tools Cursor AI is built as a fork of Visual Studio Code, which means it feels instantly familiar to developers. The interface supports existing VS Code extensions and settings, making the transition seamless. Our team appreciated not having to learn a new platform from scratch.
Intelligent AI Code Assistance The tool’s ability to provide context-aware suggestions impressed us. By analyzing the entire codebase, Cursor offered relevant completions and even multi-line changes. For projects requiring frequent updates across multiple files, this feature proved to be a significant time-saver.
Natural Language Code Editing One of the standout features was Cursor’s ability to process natural language instructions. Developers on our team could describe desired changes in plain English, and the AI implemented them accurately within seconds. This feature was particularly useful for quick fixes and refactoring.
Integrated AI Chat Cursor’s built-in AI chat allowed us to ask questions directly within the editor. From clarifying coding conventions to debugging suggestions, the chat feature acted as a real-time assistant, making it easier to stay focused on the task at hand.
Adaptive Learning Over time, Cursor AI adapted to individual coding styles and project rules. This personalized assistance improved the relevance of suggestions and reduced the need for repetitive corrections.
Areas for Improvement
Stability Issues While Cursor performed admirably on most operating systems, we did encounter occasional crashes on Ubuntu machines. Although these were infrequent, they disrupted the workflow and required us to relaunch the tool. Stability improvements would make Cursor more reliable for diverse environments.
Language Support Cursor’s support for popular programming languages like Python, JavaScript, and Java was robust. However, when working with less-common languages, the suggestions were limited. Expanding language support would broaden its utility.
Privacy Considerations As with many AI-powered tools, Cursor processes code in the cloud to deliver its intelligent suggestions. While the company emphasizes security, organizations with stringent privacy requirements may have reservations about sending sensitive code to external servers.
Real-World Applications We Explored
Codebase Refactoring We used Cursor to refactor legacy codebases for a client. Its ability to understand project-wide context allowed us to identify and implement changes efficiently, reducing errors and improving maintainability.
Rapid Prototyping During a sprint for an internal project, Cursor helped generate boilerplate code and implement complex logic based on natural language inputs. This accelerated the prototyping phase significantly.
Error Detection and Debugging Cursor’s error detection capabilities saved us time during debugging sessions. It highlighted issues and suggested fixes that were often spot-on, helping us deliver cleaner code faster.
Collaboration The AI chat feature facilitated discussions around best practices and coding standards, making it a valuable tool for teams working on collaborative projects.
Our Verdict
Cursor AI is a promising tool for developers seeking to enhance their productivity and streamline their workflows. Its context-aware suggestions, natural language editing, and seamless integration with Visual Studio Code make it a standout choice for projects requiring intelligent assistance.
That said, stability on all platforms and expanded language support would make it even more appealing. For teams handling sensitive code, it’s worth evaluating the privacy policies and considering on-premises alternatives if necessary.
At Earlybird, we’re excited about the potential of Cursor AI and will continue exploring how it can add value to our client engagements and internal initiatives. If you’re a developer or team looking to boost efficiency, Cursor AI is worth a test drive.
