Cursor vs JetBrains AI Assistant
Complete comparison guide to help you choose the right coding tool for your needs.
The Winner
Cursor
Wins for overall value, user satisfaction, and Multi-file code generation and refactoring.
Quick Comparison
| Criteria |  Cursor |  JetBrains AI Assistant |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Free tier | Free tier Best |
| User Rating | 4.4 Best | 3.3 |
| Review Count | 310 | 867 Best |
| Free Trial | No | No |
| Annual Discount | N/A | N/A |
| Best For | Multi-file code generation and refactoring | JetBrains IDE users & Java/Kotlin devs |
Feature Breakdown
Feature Comparison
Cursor JetBrains AI Assistant Cursor
- Composer Is 4x Faster Than GPT-5
- 8 Parallel Agents Change The Game
- Tab Completion That Actually Helps
- Zero Switching Cost From VS Code
- Ultra Tier Is Expensive For Individuals
- High Memory Consumption
- Buggy After Updates
JetBrains AI Assistant
- Zero Context-Switching
- Free for All Products Pack Subscribers
- Model Context Protocol (MCP) Support
- Local Model Support
- Performance Issues Are Real
- Price vs. Copilot Makes It Hard to Recommend
- Language Support Inconsistency
Cursor Overview
If you're serious about AI-assisted development, Cursor is worth every penny. The Pro tier ($20/month) pays for itself if you code more than 5 hours weekly. The Ultra tier ($200/month) is for heavy users who max out API credits. The free Hobby tier gives you a genuine one-week Pro trial to test the full power.
Best For:
- Multi-file code generation and refactoring
- Complex full-stack application development
- Teams wanting cutting-edge AI capabilities
- Developers familiar with VS Code interface
- Projects requiring deep codebase understanding
- Rapid prototyping and fast iteration
- Parallel agent workflows for complex tasks
JetBrains AI Assistant Overview
If you're already a JetBrains IDE user, AI Pro at $8/month is a no-brainer. The deep IDE integration eliminates context-switching, and the shared credit system with Junie/Claude Agent is clever. AI Ultimate at $30/month is pricey compared to Copilot's $10, but the frontier model access (GPT-5, Claude 4.5) justifies it for power users. The 2.3 marketplace rating reflects performance concerns-be prepared for occasional lag.
Best For:
- JetBrains IDE users & Java/Kotlin devs
- Polyglot developers working across multiple languages
- Teams already invested in JetBrains ecosystem
- Java/Kotlin developers (strongest language support)
- Developers wanting deep semantic code understanding
- Teams needing enterprise controls (BYOK option)
Our Verdict
Cursor is our top pick for most users, thanks to its higher user ratings. However, JetBrains AI Assistant remains a solid choice if you need JetBrains IDE users & Java/Kotlin devs.
Try Cursor Free