Cursor alternatives
Cursor is a good product. Before switching, it is worth being precise about what is actually bothering you, because most of the alternatives below are better at one specific thing and worse at others.
This list is published by Empyre, which is one of the alternatives. So it opens with the case for not switching.
When you should stay with Cursor
The best-in-class editing loop
For a developer who knows what they want changed, Cursor's edit-and-review loop is faster than any prompt-and-wait product, Empyre included.
It works on the code you already have
Point it at a decade-old repository in any language and it is useful immediately. Empyre only imports a repository once you connect GitHub, and its agents work on their own schedule.
You see every diff
Nothing lands that you did not read. That is the correct trade for a codebase with real users on it.
Model choice is yours
You pick the model per request. On Empyre the model is chosen by the platform and is not a customer-facing setting.
Alternatives to Cursor
Lovable — iteration speed on ui
Lovable is an AI app builder: you describe an app in chat and it generates a working full-stack React application, with Supabase for the database and auth, GitHub sync, and one-click hosting. How it compares to Empyre →
Bolt — zero setup, genuinely
Bolt (bolt.new, by StackBlitz) runs a full development environment inside the browser using WebContainers. You prompt it, it writes a full-stack JavaScript project, installs packages and runs them client-side with an instant preview, then deploys to a host such as Netlify. How it compares to Empyre →
Replit — a real ide
Replit is a cloud development platform with an AI agent built in. It provides a real IDE in the browser, supports many programming languages, and includes hosting, databases and deployments, plus collaboration and a long-standing education presence. How it compares to Empyre →
v0 — best-in-class ui generation
v0 is Vercel's generative UI tool. You describe an interface and it produces React components built on Next.js, Tailwind CSS and shadcn/ui, which you copy into your project or deploy straight to Vercel. How it compares to Empyre →
Naïve — agent-native financial controls
Naïve (usenaive.ai, a Y Combinator company) describes itself as “The Frontier of AI Agent Infrastructure and Research”, with the headline “Ship Apps. Agents. Companies. One prompt. One config file. All your infrastructure.” Its own site describes per-agent provisioning of Postgres, authentication, object storage, realtime sync and edge functions; spend-capped virtual cards with approval thresholds and mid-flight revocation; audit logging before money moves or a tool fires; allow/deny capability policies per agent; agent identity including KYC/KYB, US LLC formation with an EIN, and email, phone and domain provisioning; 100+ third-party integrations; and model routing across many providers with fallback chains. It is configured as infrastructure-as-code through a TypeScript config file, a CLI and an SDK. How it compares to Empyre →
Polsia — several companies at once
Polsia (polsia.com) markets itself with the line “AI That Runs Your Company While You Sleep”, positioning itself as an autonomous operator rather than an assistant that waits to be prompted. Public write-ups and directory listings describe a multi-agent roster running on staggered schedules — orchestration, social posting, email outreach, customer support, ads, finance tracking, business planning, competitor research and code generation — together with support for running several companies at once and integrations including GitHub, email, ad platforms and payment processors. Polsia also publicly claims to be operating 500+ companies. Those are Polsia's own published figures, not something we have independently verified. How it compares to Empyre →
Firebase Studio — a real backend suite
Firebase Studio is Google's cloud development environment (the successor to Project IDX) with Gemini built in. It combines an in-browser workspace with Firebase's backend suite — authentication, Firestore, hosting, storage and functions — and targets web and Android. How it compares to Empyre →
Base44 — batteries genuinely included
Base44 is an AI app builder, acquired by Wix in 2025, that turns a plain-English description into a full-stack application with a database, authentication, hosting and a set of built-in integrations already wired up. Its published plans run from a free tier through paid tiers priced per month with a credit allowance. How it compares to Empyre →
Windsurf — agentic editing with full context
Windsurf is an AI-native IDE built around Cascade, an agent that reads the codebase, makes multi-file edits and runs terminal commands. Originally built by Codeium, it was acquired by Cognition — the company behind Devin — and has since been folded into Cognition's line-up alongside the Devin cloud agent. How it compares to Empyre →
Devin — built for real, existing codebases
Devin is Cognition's autonomous software engineering agent. You assign a task in plain language and it plans and executes inside a sandbox with a browser, terminal and editor — implementing features, fixing bugs, upgrading dependencies and migrating code — then reports back. Its published pricing now starts with a free tier and a $20/seat/month plan, a long way below its original $500 launch price. How it compares to Empyre →
Manus — it is not limited to software
Manus is a general-purpose autonomous AI agent. From a single prompt it plans multi-step work, browses the web, writes and runs code, analyses data and returns a finished artefact — a report, a dataset, a slide deck or a small site. It bills on a credit model, with published plans starting at $20/month. How it compares to Empyre →
Rork — real mobile output
Rork is an AI app builder aimed at mobile. It generates React Native and Expo projects that compile to native iOS and Android alongside a web build, and has since added a tier that produces native Swift apps for Apple platforms. Published plans run from roughly $25/month up to a $200/month native tier. How it compares to Empyre →
Empyre — if the problem is everything after the build
Switch here only if your complaint about Cursor is not the building. Empyre's agents deploy the product and then keep testing, fixing, marketing and budgeting it. If you like being the developer, this is the wrong swap — there is no in-product IDE. Empyre vs Cursor →
Frequently asked questions
What is the closest alternative to Cursor?
Lovable is the nearest like-for-like swap — same broad job, different trade-offs. If your reason for leaving is that nobody is maintaining what you built, no like-for-like swap will fix it, and you want a different category of tool entirely.
Is there a free Cursor alternative?
All of the tools listed have a free tier. Empyre's free tier is the unusual one in that it builds and deploys one company to its own live address without a card; most free tiers stop at generating code you then have to host.
Can I move my Cursor project somewhere else?
If your code is in a Git repository you control, yes — that is the main thing to check before committing to any of these tools. Empyre can import an existing GitHub repository and have its agents work on that codebase, though importing does require connecting your GitHub account.
Try Empyre free
Describe a business in plain words and watch eight AI agents build and deploy it. The first build is free — no card required.