Google Antigravity is an agentic development platform that ushers in the agent-first era of software engineering by transforming the traditional IDE. It empowers developers to work at a higher, task-oriented level—orchestrating intelligent agents across workspaces—while preserving the familiar, AI-enhanced IDE experience they already know. These agents seamlessly operate across the code editor, terminal, and browser, autonomously planning and executing complex, end-to-end workflows that elevate every phase of the software development lifecycle.
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Google Antigravity vs. Cursor AI: Key Comparison
Both Google Antigravity (launched November 18, 2025) and Cursor AI are AI-powered code editors forked from Visual Studio Code, designed to accelerate development with large language models. They represent the two leading “AI-first” IDEs, but they emphasize different philosophies:
- Cursor (established 2023–2025) focuses on supercharging human-led coding — seamless inline edits, fast autocompletions, and agent-assisted refactors while you stay in control.
- Google Antigravity (powered by the brand-new Gemini 3) pushes toward an agent-first future — autonomous agents that independently control the editor, terminal, and browser to complete end-to-end tasks with minimal supervision.
| Feature / Aspect | Google Antigravity | Cursor AI |
|---|---|---|
| Core Philosophy | Agent-first: Humans orchestrate; agents execute autonomously across tools | Human-first with optional agents: AI augments your workflow, you drive most changes |
| Base | VS Code fork (full extension ecosystem) | VS Code fork (full extension ecosystem) |
| Primary Models | Gemini 3 Pro (default), Claude Sonnet 4.5, GPT-OSS | Composer (custom coding model), Claude 3.7/4, Gemini 2.5/3, OpenAI o3/o4 series, etc. |
| Agent Capabilities | Fully autonomous agents with direct control of editor + terminal + built-in browser (Chrome automation, screenshots, recordings) | Powerful agents (Composer mode, Background Agent, parallel agents); terminal access; embedded browser in recent versions but less emphasized |
| Multi-Agent Orchestration | Dedicated “Agent Manager” surface (mission control dashboard) for spawning, monitoring, and parallelizing multiple agents | Parallel agents (up to 8+), Background Agent, web/Slack/mobile control; strong for team workflows |
| Verification & Trust | “Artifacts” system: task plans, walkthroughs, screenshots, recordings, code snippets — easy to review/comment on | Diff previews, inline change navigation, git integration; strong but more code-centric |
| Feedback Loop | Google Docs-style comments directly on any artifact (text, images, recordings); agents incorporate mid-run without restart | Inline edits, chat refinements, accept/reject diffs; excellent for rapid iteration |
| Browser Integration | Native Chrome control — agents can launch/run/test web apps automatically | Available (via extensions or recent updates) but not as deeply baked-in |
| Asynchronous Work | Strong emphasis: agents run in background, produce verifiable artifacts | Background Agent, web/mobile triggers, Slack integration — very mature |
| Pricing (Nov 2025) | 100% free in public preview (generous Gemini 3 Pro limits); Team/Enterprise plans “coming soon” | Free tier limited; Pro ~$20/mo; Business/Enterprise plans with unlimited usage |
| Speed & Latency | Gemini 3 is fast; browser actions add slight overhead | Composer model optimized for low-latency (<30s turns); often feels snappier for edits |
| Learning / Knowledge Base | Agents learn from past work, retain snippets, build reusable knowledge | Strong project-level context; @folder/codebase referencing; no explicit persistent KB |
| Best For | End-to-end autonomous tasks (e.g., “build and test this full-stack app”), research + coding, verifiable agent work | Rapid daily coding, large refactors, team collaboration, when you want tight control |
| Maturity | Brand new (days old) — exciting but preview-quality, some rate-limit frustrations reported | Battle-tested (2+ years), highly polished, massive user base |
Choose Antigravity if you want to delegate entire features or apps to autonomous agents that can run and test in the browser themselves, love verifiable artifacts, and want it completely free right now with Gemini 3.
- Choose Cursor if you prefer staying in the driver's seat with lightning-fast edits, mature multi-agent parallelism, and a proven tool that already handles 99% of day-to-day coding extremely well.
Many developers are trying both side-by-side right now — they're similar enough (both VS Code forks) that switching costs are low. Antigravity feels like Google's bold bet to leapfrog the current generation of tools, but Cursor remains the more refined, production-ready choice for most teams today. Expect rapid evolution on both sides in the coming months!
