Cursor replaces your editor with an AI-native IDE. Superset sits outside your editor and runs 10+ AI coding agents in parallel, each in its own Git worktree. They solve different problems: Cursor makes single-agent editing seamless, Superset scales autonomous agent work horizontally.

At a Glance

	Superset	Cursor
Category	Agent orchestration terminal	AI code editor (VS Code fork)
AI approach	Agent-agnostic — works with Claude Code, Codex, Aider, or any CLI agent	Built-in models (GPT-5, Claude 4.5 Sonnet, Gemini 2.5 Pro) proxied through Cursor servers
Parallelism	Core feature — 10+ agents across isolated worktrees	Sequential by default; cloud-based Background Agents added recently
Editor	Works alongside any editor (VS Code, Cursor, JetBrains, Xcode)	You must use Cursor's IDE
Pricing	Free tier + Pro $20/seat/mo	Free tier (limited), Pro $20/mo, Ultra $200/mo
Privacy	Fully local — no telemetry, code never leaves your machine	Code sent to Cursor servers and third-party AI providers

What Is Superset?

Superset is a desktop terminal that orchestrates CLI-based coding agents — Claude Code, Codex, Aider — in parallel across isolated Git worktrees. Each agent gets its own branch and working directory. When one finishes, you review the diff and merge. Open source, fully local, no telemetry.

What Is Cursor?

Cursor is a VS Code fork with AI built into every interaction: inline completions (Tab), chat (Cmd+L), inline edits (Cmd+K), and Composer for multi-file changes. The AI indexes your codebase and proposes changes as reviewable diffs. Requests route through Cursor's servers, providing access to multiple models without your own API keys.

Key Differences

Single Agent vs Many Agents

Cursor is built for one developer working with one AI assistant — you ask, it responds, you iterate. Superset runs many agents simultaneously in isolated worktrees: one writing tests, another refactoring a service, a third updating docs. Cursor improves a single interaction; Superset runs many concurrently.

Editor Lock-In vs Editor Freedom

Using Cursor means adopting Cursor. For VS Code users the switch is smooth, but JetBrains, Xcode, and Neovim users must leave their editor behind. Superset does not touch your editor — use it alongside anything, switch editors next year, nothing changes.

Model Lock-In vs Model Freedom

Cursor routes all requests through its servers, subject to its credit system and rate limits. Superset runs whatever CLI agents you point it at — Claude Code today, Codex tomorrow, a new agent next week — without changing anything in Superset. Your API keys, your models, no middleman.

Privacy

Superset runs entirely locally — no telemetry, no data collection, fully auditable source code. Cursor sends code to its servers and third-party providers. Privacy Mode offers zero-data-retention, but code still transits external servers, and Background Agents require Privacy Mode disabled entirely.

Pricing

Superset offers a free tier and a Pro plan at $20/seat/month. You also pay for your agents' API keys (e.g., Anthropic for Claude Code) — transparent costs, no markup, no credit system.

Cursor offers a limited free tier (50 requests/month), Pro at $20/month, Pro+ at $60/month, Ultra at $200/month, and Teams at $40/user/month. Its mid-2025 shift to credit-based billing has made costs harder to predict.

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Cursor if you:

Primarily use VS Code and want AI deeply embedded in your editing flow
Work on one task at a time with real-time AI collaboration
Prefer convenience over control — no API keys to manage
Are comfortable with cloud-based code processing

Choose Superset if you:

Run CLI-based coding agents and want to parallelize across 10+ tasks
Use JetBrains, Xcode, Neovim, or any non-VS Code editor
Need code to stay on your machine with no telemetry
Want agent and model flexibility with no vendor lock-in

Both tools work together. Use Cursor for inline AI editing, Superset alongside it to dispatch parallel agents for test generation, refactors, and migrations. Cursor is where you write code interactively; Superset is where you orchestrate autonomous work at scale.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Superset a Cursor replacement?

No. Superset provides no inline completions, syntax highlighting, or file editing. It is a terminal for orchestrating AI coding agents in parallel, and works alongside Cursor or any other editor.

Does Cursor support parallel agents?

Cursor's Background Agents run in cloud-based VMs and produce pull requests, enabling some parallelism. But they run remotely, require disabling Privacy Mode, and consume Cursor credits. Superset runs agents locally with no cloud dependency.

Is Superset really free?

Superset has a free tier and a Pro plan at $20/seat/month. You also need API keys for your chosen agents (e.g., Anthropic for Claude Code). No credit system, no markup on API costs.