Pick Cursor
Pick Cursor if your workflow is editor-first — you spend the day in an IDE, want excellent inline completions, code chat, multi-file composer.
← All comparisons
Theo vs Cursor — IDE-native vs full-cycle agent
Cursor is the best AI editor in the IDE. TheoCode is the autonomous agent — Plan, Code, Infra modes — that runs the full cycle from idea to deploy.
Cursor wins inside the IDE. TheoCode wins outside it.
TL;DR
Pick Theo
Pick TheoCode if your workflow is agent-first — autonomous coding agent that plans before edits, runs in CI, ships via theo deploy.
You can use both: Cursor as your editor while TheoCode runs your CI agents.
Comparison matrix
| Capability | TheoCode | Cursor |
|---|---|---|
| In-editor inline AI (autocomplete, ghost text) | — | yes (best-in-class) |
| Composer / multi-file in-editor edit | Partial | yes (first-class) |
| Native IDE surface (VS Code fork) | no (CLI + Tauri desktop) | yes |
| Plan / Code / Infra explicit mode trinity | yes (first-class) | Partial (implicit via chat) |
| Runs autonomously in CI (no IDE needed) | yes (GitHub Actions ready) | no (IDE-bound) |
| Runtime license (audit + fork + redistribute) | yes (Apache-2.0 end to end) | no (proprietary) |
| LLM providers (bring your own keys) | yes (28 providers, your bill) | Limited (vendor-routed) |
| Quality gates documented in repo | yes (11+ make check-*) | no (closed development) |
When to pick Cursor
You live in the IDE
Cursor is the polished answer.
You want native VS Code extension ecosystem
Cursor inherits VS Code's marketplace.
You're solo or small team paying Cursor Pro
$20/mo + their routing is simpler than managing API keys.
When to pick Theo
You want a coding agent that runs autonomously
Plan + Code + Infra without babysitting each step.
You want Apache-2.0 end to end
Fork the binary, fork the runtime.
You want to bring your own keys
28 providers — your bill.
You need a coding agent in CI
TheoCode runs in GitHub Actions without launching an IDE.
FAQ
Can I use Cursor and TheoCode together?
Yes — Cursor as the day-to-day editor, TheoCode in CI for autonomous tasks.
What does Cursor do better?
IDE-native UX: inline completions, multi-file Composer edits, chat with editor context.