Cursor remains the default AI IDE if you live in a VS Code muscle memory: autocomplete, visual diffs, tight multi-file edits. Claude Code is the terminal agent you send at a repo when the change set is a project, not a function. Windsurf shows up when a company needs approvals and audit trails more than it needs another model picker.
A boring, correct split
- Daily typing and review: Cursor (or JetBrains + an assistant).
- Long refactors, CI, unattended PRs: Claude Code or Codex.
- Compliance-heavy teams: Windsurf-style governance.
Most failed rollouts happen when a company buys one tool and expects it to be the other. Agents are bad at replacing tab-complete. IDEs are bad at a 20-minute unattended repair. Read the money in agent cost and the hiring story in what role vanished.
We use this stack on client systems you can open in work. If you need it installed as a practice, not a license, talk to us.