How I Replaced VS Code with Three AI IDEs for 30 Days
For this AI IDE comparison, I completely removed my long‑tuned VS Code setup and lived inside three AI code editors for 30 days: Cursor, Google Antigravity, and Windsurf. My aim was simple: discover which tool genuinely improves day‑to‑day development rather than just demoing well. I brought my full workload with me—bug hunts across sprawling repos, multi‑file refactors, and greenfield features—while refusing to fall back to my old editor. Because Cursor and Windsurf build on a VS Code foundation, the transition for shortcuts and extensions was almost frictionless. Antigravity, by contrast, presents a more radical split between a traditional Editor view and a dedicated Agent Manager. Across the month, I evaluated each IDE on three practical dimensions: how fast they helped me ship, how easily they integrated into existing workflows, and how manageable their AI agents felt during real projects rather than toy examples.
Cursor: Familiar Powerhouse with Mission-Control Style Agents
Cursor was my first stop, and it immediately felt like VS Code with superpowers. Its strongest edge is mature codebase handling: the context engine can trace bugs across multiple folders and map dependencies clearly, making multi-file navigation and refactoring feel grounded rather than magical. Version 3.0 pushes Cursor into mission-control territory, with a dedicated multi-agent pane and an overhauled Composer system that lets you spin up parallel workflows. One standout in daily use was seamless cloud handoff: I could start a massive refactor on my desktop, close the laptop, and later resume exactly where the agent left off on another machine. That said, Cursor isn’t flawless. During long debugging sessions, I occasionally hit context drift, where the model spiraled into repetitive logic loops and needed manual correction. Overall, Cursor excels for developers who want an AI IDE that stays close to a traditional editor while scaling up complex codebase work.
Google Antigravity: Next-Gen Agent Manager with Serious Automation
Google Antigravity takes a more radical approach by explicitly separating the manual Editor view from an Agent Manager that orchestrates work across the IDE, terminal, and an integrated browser. In practice, this means you can spin up multiple agents that behave like disciplined teammates rather than a single chat thread. On a real-time finance dashboard project, Antigravity first produced a detailed implementation plan, waited for my approval, then launched parallel agents to build, run, and even verify the app. It went as far as deploying the dashboard in the built-in browser, interacting with charts, and returning screenshots and recordings of the working UI. This agentic workflow is remarkably fast and structured, thanks to Gemini 3.1 Pro’s improved speed and context handling. However, on deep, tricky logic—such as complex math or intricate data flows—I sometimes had to step in or switch the agent’s brain to Claude. Performance bugs, layout quirks, lag with multiple agents, and cluttered browser tabs also remind you the platform is still maturing.
Windsurf: Kanban-Style Agent Command Center, Gentle Learning Curve
Windsurf targets AI-native development from a project management angle while keeping a familiar VS Code architecture. Migration is painless: your muscle memory, keybindings, and extension layout largely carry over. The headline feature in Windsurf 2.0 is the Agent Command Center—a Kanban-like dashboard baked into the IDE. Instead of a single chaotic AI chat, tasks appear as cards moving through columns like Running, Blocked, and Ready. In daily use, this made multi-agent work surprisingly calm; I could monitor progress at a glance without cluttering the editor. The Spaces feature further helps by bundling related agent sessions, pull requests, files, and shared context into focused workspaces. The trade-off is that Windsurf’s default software engineer intelligence still feels basic. When I asked it to build a personal website from a complex prompt, it missed numerous small details, forcing more manual polish than I needed with Antigravity or Cursor. Windsurf shines for developers who value structured task visibility over cutting-edge autonomy.
Which AI IDE Actually Wins—and Who Should Use What
After a month of Cursor vs Windsurf vs Antigravity, a clear pattern emerged. Cursor is the best drop-in replacement for traditional editors: it excels at navigating large codebases, supports advanced multi-file edits, and keeps AI assistance tightly integrated with familiar workflows. Windsurf offers the smoothest transition into agentic development for teams that think in tasks and boards, thanks to its Agent Command Center and Spaces, though its default coding intelligence still needs refinement. The overall winner, however, is Google Antigravity. Its Agent Manager, parallel agents, and end-to-end execution—from planning to browser-level verification—delivered the most tangible productivity gains in real projects. It handled complex refactors with a precision and autonomy the others could not consistently match, despite some logic gaps and performance hiccups. For solo developers and teams ready to embrace agent-first workflows, Antigravity currently plays in a different league, while Cursor and Windsurf remain excellent options for those who want AI layered gently onto familiar developer tools.