Alternatives · Coding agents

Cursor alternatives, graded

thecontinuitylayer.com/alternatives/cursor

6 of the 7 coding agents on the record score higher than Cursor's 6 of 8 (grade B): Claude Code (7½, A), OpenAI Codex (7, A−), Cline (7, A−) lead the ranking. Every grade is read from the maker's own page, checked 3 November 2026, never from a review.

Cursor · 6 of 8

coding agents to compare

score higher

3 November 2026

Makers' pages checked

Every coding agent on the record, ranked

Cursor’s own row is shaded. The five columns are the tests a person switching asks about first; each product page has every test, with the maker’s line and the source. Where the test is about training, no is the good answer and is colored as such.

coding agent	Grade	Remembers	Your file	Portable	Training	Price
Claude Code#1 · Anthropic	A7½/8
OpenAI Codex#2 · OpenAI	A−7/8
Cline#3 · Cline Bot Inc.	A−7/8
Windsurf (now Devin Desktop)#4 · Cognition	B+6½/8
Gemini CLI#5 · Google	B+6½/8
Aider#6 · Aider-AI	B+6½/8
Cursor#7 · Anysphere · this one	B6/8
GitHub Copilot#8 · GitHub (Microsoft)	B6/8

Remembers · Does it remember across sessions?
Your file · Does it keep memory in a file you own?
Portable · Does it read a format other tools read?
Training · Does it use your code for training by default?
Price · What does it cost?

Cursor alternatives, by what matters

6 coding agents that keep memory in a file you own

Cursor's grade on this test: partly.

The one coding agent that don't use your code for training by default

B+ Aider

Cursor's grade on this test: partly.

6 coding agents that read a format other tools read

Cursor passes this test too.

Alternatives to the others

The whole shelf: Coding agents. How the grades are made: How we grade. No maker pays for a place or a grade.