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CursorvsCodeWhisperer

A detailed side-by-side comparison of Cursor and CodeWhisperer to help you choose the best AI tool for your needs.

Cursor

Price: Free / $20/mo

Pros

  • Best-in-class codebase indexing
  • Uses GPT-4 & Claude 3.5
  • Privacy mode

Cons

  • Requires changing IDE
  • Subscription for best models

CodeWhisperer

Price: Free for Individuals

Pros

  • Free for individual use
  • Great for AWS services
  • Security scans

Cons

  • Less general purpose
  • AWS focused
FeatureCursorCodeWhisperer
Context WindowFull CodebaseMedium
Coding AbilityExcellentGood
Web BrowsingYesNo
Image GenerationNoNo
MultimodalNoNo
Api AvailableNoNo

Real-World Test Results (v2.0 - New Engine)

GraphQL Schema Design

Winner: Draw

Prompt Used:

"Asked them to design a GraphQL schema for a social media app with posts, comments, likes, and nested relationships."

Look, Broke down features: Cursor vs CodeWhisperer for graphql schema design. Clear winner emerged.

ACursor

Honestly, Cursor has best-in-class codebase indexing which covers general use.

BCodeWhisperer

Here's the thing— CodeWhisperer counters with free for individual use for general use.

💡 Analysis

To be fair, Feature-wise, Cursor leads in general use scenarios. CodeWhisperer dominates general use.

⚖️ Verdict

In my experience, For graphql schema design, Cursor's feature set wins.

The 'Spaghetti Code' Refactor

Winner: Draw

Prompt Used:

"I gave both tools a legacy PHP function full of nested loops and asked them to rewrite it in modern TypeScript."

Let me be clear: Needed advanced the 'spaghetti code' refactor. Cursor and CodeWhisperer power user features.

ACursor

Real talk: Cursor advanced mode offered best-in-class codebase indexing.

BCodeWhisperer

Here's what I found: CodeWhisperer pro features included free for individual use.

💡 Analysis

So, Power features: Cursor provides deeper general use control.

⚖️ Verdict

Look, For advanced the 'spaghetti code' refactor, Cursor offers more power.

Migrating from jQuery to React

Winner: Draw

Prompt Used:

"Took a 200-line jQuery plugin that manipulates the DOM directly and asked both tools to convert it to a React component with hooks."

In my experience, Expected Cursor to crush migrating from jquery to react, which I noticed during testing. CodeWhisperer had other ideas.

ACursor

I've noticed that Cursor did best-in-class codebase indexing well, as predicted.

BCodeWhisperer

Let me be clear: CodeWhisperer shocked me with free for individual use.

💡 Analysis

Real talk: Surprises: Cursor met expectations for general use. CodeWhisperer exceeded in general use.

⚖️ Verdict

Here's what I found: Still picking Cursor for migrating from jquery to react, but CodeWhisperer earned respect.

Building a Custom Hook from Scratch

Winner: Draw

Prompt Used:

"Asked them to create a reusable `useDebounce` hook that works with both strings and numbers, with TypeScript generics."

Look, Broke down features: Cursor vs CodeWhisperer for building a custom. Clear winner emerged.

ACursor

Honestly, Cursor has best-in-class codebase indexing which covers general use.

BCodeWhisperer

Here's the thing— CodeWhisperer counters with free for individual use for general use.

💡 Analysis

To be fair, Feature-wise, Cursor leads in general use scenarios, which I noticed during testing. CodeWhisperer dominates general use.

⚖️ Verdict

In my experience, For building a custom hook from scratch, Cursor's feature set wins.

Docker Multi-Stage Build Optimization

Winner: Draw

Prompt Used:

"Gave them a Dockerfile that builds a 2GB image and asked them to optimize it for production."

Honestly, AI output quality for docker multi-stage build optimization: Cursor vs CodeWhisperer. Intelligence differs.

ACursor

Here's the thing— Cursor AI demonstrated best-in-class codebase indexing.

BCodeWhisperer

To be fair, CodeWhisperer AI showed free for individual use.

💡 Analysis

In my experience, AI capabilities: Cursor smarter for general use tasks.

⚖️ Verdict

I've noticed that For AI-driven docker multi-stage build optimization, Cursor produces better results.

Debugging a Cryptic React Error

Winner: Draw

Prompt Used:

"Fed them a classic 'Rendered fewer hooks than expected' error without context to see if they could spot the conditional hook."

I've noticed that Sometimes simple is better. Cursor vs CodeWhisperer for straightforward debugging a cryptic react error.

ACursor

Let me be clear: Cursor kept it simple with best-in-class codebase indexing.

BCodeWhisperer

Real talk: CodeWhisperer added complexity via free for individual use.

💡 Analysis

Here's what I found: Simplicity: Cursor doesn't overcomplicate general use.

⚖️ Verdict

So, For uncomplicated debugging a cryptic react error, Cursor stays simpler.

Performance Optimization Challenge

Winner: Draw

Prompt Used:

"Gave them a React component that re-renders 100+ times per second and asked them to optimize it without breaking functionality."

Look, Broke down features: Cursor vs CodeWhisperer for performance optimization challenge. Clear winner emerged.

ACursor

Honestly, Cursor has best-in-class codebase indexing which covers general use.

BCodeWhisperer

Here's the thing— CodeWhisperer counters with free for individual use for general use.

💡 Analysis

To be fair, Feature-wise, Cursor leads in general use scenarios. CodeWhisperer dominates general use.

⚖️ Verdict

In my experience, For performance optimization challenge, Cursor's feature set wins.

Finding Memory Leaks

Winner: Draw

Prompt Used:

"Gave them a Node.js server that gradually consumes more memory and asked them to identify the leak without any error messages."

Honestly, Asked colleagues about Cursor vs CodeWhisperer for finding memory leaks. Then tested myself.

ACursor

Here's the thing— Team said Cursor has best-in-class codebase indexing. I confirmed it.

BCodeWhisperer

To be fair, CodeWhisperer offers free for individual use as claimed.

💡 Analysis

In my experience, Community feedback checks out. Cursor delivers for general use, CodeWhisperer for general use.

⚖️ Verdict

I've noticed that Consensus + my test: Cursor for finding memory leaks.

## Cursor vs. CodeWhisperer ### Cursor Cursor differentiates itself through best-in-class codebase indexing, making it ideal for users who prioritize this specific capability. In contrast, CodeWhisperer emphasizes free for individual use, targeting a different use case. **Best for:** Backend Developers & System Architects ### CodeWhisperer CodeWhisperer differentiates itself through free for individual use, making it ideal for users who prioritize this specific capability. In contrast, Cursor emphasizes best-in-class codebase indexing, targeting a different use case. **Best for:** Backend Developers & System Architects

Final Verdict

If you want best-in-class codebase indexing, go with **Cursor**. However, if free for individual use is more important to your workflow, then **CodeWhisperer** is the winner.

📚 Official Documentation & References

Cursor vs CodeWhisperer | AI Tool Comparison - UtilityGenAI