Highwind vs Cursor
Dev workspace next to your editor vs AI editor
Quick summary
Cursor is an AI code editor built on VS Code. Cursor 3 added an Agents Window that runs many agents in parallel, a browser the agent can drive, git worktrees with best-of-N runs, and cloud agents.
Highwind is not an editor. It runs the dev servers and CLI agents for all your projects next to a browser pane, restarts servers that crash, and starts everything again when it opens. You can keep your editor, Cursor included, and run Highwind next to it.
Choose Cursor to write and review code with AI. Choose Highwind to run and supervise your projects, with any vendor’s CLI agent on your own subscription.
Who should choose Highwind, and who should choose Cursor?
Choose Highwind if
- You use CLI agents like Claude Code or Codex on your own subscriptions.
- You want dev servers supervised outside the editor, restarted on crash and started in order.
- You switch between several projects and want each one’s servers, agents and browser kept together.
- You want servers and agents running again after a restart without opening anything by hand.
- You build for iOS or Android and want a simulator or emulator pane your agent can use.
Choose Cursor if
- You want a full code editor with AI completions.
- You want to run the same task with several models in separate worktrees and compare the diffs.
- You want cloud agents you can reach from the web or your phone.
- You need Windows or Linux.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Highwind | Cursor |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A Mac app for dev servers, CLI agents, browsers and phone simulators, grouped by project | An AI code editor based on VS Code |
| Runs your dev servers | Each service has a command, a folder and a port | Commands in the integrated terminal |
| Restarts a server when it crashes | Per service, up to 3 attempts, 2 seconds apart | Not documented |
| Starts the services a server needs first | Starts each required service and waits until its port accepts connections | environment.json start then terminals, cloud agents only |
| CLI agents from several vendors | Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, OpenCode, Copilot and pi, plus any CLI added with a JSON file | Its own agent on many models; the Plus plan has Grok models only |
| Agent conversations resume after a restart | Each agent pane resumes its own session at launch | Chat history and agent resume in the CLI |
| Servers run again after you quit or reboot | Services that were running start again at the next launch, agents resume and browser tabs reopen. Launch at login is optional | Not documented |
| Built-in browser with DevTools | WebKit pane with the Chrome DevTools frontend beside the page | Browser pane; a user DevTools panel is not documented |
| Agents can use the built-in browser | 21 browser tools over MCP, with an approval policy per action | Navigate, click, type, screenshots, console, network, Design Mode |
| Phone simulator or emulator in a pane | iOS simulator, Android emulator or Android phone in a pane. No physical iPhones. Needs Xcode tools or the Android SDK installed | No device pane documented; cloud agents drive a desktop |
| Agents can use the simulator or emulator | 13 device tools over MCP: tap, swipe, type, screenshot, UI tree, logs and crash reports | Not documented |
| MCP server that controls the app | More than 70 tools for services, logs, views, tasks, the browser and devices. Off until you turn it on | Not documented; Cursor is an MCP client |
| Shell commands as buttons | Per project, run in their own pane | Custom slash commands are prompt templates, not shell buttons |
| Split panes | Views with split panes, layout presets and floating windows | Agents Window and editor splits |
| Task board | Kanban board per workspace that agents can read and update | Not documented |
| Git worktrees and diff review | No worktree management or diff view | /worktree, /best-of-n and a diffs view |
| Code editor | Plain text editor and sidebar, no syntax highlighting | Full code editor |
| Configuration as plain files | Plain files in a .highwind folder | Files in .cursor |
| Built with | Native Swift | Electron (VS Code fork) |
| No account needed | No account | Needed for AI features |
| Platforms | macOS 14 and later | macOS, Windows, Linux |
| Price | Free during the public beta | Free, Plus $8, Premium $30, Super $100, Ultra $200 a month |
“Not documented” means we found no mention of it in Cursor’s documentation.
Do you need Highwind if you use Cursor?
Cursor is where you write code. Highwind is where your project runs: the API, the frontend, the worker, the agents working on them and the page you are testing, for every project you have open. Highwind has no code editor beyond a plain text view, so it sits next to Cursor rather than replacing it.
Agents: Cursor’s own vs the CLI you already pay for
Cursor runs its own agent on the models in your Cursor plan, and its $8 Plus plan has Grok models only. Highwind runs each vendor’s CLI, such as Claude Code, Codex or Gemini, signed in with your own account, and resumes each one’s conversation when the app opens again.
Where Cursor is ahead
Cursor’s browser has Design Mode for pointing the agent at elements, and its worktree tools can run several models on one task and compare the results. It also has cloud agents, an iOS app and versions for three operating systems. Highwind has none of these.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Highwind and Cursor together?
Yes. Open your project in Cursor to edit and use Highwind to run its servers, agents and browser. Highwind’s sidebar can open files, but it is not a code editor.
Does Highwind include AI models?
No. Highwind runs the agent CLIs you have installed, on your own subscriptions or API keys.
Try Highwind
A native Mac app for your dev servers, CLI agents and browser panes. Requires macOS 14 or later.
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Last reviewed November 2, 2026. Product features and prices change; tell us on the contact page if something here is out of date.