Styx vs Cursor
Cursor is an AI code editor with its own agent, and its Agents Window runs many of them at once. Styx is not an editor: it runs Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI and Cursor’s agent side by side across your projects, and sits on top of whichever editor you use, Cursor included.
Side by side
| Styx | Cursor | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Mac (Apple silicon); Windows coming | Mac, Windows, Linux; web and iOS for cloud agents |
| Agents | Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor | Cursor’s own agent, with several model providers |
| Price | Free | Free tier; Pro $20, Pro+ $60, Ultra $200/month; Teams per user |
| Each agent isolated | Own git worktree and branch | Git worktrees locally; a VM and branch per cloud agent |
| Scope of one window | Every project you work on | Agents Window spans many repositories |
| Review | Diff with per-hunk accept and reject; checks before landing | Diffs, commits and pull requests; Bugbot reviews code |
| Your editor | Imports recents, keybindings and theme; opens files back in it | It is the editor |
| Secrets | In the macOS Keychain; agents get scoped, expiring access | Cloud agent secrets set in its dashboard |
| Production access | Agents ask; you approve for a set time; Touch ID for live systems | Enterprise controls for auto-run and network; no deploy approval |
| Audit log | Every request, approval and use, append-only | Audit logs on Enterprise |
| Deploy targets | Vercel, AWS, Google Cloud, Supabase, GitHub, SSH | Not part of its docs |
| Cloud workspaces | No: everything runs on your Mac | Cloud agents in isolated VMs, billed at API rates |
| Team collaboration | No | Team billing, shared context, SSO, analytics |
| Issue tracker | No | Start agents from Linear, GitHub, Slack or its API |
“Not part of its docs” means we could not find it in Cursor's own material on 29 September 2026, not that it can never be done with it. Tell us at hello@heystyx.com if something here is wrong and we will fix it.
Where Cursor is ahead
- A full editor. Cursor is a complete IDE with language servers. Styx does not try to be one.
- Cloud agents. Its agents keep working in cloud VMs and can move between cloud and your machine.
- Start from anywhere. Agents can start from Slack, Linear, GitHub, the web, iOS or its API.
- Code review. Bugbot reviews pull requests automatically.
Where Styx is different
Every agent, side by side
Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI and Cursor’s agent run next to each other in one board, on the subscriptions you already pay for, so you can pick the right agent per task instead of per tool.
Agents never hold your keys
Useful agents need real things: a deploy, a database, a server. In Styx the credentials stay in your Mac’s Keychain. When an agent wants production, it stops and asks; you approve it for a set time, with Touch ID for anything live, and the access ends on its own. Every request, approval and use goes into a log nobody can edit.
On top of your editor
Styx brings in your editor’s recent projects, keybindings and theme, and opens any file back in it with one key. It is not trying to be the place you write code.
One honest limit: this is a guardrail, not a sandbox. Agents run as you, on your Mac, and an agent that deliberately goes around Styx’s tools is not stopped by them.
Which to choose
Choose Cursor if you want one AI editor with its own agent and cloud machines. Choose Styx if you use more than one agent, or several projects, and want them in one place with production kept behind an approval; Styx opens files back in Cursor.
Download Styx for Mac. It is free. See every comparison.
Questions
Can I use Styx with Cursor?
Yes. Styx runs Cursor’s agent alongside Claude Code, Codex and Gemini CLI, and can import your Cursor recents, keybindings and theme and open files back in Cursor.
Is Styx a Cursor alternative?
Not as an editor. Styx is for running and supervising agents; you keep writing code in the editor you like, which can be Cursor.
What is an agentic development environment (ADE)?
An app for managing AI agents that write code, rather than for writing code yourself: several agents in parallel, each isolated on its own branch, with a place to see who needs you and to review what they did. Warp coined the term in June 2025.