17 Apr JetBrains AI vs Cursor AI Comparison 2025

As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the software development landscape, many developers are turning toward AI-enhanced coding assistants to boost productivity, reduce errors, and streamline workflows. Among the most discussed solutions are JetBrains AI and Cursor AI—two advanced tools that integrate AI capabilities directly into the development environment. In this article, we compare these platforms to help developers choose the right tool for their needs in 2025.

Introduction to JetBrains AI and Cursor AI

JetBrains AI is an integrated AI assistant rolled out by JetBrains, the company behind popular IDEs like IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, and WebStorm. This AI assistant is built into JetBrains IDEs, offering contextual suggestions, code completions, refactoring help, and integration with JetBrains Space.

Cursor AI, on the other hand, is a standalone AI-enhanced code editor that builds on top of VSCode. It’s designed specifically to enhance programming productivity by leveraging an artificial intelligence engine trained on vast programming datasets and open-source repositories.

Feature Comparison

• 1. Code Assistance and Autocompletion:
  JetBrains AI provides smart, context-aware completions that are deeply integrated into its IDEs. It utilizes project structure, local variables, and language-specific features to offer precise suggestions.
  Cursor AI, while impressive, operates more broadly and uses prompt-based suggestions from large language models, sometimes missing IDE-specific optimizations.
• 2. Language Support:
  JetBrains AI supports a wide range of programming languages natively supported by JetBrains IDEs, including Java, Kotlin, Python, JavaScript, PHP, and more.
  Cursor AI primarily supports languages popular in the open-source community such as Python, JavaScript, and TypeScript. Support for other languages depends heavily on extension integration with VSCode.
• 3. Integration and Ecosystem:
  JetBrains AI shines when used in tandem with the larger JetBrains ecosystem—especially Space and TeamCity. Built-in support for testing, version control, and deployment is readily available.
  Cursor AI works well within the VSCode ecosystem, offering a wide array of extensions. However, integration is less seamless and often requires manual configuration.

User Experience and Interface

JetBrains AI benefits from JetBrains’ established UI, offering a polished, fluid experience with tight integration across features. Settings for autocompletion, AI interaction, and testing are available through intuitive menus. The assistant can refactor code automatically, suggest improvements, and even explain logic based on selected code snippets.

Cursor AI, with its minimalistic design, appeals to developers who prefer a lightweight interface. The experience is similar to VSCode, but with additional AI overlays and tools. It supports natural language prompts, allowing developers to write “fix the bug in this function” and receive full code suggestions.

Performance and Accuracy

In terms of performance, JetBrains AI benefits from insights into project structure and static analysis tools that enable highly accurate suggestions. Its ability to follow best practices based on IDE plugins is a standout strength.

Cursor AI relies more heavily on generative language models, which can lead to broader but less specific suggestions. While this makes Cursor AI flexible and creative in some scenarios, it occasionally produces incorrect or inefficient code when handling language-specific intricacies.

Security and Privacy

JetBrains AI puts significant emphasis on data privacy. Most processing can be done locally, and enterprise clients can opt for an on-premise setup that ensures total control over code and data flow.

Cursor AI, as of 2025, still relies on cloud-based processing, which may raise concerns for organizations dealing with sensitive or proprietary code. While the company assures strong encryption and data handling policies, the reliance on external servers remains a limitation for some enterprises.

Conclusion and Recommendation

Both JetBrains AI and Cursor AI offer compelling advantages, but their ideal use cases differ.

• Choose JetBrains AI if you already use JetBrains IDEs, require advanced project analysis, or need robust integration with build and deployment tools. It’s highly suited for enterprise environments and professional software teams.
• Choose Cursor AI if you prefer a lightweight, prompt-driven interface and work primarily in web technologies or scripting languages. It’s a great choice for individual developers and startups looking for creative AI enhancements on a budget.

In 2025, the landscape for AI-powered development tools is more competitive than ever. Choosing the right assistant depends on your specific workflow, languages used, and privacy requirements. Both JetBrains AI and Cursor AI continue to evolve, promising even greater developer productivity in years to come.