Cursor Alternatives in 2026: 8 Free and Open-Source Options (and 2 to Avoid)

The best Cursor alternatives in 2026, free and open source: Cline, Continue, Kilo Code, Zed, OpenCode, Antigravity and Copilot Free — plus two popular picks that are now archived.

Short version: if you want Cursor's experience without the subscription, install Cline or Continue in VS Code and bring your own model. If you want an editor rather than an extension, try Zed. If you live in the terminal, OpenCode. Star counts and maintenance status below come from the GitHub API on 18 September 2026, which is how we caught that two widely recommended alternatives are now archived.

Cursor alternatives by type: extension, editor, terminal, hosted free tier

Open-source VS Code extensions

**Cline** (about 69,000 stars, Apache-2.0) is an autonomous coding agent inside VS Code that plans, edits files and runs commands with your approval. Works with most model providers and with local models.

**Continue** (about 36,000 stars, Apache-2.0) focuses on chat, autocomplete and custom assistants you configure per team. A strong pick if you want to standardise on your own models.

**Kilo Code** (about 27,000 stars, MIT) is an open-source agent extension that is actively maintained and has absorbed a lot of the users who left Roo Code.

An editor instead of an extension

**Zed** (about 90,000 stars) is a fast, open-source editor written in Rust with AI and agent features built in. It suits developers who want a native editor rather than another VS Code fork.

Terminal-first

**OpenCode** (about 208,000 stars) is an open-source coding agent for the terminal and one of the most-starred developer tools on GitHub this year. Pair it with any editor.

Free hosted tiers, no keys to manage

Google Antigravity has a free Individual plan with basic weekly agent limits. GitHub Copilot Free includes 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests a month. Both are good starting points before you decide what to pay for.

Two to avoid

Maintained vs archived Cursor alternatives, September 2026

Roo Code was archived in May 2026 and Void in June 2026. Archived means no updates, including security fixes. Plenty of alternative lists still recommend both.

How to choose

Decide where you work.

- Inside VS Code: Cline, Continue or Kilo Code.

- Want a new editor: Zed.

- Terminal: OpenCode.

Decide who runs the model.

- Your own API key: any extension above.

- Fully local: Cline or Continue with Ollama.

- No keys at all: Antigravity or Copilot Free.

For the wider field, see our list of the best open-source AI coding agents.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free alternative to Cursor?+

For most people, Cline or Continue inside VS Code. Both are open source under Apache-2.0, so the extension costs nothing and you pay only for the model you connect, or nothing if you run a local model through Ollama. If you would rather not manage API keys at all, Google Antigravity's free tier and GitHub Copilot Free are the no-setup options.

Is there an open-source Cursor alternative that works with local models?+

Yes. Cline and Continue both connect to local models served by Ollama or LM Studio, so your code never leaves your machine. Expect a quality drop compared with frontier hosted models, especially on large multi-file changes, but for autocomplete, explanations and small edits a good local model on a machine with enough memory is genuinely usable.

Why should I avoid Roo Code and Void?+

Both repositories have been archived on GitHub: Roo Code in May 2026 and the Void editor in June 2026. Archived projects receive no fixes, including security fixes, and in fast-moving AI tooling they fall behind within weeks. Many alternative lists written earlier still recommend them. If you already use either, plan a move to an actively maintained option.

Is Zed a good Cursor alternative?+

Zed is an open-source editor written in Rust, built for speed, with AI assistance and agent features built in and support for multiple model providers. It suits developers who want a fast native editor rather than another VS Code fork. The trade-off is ecosystem: VS Code's extension library is far larger, so check that the extensions you rely on exist before switching.

Is GitHub Copilot Free enough to replace Cursor?+

For light use, possibly. Copilot Free includes 2,000 code completions and 50 chat requests a month, which covers occasional help but runs out quickly with daily agent-style use. GitHub moved Copilot to usage-based AI Credits in June 2026, so check current allowances. It is a good free starting point, not a full replacement for heavy daily use.