Why I Ditched VS Code for Cursor: A Senior Engineer's Migration Story

After resisting for months, I ditched my heavily customized VS Code setup for Cursor. 8 months later, here’s the honest productivity analysis.

Why I Finally Switched

The breaking point: 6-hour production incident debugging payment failures across multiple files. VS Code with Copilot was giving me syntax suggestions when I needed system understanding.

The experiment: Try Cursor for complex debugging where context matters most.

Migration Reality: Week by Week

Week 1: 50% slower (new shortcuts, workflow friction) Week 2-4: Breaking even (AI suggestions improve) Month 2+: 40% faster for debugging, 60% faster for refactoring

Key insight: Most productivity gains come from context understanding, not better autocomplete.

Where Cursor Actually Shines

Background Agent Context Understanding

VS Code + Copilot approach:

// Basic autocomplete
const processPayment = async (paymentData) => {
  const result = await paymentService.charge(paymentData);
  return result;
};

Cursor approach:

// Understands existing patterns from entire codebase
const processPayment = async (paymentData: PaymentRequest): Promise<PaymentResult> => {
  try {
    const validatedData = await validatePaymentData(paymentData);
    const result = await withRetry(() => 
      paymentService.charge(validatedData), { maxAttempts: 3 });
    
    await auditLog.record('payment_processed', {
      paymentId: result.id,
      amount: validatedData.amount
    });
    
    return result;
  } catch (error) {
    logger.error('Payment processing failed', { error: error.message });
    throw new PaymentProcessingError(error.message);
  }
};

Difference: Cursor applied our team’s error handling, logging, and retry patterns automatically.

Large Codebase Navigation

Old workflow (VS Code): Search files → Open 10+ tabs → Copy context to ChatGPT → Generic answer → Adapt manually Time: 45 minutes

Cursor workflow: “Update auth middleware for role-based permissions” → Cursor finds all related files → Generates consistent updates Time: 8 minutes

Model Selection Strategy

Deepseek v3 (daily driver): 2x faster, 60% cheaper than GPT-4, better at existing code patterns Claude Sonnet 4 (favorite for balanced work): Exceptional reasoning for code reviews, explanations GPT-4 (architecture only): Complex system design, performance optimization Claude Opus 4 (complex problems): When you need the absolute best AI reasoning

ROI Analysis

Time saved: 8-12 hours/week Cost: $20/month Break-even: 8 minutes saved per day Actual savings: 1-2 hours daily after learning curve ROI: 6,000-9,000%

Specific gains:

• Bug fixes: 60% faster
• Code reviews: 40% more thorough
• New codebase onboarding: 70% faster
• Test writing: 80% faster

Honest Comparison

vs GitHub Copilot

Copilot: Better autocomplete, cheaper ($10/month) Cursor: Better context, complex refactoring, chat interface, access to impressive Claude models Verdict: Copilot for new code, Cursor for existing systems (especially with Claude Sonnet 4)

vs VS Code + ChatGPT

Old way: Context switching, manual copy-paste, no project understanding Cursor: Embedded AI, automatic context, continuous conversation Cost: Same ($20/month), way better integration

Migration Tips

Week 1: Don’t Fight It

• Import VS Code settings
• Learn shortcuts gradually
• Start with minimal extensions

Week 2-4: Trust the AI

# Old habit: Over-explaining context
"I'm working on a React component with Context API for auth state..."

# New approach: Let Cursor understand your codebase
"Add password reset to this auth component"

Month 2+: Advanced Patterns

• Project-specific prompts
• Pre-commit code reviews
• Learning through AI explanations

What Didn’t Work

Team adoption: 5 engineers, only 2 stuck with it long-term Reason: Learning curve + workflow differences caused friction

Memory feature: Inconsistent, can’t rely on it for critical context Solution: Store important patterns in documentation

Should You Switch?

Try Cursor If:

• You debug existing codebases frequently
• You want AI that understands project context
• You can handle 2-3 week learning curve
• You do regular code reviews

Stick with VS Code If:

• Heavy customization that works well
• Primarily write new code
• Happy with current Copilot workflow
• Can’t justify $20/month

Migration Strategy

1. Week 1: 1 hour daily, keep VS Code backup
2. Week 2: Switch for debugging only
3. Week 3: Try new feature development
4. Week 4: Full migration if productivity gains clear

Bottom Line

Cursor won’t make you a better engineer, but it will make you faster at understanding and modifying existing code. Having access to Claude’s impressive models through Cursor’s interface is genuinely powerful.

Best for: Complex debugging, large refactoring, understanding unfamiliar codebases Not for: Simple new features, basic autocomplete, terminal-heavy workflows

Try the free tier for 2 weeks. If you don’t see clear productivity gains by day 10, stick with your current setup.

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