Github Copilot vs Cursor: which AI coding assistant is better?

00:07:32
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl5NJVieiBM

Résumé

TLDRThis comparison discusses the newly added free tier of GitHub Copilot for Visual Studio Code users, comparing its features and performance against Cursor. GitHub Copilot has made significant strides, offering multi-file editing, AI in the terminal, and autogenerated commit messages. However, its multi-file editing capabilities are currently slow and often inaccurate, which is disappointing when compared to Cursor. Cursor excels with its efficient codebase search, accurate updates, and ability to manage multi-file edits more effectively. Furthermore, it is quicker at generating code that meets the user's demands. While GitHub Copilot offers a free tier, users might find that they need to upgrade due to limitations. Meanwhile, Cursor, though more expensive at $20/month compared to Copilot's $10/month option, is deemed worth the cost for its reliable and user-friendly experience. Ultimately, while GitHub Copilot is a competent tool, Cursor stands out as a more reliable and efficient option for AI coding assistance, saving time and enhancing productivity with clean and functional code.

A retenir

  • 🚀 GitHub Copilot offers a free tier for Visual Studio Code users.
  • 🐢 Copilot's multi-file editing is often slow and buggy.
  • ⚡️ Cursor provides faster and more accurate codebase updates.
  • 🎯 Cursor's code generation is more reliable than Copilot's.
  • 💡 Copilot includes features like AI in the terminal and autogenerated commit messages.
  • 🛠 Cursor excels at handling multi-file edits.
  • 📝 Cursor's verbose commit messages may require manual editing.
  • 💲 Copilot's plans start at $10/month; Cursor is recommended at $20/month.
  • 🧪 GitHub Copilot's new features are still in preview and may improve over time.
  • 🤔 User preference ultimately determines the best AI coding tool.

Chronologie

  • 00:00:00 - 00:07:32

    GitHub Copilot has introduced a free tier for Visual Studio Code users, positioning itself as a competitor to tools like Cursor. The video evaluates Copilot's features, notably the 'edit with Copilot' functionality, which allows for reading and writing in multiple files at once. However, the user experiences significant issues, such as incorrect file updates and slow performance compared to Cursor's more reliable capabilities. The main strengths of Cursor include faster codebase searches and more accurate updates, especially in tasks like modifying an admin API or resolving routing bugs. In comparison, Copilot struggles with performance and accuracy even when using advanced AI models like Claude 3.5. Despite the usability of GitHub Copilot, the user finds Cursor's features, particularly in multi-file editing, superior and more efficient for coding tasks.

Carte mentale

Vidéo Q&R

  • What are the main features of GitHub Copilot?

    GitHub Copilot offers a free tier, multi-file editing, AI in the terminal, autogenerated commit messages, and custom instructions.

  • How does GitHub Copilot's multi-file editing perform?

    The multi-file editing feature of GitHub Copilot is currently slow, buggy, and sometimes fails to update files correctly.

  • What are Cursor’s advantages over GitHub Copilot?

    Cursor provides faster codebase searching, more accurate code updates, and better handling of multi-file edits compared to GitHub Copilot.

  • How does Cursor handle code generation compared to Copilot?

    Cursor generates code faster and more accurately, often identifying and implementing the correct changes where Copilot struggles.

  • Is GitHub Copilot's free tier worth using?

    Yes, it's a good option for those who want to explore AI coding tools without an initial cost, though its performance may necessitate an upgrade.

  • Which tool is more reliable for AI-driven coding?

    Based on the comparison, Cursor appears to be more reliable and faster for AI-driven coding tasks.

  • Does GitHub Copilot offer inline autocomplete?

    Yes, GitHub Copilot provides inline autocomplete, although Cursor extends this feature further by suggesting updates across multiple lines.

  • How does Cursor manage commit messages compared to Copilot?

    Cursor's commit messages tend to be more verbose, while GitHub Copilot provides concise autogenerated messages.

  • What coding model does GitHub Copilot use?

    GitHub Copilot allows users to choose models like GPT-4 and others, but issues remain despite model choice.

  • Is there a cost difference between Cursor and GitHub Copilot?

    GitHub Copilot starts at $10/month, while Cursor is recommended at $20/month due to its superior performance.

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Défilement automatique:
  • 00:00:00
    get up co-pilot has added a free tier
  • 00:00:02
    for visual studio code users and in the
  • 00:00:05
    last year has caught up massively to
  • 00:00:07
    cursor feature set but is it as good as
  • 00:00:09
    cursor let's find out the first thing we
  • 00:00:11
    need to look at is the edit with
  • 00:00:13
    co-pilot feature this gives you the
  • 00:00:15
    ability to read and write from multiple
  • 00:00:17
    files in your codebase at a time you can
  • 00:00:19
    even use a number of context tools such
  • 00:00:21
    as the hasht codebase modifier to
  • 00:00:23
    automatically search and find relevant
  • 00:00:25
    files for you as it generates you'll see
  • 00:00:27
    the code updat stream in and then you
  • 00:00:29
    can review them one by one and accept or
  • 00:00:31
    discard them all in a click in this case
  • 00:00:33
    I asked co-pilot to add to our admin API
  • 00:00:35
    the ability to read and write the
  • 00:00:37
    comments collection and in short it
  • 00:00:39
    didn't do a good job it simply didn't
  • 00:00:41
    find the correct files or make the
  • 00:00:42
    correct Updates this is a prompt I've
  • 00:00:44
    seen successful pretty much every time
  • 00:00:46
    with cursor and wind surf I tried it
  • 00:00:48
    multiple times and it never worked
  • 00:00:50
    correctly to make things worse when you
  • 00:00:51
    use the codebase modifier to pull files
  • 00:00:53
    automatically so you don't have to
  • 00:00:55
    manually list them as context the search
  • 00:00:57
    can be incredibly slow I've waited it's
  • 00:01:00
    just for the search to complete and then
  • 00:01:02
    sometimes I just get an error and it
  • 00:01:03
    doesn't work at all this time I'm trying
  • 00:01:05
    to much simpler prompt fix a bug in our
  • 00:01:07
    existing site so that we do client side
  • 00:01:09
    routing correctly instead of server side
  • 00:01:11
    this is something that even Devon was
  • 00:01:13
    able to do correctly it's never really
  • 00:01:15
    failed with cursor and wind Surf and
  • 00:01:17
    first it's taking an eternity with
  • 00:01:19
    GitHub co-pilot this content. TSX file
  • 00:01:22
    has been updating forever I actually
  • 00:01:24
    think it's broken right now but I can
  • 00:01:26
    already tell it didn't do the right
  • 00:01:27
    thing the correct solution is just to
  • 00:01:29
    set this no clients side routing
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    variable to false pretty much every tool
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    is able to pick that up yet get up cold
  • 00:01:35
    pilot updated tons of files and code it
  • 00:01:38
    simply just completely got stuck on
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    content. TSX and it's in a broken
  • 00:01:42
    infinite loading State I was really
  • 00:01:43
    excited to try this feature and the ux
  • 00:01:45
    seems pretty good but I've been
  • 00:01:46
    disappointed by it quality and bugginess
  • 00:01:49
    and slowness and I really just cannot
  • 00:01:51
    see myself using this day to day but hey
  • 00:01:53
    technically this feature is in preview
  • 00:01:55
    even though it's enabled by default so
  • 00:01:57
    maybe with a little time they'll make
  • 00:01:58
    this better to me the multi-file editing
  • 00:02:00
    agent feature is The Shining most
  • 00:02:02
    important feature of cursor windsurf and
  • 00:02:04
    the like note that I am using one other
  • 00:02:07
    new feature from GitHub which is you can
  • 00:02:08
    now choose what model you want which
  • 00:02:10
    includes claw 3.5 Sonet which is
  • 00:02:13
    undoubtedly the best model today for
  • 00:02:14
    coding it's what curser and Winsor fed
  • 00:02:16
    by default and I'm using it so we can
  • 00:02:18
    Apple's to Apple's comparison on code
  • 00:02:20
    generation if you're curious if when
  • 00:02:21
    using GPT 40 the default model that's
  • 00:02:23
    not in preview if I got better results
  • 00:02:25
    with even the simple prompt about client
  • 00:02:27
    side routing unfortunately the answer is
  • 00:02:29
    no get up copilot is still trying to
  • 00:02:31
    update files that don't even make sense
  • 00:02:33
    like it's removing get static props it's
  • 00:02:35
    also listing files in this working set
  • 00:02:37
    that apparently didn't even update so
  • 00:02:38
    the AI regenerated this file but didn't
  • 00:02:41
    actually change anything at all in the
  • 00:02:42
    file there's no death so I'm honestly
  • 00:02:44
    just hitting ux problems over the place
  • 00:02:46
    I also gave the same PRT to try with ow
  • 00:02:48
    and mini it's not any better it's not
  • 00:02:50
    doing it right and it's just wiping out
  • 00:02:53
    our Java Script for some reason I also
  • 00:02:55
    tried with ow and preview and it's still
  • 00:02:57
    not doing anything it's really really
  • 00:03:00
    broken for me for some reason let's
  • 00:03:01
    compare that to cursor where I like to
  • 00:03:03
    use the agent mode by default so I don't
  • 00:03:05
    have to tag codebase it automatically
  • 00:03:07
    searches the codebase and finds relevant
  • 00:03:08
    files the codebase search is incredibly
  • 00:03:10
    fast compared to GitHub and the output
  • 00:03:12
    starts streaming a lot sooner too but
  • 00:03:14
    most importantly cursor actually doing
  • 00:03:16
    the correct thing and identified the
  • 00:03:17
    admin graphql API it's adding the models
  • 00:03:20
    and resolvers that I need and hooking up
  • 00:03:23
    this to the API correctly I've had the
  • 00:03:25
    same good results with this with wind
  • 00:03:26
    surf as well now let's try fixing the
  • 00:03:28
    routing bug with cursor this one uses a
  • 00:03:30
    smaller code basee so I really thought
  • 00:03:32
    get up Coke pilot would be able to do
  • 00:03:34
    this one and cursor does it exactly
  • 00:03:35
    right it finds a variable it flips the
  • 00:03:37
    buole in it's a really simple fix but
  • 00:03:40
    hey maybe it was unfair for us to
  • 00:03:41
    compare cursor's best feature to one of
  • 00:03:43
    get up copilot's newest features let's
  • 00:03:45
    touch on another couple great features
  • 00:03:47
    that copal has added one of my all-time
  • 00:03:49
    favorite AI features is AI in the
  • 00:03:51
    terminal just hit command ey the AI will
  • 00:03:53
    spit out a results hit command enter to
  • 00:03:55
    run it now you don't actually need to be
  • 00:03:56
    a bash wizard to pretend you're a bash
  • 00:03:58
    wizard cursor has B basically the same
  • 00:04:00
    thing except it hijacks command K in the
  • 00:04:02
    terminal which drives me crazy I hate
  • 00:04:05
    that I like command ey better one other
  • 00:04:07
    cool feature get up copilot has is the
  • 00:04:08
    ability to autogenerate a commit message
  • 00:04:10
    which it does pretty nice by default
  • 00:04:12
    when cursor generates commit messages it
  • 00:04:14
    can be a little bit more verbose which
  • 00:04:16
    is not quite my style but it's fine I
  • 00:04:17
    can just delete the rest of this stuff
  • 00:04:20
    another nice thing that gup copilot has
  • 00:04:21
    now is custom instructions by adding a
  • 00:04:24
    GitHub copilot instructions. MD file
  • 00:04:27
    it's basically the equivalent of cursor
  • 00:04:28
    cursor rules get up co-pilot supports
  • 00:04:31
    inline autocomplete it was frankly the
  • 00:04:33
    OG of Aid driven inline autocomplete and
  • 00:04:35
    it does a good job but cursor takes
  • 00:04:37
    things even further by being able to
  • 00:04:38
    suggest inline updates to multiple lines
  • 00:04:41
    you can hit tab to complete as well as
  • 00:04:43
    the standard usual stuff you know tab to
  • 00:04:45
    complete works fine overall though it's
  • 00:04:47
    the composer that makes cursor really
  • 00:04:48
    shine as a result I want to do one more
  • 00:04:51
    test to see if co-pilot can compete here
  • 00:04:53
    instead of taking an existing code base
  • 00:04:55
    I'm going to start with something new
  • 00:04:56
    from scratch let's simulate a real world
  • 00:04:59
    endtoend work flow with a bare minimum
  • 00:05:01
    code base and see how they compare I'm
  • 00:05:03
    going to start by making a brand new
  • 00:05:04
    fresh remix app and I'm going to take
  • 00:05:06
    this design and figma and convert it to
  • 00:05:08
    code with builder. I'll grab the CLI
  • 00:05:10
    command and I'm going to paste it in the
  • 00:05:12
    cursor terminal we're now generating the
  • 00:05:14
    code for the design matching the style
  • 00:05:16
    and components and theme of our code
  • 00:05:17
    base and now I've got my beautiful
  • 00:05:19
    design in code I'm going to ask cursor
  • 00:05:21
    to replace this placeholder with a table
  • 00:05:23
    of users so I said replace the table
  • 00:05:25
    placeholder with a table of users from
  • 00:05:27
    random user. me so let's see if it can
  • 00:05:29
    find the right location generate a UI
  • 00:05:31
    including API data all right looks like
  • 00:05:34
    it did great it found the right location
  • 00:05:35
    and it added the table even with a nice
  • 00:05:37
    hover effect now let's try the same
  • 00:05:39
    prompt over with get up co-pilot we need
  • 00:05:41
    to manually tag that we need to include
  • 00:05:43
    the code base as well co-pilot again
  • 00:05:45
    takes a lot longer and it didn't even do
  • 00:05:48
    it correctly it didn't even include it
  • 00:05:49
    where it's supposed to go honestly this
  • 00:05:50
    code would have never worked anyway it's
  • 00:05:52
    totally incomplete let's try again this
  • 00:05:54
    time specifically manually adding the
  • 00:05:56
    file we want that has the user table
  • 00:05:58
    placeholder and wait a a super long time
  • 00:06:00
    again and thank goodness it did
  • 00:06:02
    something this time it did add a table
  • 00:06:04
    doesn't look quite as nice or have the
  • 00:06:05
    images but that's fine the codee's also
  • 00:06:07
    not as good cursor put the table into
  • 00:06:09
    its own component and file whereas vs
  • 00:06:11
    code just added all this stuff in line
  • 00:06:13
    which is just kind of Messier but the
  • 00:06:14
    thing I think that's more clear to me
  • 00:06:15
    now is don't trust getup co-pilots
  • 00:06:18
    indexing always manually tag files when
  • 00:06:20
    you want to use them in the multi-file
  • 00:06:22
    editing interface for me personally I
  • 00:06:24
    hate doing that I feel like it's a waste
  • 00:06:26
    of my time I love wind Surf and cursor's
  • 00:06:28
    agent that I can just type things
  • 00:06:30
    figures out what it needs to see what it
  • 00:06:32
    needs to do and just does it reliably
  • 00:06:33
    with surprisingly clean and functional
  • 00:06:35
    code overall though these are two
  • 00:06:37
    feature packed AI coding assistants for
  • 00:06:40
    me I'm willing to pay $20 a month and so
  • 00:06:42
    I'm more than happy with cursor and I
  • 00:06:44
    see no reason here to switch to GI up
  • 00:06:46
    co-pilot but that said GitHub co-pilot
  • 00:06:48
    has a free tier and while you may hit
  • 00:06:50
    the free tier limits after not long and
  • 00:06:52
    need to upgrade anyway plan start at
  • 00:06:53
    just $10 a month in my biased opinion
  • 00:06:56
    you should pay $20 for cursor cursor
  • 00:06:58
    saves me hour of coding if you learn to
  • 00:07:00
    use it well and you value your time at
  • 00:07:02
    all I think kurur is more than worth it
  • 00:07:04
    if you want a lower cost option that's
  • 00:07:06
    similarly good and feature Rich wind
  • 00:07:08
    surf is really really good too but hey
  • 00:07:11
    I'd personally still take gith up
  • 00:07:12
    co-pilot plus vs code over some IDs like
  • 00:07:14
    Zed or intellig for a full rundown of
  • 00:07:17
    get up copilot versus cursor take a look
  • 00:07:18
    at our full article in the builder. blog
  • 00:07:21
    and in the blog you'll also find
  • 00:07:22
    comparisons with wind surf Devon Klein
  • 00:07:25
    and a bunch of other AI tools but
  • 00:07:26
    ultimately what matters most is what do
  • 00:07:28
    you prefer what is your favorite
  • 00:07:29
    favorite AI tool let me know in the
  • 00:07:30
    comments and I'll catch you next time
Tags
  • GitHub Copilot
  • Cursor
  • AI coding
  • Visual Studio Code
  • code generation
  • multi-file editing
  • AI tools
  • software development
  • codebase search
  • productivity