I’ve been curious about Cursor, the AI-integrated IDE that’s been getting a lot of attention lately. But honestly, I wasn’t ready to commit to a subscription just yet.
So I started digging for free alternatives that could offer a similar experience — ideally, something I could use inside my current setup, which is VS Code.
After testing a few options, I landed on a combo that’s working surprisingly well for me using just two extensions:
- 🧠 Cline — an open-source AI assistant that responds to commands, explains code, and generates functions. I'm currently using it with the Gemini 2.0-flash model.
- ⚡ Supermaven — a real-time autocomplete extension that works directly in the editor, very similar to GitHub Copilot.
With these two together, I’ve been able to replicate a big part of Cursor’s workflow: AI suggesting, reviewing, and explaining code — all without leaving my IDE.
If you haven’t heard of this kind of setup yet, I strongly recommend checking it out.
And if you’re already using something similar — or have other AI tools for developers worth trying — I’m open to suggestions. Still exploring this space. 😅
Want to try a setup like this but not sure how to start? Shoot me a message. If I can help, I will. 👊🏽