Top 20 Open Source Cursor Alternatives 2025

In today's rapidly evolving developer landscape, AI-powered coding tools are changing how programmers write, debug, and optimize code. While Cursor has gained popularity as an AI-enhanced code editor built on VS Code, many developers seek open-source alternatives that offer greater privacy, customization, and freedom. This comprehensive guide explores the top 20 open source alternatives to Cursor that every developer should consider. What is Cursor? Before diving into alternatives, it's worth understanding what makes Cursor special. Cursor is an AI-powered code editor built on VS Code that integrates large language models for code completion, refactoring, and explaining code. Its advanced features include inline code editing, contextual code generation, and intelligent chat capabilities. Why Consider Open Source Alternatives? Open source alternatives offer several advantages: Privacy: Your code stays private and doesn't contribute to training commercial AI models Customization: Freedom to modify and adapt tools to specific needs Community-Driven: Continuous improvements from passionate developers Cost-Effective: No subscription fees or API token limitations Top 20 Open Source Cursor Alternatives 1. Void Void stands as one of the most promising open source alternatives to Cursor. Built as a fork of VS Code, it offers a familiar interface while adding powerful AI capabilities. Key Features: Tab-based intelligent code completion Inline code editing with Ctrl+K File context-aware AI chat Direct integration with various LLMs (Claude, GPT, Gemini) Local model hosting via Ollama Complete control over your data Void is backed by Y Combinator and aims to provide all the AI features developers love while maintaining the open source ethos. It supports seamless migration of themes, keybinds, and settings from VS Code. 2. PearAI PearAI presents itself as a comprehensive open source AI code editor built on VS Code and Continue. It offers robust AI features while emphasizing data privacy. Key Features: AI chat integration PearAI Creator for code generation AI debugging capabilities Support for multiple programming languages Customizable AI integrations While some developers have questioned PearAI's originality due to its reliance on Continue, it still offers a viable open source alternative to Cursor. 3. Codeium Codeium stands out as a powerful AI coding assistant that offers a generous free tier and open source components. Rather than a standalone editor, it integrates with popular editors like VS Code, Neovim, and JetBrains IDEs. Key Features: AI-powered code completions Support for over 70+ programming languages Natural language understanding Context-aware suggestions No API token limitations on the free tier Codeium has gained significant popularity due to its robust capabilities and lack of restrictions on the free tier. 4. Continue Continue is an open source AI coding assistant that focuses on enhancing your existing editor rather than replacing it. It has served as the foundation for other tools in this space. Key Features: File-aware code completions Contextual code generation Support for multiple editors Local model support Customizable prompts Continue's philosophy centers on augmenting your existing workflow rather than forcing you to adapt to a new editor. 5. VSCodium VSCodium offers a truly open source version of VS Code without Microsoft's telemetry and tracking. While not specifically AI-focused, it serves as an excellent base for adding open source AI extensions. Key Features: Identical functionality to VS Code No telemetry or tracking Compatible with most VS Code extensions Regular updates that follow VS Code releases Easy migration from VS Code When combined with open source AI extensions, VSCodium offers a privacy-respecting alternative to Cursor. 6. TabNine Open Source TabNine offers both commercial and open source versions of its AI code completion tool. The open source version provides powerful code suggestions based on statistical models. Key Features: Context-aware code completions Support for multiple programming languages Integration with various editors Local model capabilities Customizable behavior TabNine's open source version provides a solid foundation for AI-assisted coding without privacy concerns. 7. Zed Developed by the creators of Atom and Tree-sitter, Zed is a high-performance code editor built with Rust that includes AI capabilities. It focuses on speed and efficiency. Key Features: AI-powered completions Lightning-fast performance Collaborative editing Modern, minimalist interface Built with Rust for stability Zed combines modern editor features with AI assistance in a sleek, performance-focused package. 8. Eclipse Che Eclipse Che goes beyond a simple code editor to provide a full cloud-based IDE with extensible A

Apr 15, 2025 - 02:39

Top 20 Open Source Cursor Alternatives 2025

In today's rapidly evolving developer landscape, AI-powered coding tools are changing how programmers write, debug, and optimize code. While Cursor has gained popularity as an AI-enhanced code editor built on VS Code, many developers seek open-source alternatives that offer greater privacy, customization, and freedom. This comprehensive guide explores the top 20 open source alternatives to Cursor that every developer should consider.

What is Cursor?

Before diving into alternatives, it's worth understanding what makes Cursor special. Cursor is an AI-powered code editor built on VS Code that integrates large language models for code completion, refactoring, and explaining code. Its advanced features include inline code editing, contextual code generation, and intelligent chat capabilities.

Why Consider Open Source Alternatives?

Open source alternatives offer several advantages:

Privacy: Your code stays private and doesn't contribute to training commercial AI models
Customization: Freedom to modify and adapt tools to specific needs
Community-Driven: Continuous improvements from passionate developers
Cost-Effective: No subscription fees or API token limitations

Top 20 Open Source Cursor Alternatives

1. Void

Void stands as one of the most promising open source alternatives to Cursor. Built as a fork of VS Code, it offers a familiar interface while adding powerful AI capabilities.

Key Features:

Tab-based intelligent code completion
Inline code editing with Ctrl+K
File context-aware AI chat
Direct integration with various LLMs (Claude, GPT, Gemini)
Local model hosting via Ollama
Complete control over your data

Void is backed by Y Combinator and aims to provide all the AI features developers love while maintaining the open source ethos. It supports seamless migration of themes, keybinds, and settings from VS Code.

2. PearAI

PearAI presents itself as a comprehensive open source AI code editor built on VS Code and Continue. It offers robust AI features while emphasizing data privacy.

Key Features:

AI chat integration
PearAI Creator for code generation
AI debugging capabilities
Support for multiple programming languages
Customizable AI integrations

While some developers have questioned PearAI's originality due to its reliance on Continue, it still offers a viable open source alternative to Cursor.

3. Codeium

Codeium stands out as a powerful AI coding assistant that offers a generous free tier and open source components. Rather than a standalone editor, it integrates with popular editors like VS Code, Neovim, and JetBrains IDEs.

Key Features:

AI-powered code completions
Support for over 70+ programming languages
Natural language understanding
Context-aware suggestions
No API token limitations on the free tier

Codeium has gained significant popularity due to its robust capabilities and lack of restrictions on the free tier.

4. Continue

Continue is an open source AI coding assistant that focuses on enhancing your existing editor rather than replacing it. It has served as the foundation for other tools in this space.

Key Features:

File-aware code completions
Contextual code generation
Support for multiple editors
Local model support
Customizable prompts

Continue's philosophy centers on augmenting your existing workflow rather than forcing you to adapt to a new editor.

5. VSCodium

VSCodium offers a truly open source version of VS Code without Microsoft's telemetry and tracking. While not specifically AI-focused, it serves as an excellent base for adding open source AI extensions.

Key Features:

Identical functionality to VS Code
No telemetry or tracking
Compatible with most VS Code extensions
Regular updates that follow VS Code releases
Easy migration from VS Code

When combined with open source AI extensions, VSCodium offers a privacy-respecting alternative to Cursor.

6. TabNine Open Source

TabNine offers both commercial and open source versions of its AI code completion tool. The open source version provides powerful code suggestions based on statistical models.

Key Features:

Context-aware code completions
Support for multiple programming languages
Integration with various editors
Local model capabilities
Customizable behavior

TabNine's open source version provides a solid foundation for AI-assisted coding without privacy concerns.

7. Zed

Developed by the creators of Atom and Tree-sitter, Zed is a high-performance code editor built with Rust that includes AI capabilities. It focuses on speed and efficiency.

Key Features:

AI-powered completions
Lightning-fast performance
Collaborative editing
Modern, minimalist interface
Built with Rust for stability

Zed combines modern editor features with AI assistance in a sleek, performance-focused package.

8. Eclipse Che

Eclipse Che goes beyond a simple code editor to provide a full cloud-based IDE with extensible AI capabilities through its plugin system.

Key Features:

Kubernetes-native development environment
Workspace server with RESTful APIs
Extensive plugin ecosystem
Collaborative features
Containerized development environments

Eclipse Che creates a complete development environment that can be extended with AI capabilities.

9. CodeT5

While not a standalone editor, CodeT5 is an open source transformer-based model specifically designed for code-related tasks that can be integrated into various editors.

Key Features:

Code completion suggestions
Bug detection capabilities
Code summarization
Support for multiple programming languages
Customizable model for specific domains

CodeT5 can be integrated into existing editors to provide AI capabilities without sacrificing privacy.

10. Helix

Helix is a modal text editor inspired by Vim but written in Rust, offering modern features including AI assistance through plugins.

Key Features:

Multiple selections and editing
Tree-sitter integration
Smart, contextual auto-completion
Vim-like modal editing
Built-in language server support

Helix combines the efficiency of modal editing with modern conveniences and AI capabilities.

11. NeoVim with AI Plugins

NeoVim's plugin ecosystem includes several open source AI coding assistants that provide Cursor-like functionality within the powerful Vim environment.

Key Features:

Extensive plugin ecosystem
Modal editing efficiency
Customizable AI integrations
Low resource requirements
Scripting capabilities via Lua

NeoVim with AI plugins offers the efficiency of Vim with modern AI capabilities.

12. kate-dev/forge

Forge is an open source project that brings AI capabilities to the Kate text editor, creating a lightweight but powerful alternative to Cursor.

Key Features:

Inline AI code completion
Context-aware suggestions
Integration with various AI models
Low resource requirements
Customizable behavior

Forge provides AI capabilities while maintaining the performance advantages of lightweight editors.

13. Emacs with Eglot and AI Plugins

The venerable Emacs editor can be transformed into an AI powerhouse using various open source packages that provide Cursor-like functionality.

Key Features:

Extreme customizability
Org-mode integration for documentation
Support for multiple AI services
Extensible through Emacs Lisp
Decades of community extensions

Emacs with AI plugins offers unparalleled customization potential for power users.

14. CodeLlama Integration Tools

CodeLlama is Meta's open source code generation model that can be integrated into various editors to provide Cursor-like functionality.

Key Features:

Fully open source LLM specifically for code
Support for multiple programming languages
Local model hosting options
Customizable generation parameters
No data sharing with third parties

CodeLlama integrations provide powerful AI assistance while keeping your code private.

15. Theia IDE

Eclipse Theia is an extensible platform to develop web-based tools and IDEs with built-in support for AI extensions.

Key Features:

VS Code extension compatibility
Cloud and desktop deployment options
White-labeling and customization
Workspace management
Git integration

Theia combines the familiar VS Code experience with open source values and AI potential.

16. Code-OSS

Code-OSS is the open source core of Visual Studio Code, providing a foundation for building AI-enhanced editors without Microsoft's proprietary components.

Key Features:

Identical core features to VS Code
Support for extensions
No telemetry
Regular updates from upstream
Customizable interface

Code-OSS serves as an excellent starting point for building custom AI-enhanced editors.

17. Tabnine for JetBrains IDEs

For those who prefer JetBrains tools, Tabnine offers an open source AI assistant that integrates with the entire JetBrains suite.

Key Features:

Smart code completions
Contextual suggestions
Seamless IDE integration
Language-specific assistance
Customizable behavior

Tabnine brings AI capabilities to the robust JetBrains environment.

18. Kite Open Source Components

While Kite as a company has shut down, its open source components live on and can be used to create Cursor-like functionality.

Key Features:

Python-focused code assistance
Documentation integration
Function usage examples
Integration with multiple editors
Community-maintained extensions

Kite's open source components provide specialized Python assistance.

19. Codeium for VS Code

Unlike the Codeium service mentioned earlier, the Codeium VS Code extension is open source and provides AI-powered code completions directly in VS Code.

Key Features:

Context-aware completions
Support for multiple languages
Natural language queries
Customizable settings
Extension API for further customization

The open source extension brings Codeium's capabilities directly to VS Code.

20. GitHub Copilot CLI (Self-Hosted)

For those who prefer terminal-based development, self-hosted versions of the GitHub Copilot CLI provide Cursor-like functionality in the command line.

Key Features:

Command-line AI assistance
Integration with terminal editors
Shell command generation
Explanation of code snippets
Local model hosting options

Terminal-based AI assistance offers an alternative approach to AI-powered development.

Conclusion

The landscape of open source AI coding tools is rapidly evolving, with new options emerging regularly. These 20 alternatives to Cursor offer varying approaches to AI-assisted development while maintaining the principles of open source software. Whether you prefer a standalone editor, an extension to your existing tools, or a complete development environment, there's an open source solution that can enhance your coding experience while respecting your privacy and freedom.

By exploring these alternatives, you can find the perfect balance of features, performance, and philosophy that aligns with your development workflow. As AI assistance becomes increasingly integral to software development, these open source tools ensure that the benefits remain accessible to all developers, regardless of budget or privacy concerns.