Cursor vs Gemini CLI — Feature Comparison
Quick answer: Cursor supports 12 of 18 tracked features; Gemini CLI supports 18 of 18. Matrix last updated May 25, 2026.
At a glance
| Tool | Latest version | Release date | Releases tracked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cursor | v3.5 | May 20, 2026 | 15 |
| Gemini CLI | vv0.43.0 | May 22, 2026 | 293 |
Core Editing
Multi-file editing, streaming, undo capabilities
| Feature | Cursor | Gemini CLI |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-file Editing — Edit multiple files in a single operation | ✓ (Multitask and Multi-root Workspaces support in v3.2 implies multi-file editing across projects; core agent capability) | ✓ since v0.22.0 |
| Streaming Output — Real-time streaming of AI responses | — | ✓ since v0.43.0 |
| Undo/Redo — Ability to undo and redo changes | — | ✓ since v0.43.0 |
| Diff View — Visual comparison of changes | — | ✓ since v0.43.0 |
Terminal Integration
Shell and command execution support
| Feature | Cursor | Gemini CLI |
|---|---|---|
| Command Execution — Run shell commands | ✓ since 1.6 | ✓ since v0.43.0 |
| Shell Integration — Integration with user shell environment | ✓ (v3.4 development environments for cloud agents implies shell/environment integration) | ✓ (CLI tool with update channel management and OpenSSL fixes (v0.40.0) indicate deep shell environment integration) |
| Background Tasks — Run tasks in background | ✓ since 2.5 | ✓ since v0.43.0 |
MCP Support
Model Context Protocol server and client capabilities
| Feature | Cursor | Gemini CLI |
|---|---|---|
| MCP Client — Connect to MCP servers | ✓ since 2.6 | ✓ since v0.43.0 |
| MCP Server — Expose as MCP server | — | ✓ since v0.39.0 |
| Custom Tools — Define and use custom tools | ✓ (v2.5 introduced Plugins and v2.6 added Team Marketplaces for Plugins, supporting custom tool definition) | ✓ since v0.30.0 |
IDE Integrations
VS Code, JetBrains, and other editor support
| Feature | Cursor | Gemini CLI |
|---|---|---|
| VS Code — Visual Studio Code integration | ✓ (Cursor is built on VS Code, making VS Code integration a core feature across all versions) | ✓ since v0.43.0 |
| JetBrains — IntelliJ/WebStorm integration | — | ✓ since v0.41.0 |
| Vim/Neovim — Vim or Neovim integration | — | ✓ since v0.38.0 |
| Web UI — Browser-based interface | ✓ since 1.7 | ✓ since v0.38.0 |
Agentic Features
Planning, tool use, and autonomous capabilities
| Feature | Cursor | Gemini CLI |
|---|---|---|
| Planning Mode — Plan before executing changes | ✓ since 2.2 | ✓ since v0.43.0 |
| Autonomous Mode — Extended autonomous operation | ✓ since 3.5 | ✓ since v0.43.0 |
| Task Decomposition — Break complex tasks into steps | ✓ since 3.2 | ✓ since v0.41.0 |
| Context Management — Manage context across conversations | ✓ since 3.3 | ✓ since v0.43.0 |
Release velocity
Havoptic tracks 15 Cursor releases and 293 Gemini CLI releases. See release frequency charts for side-by-side velocity analysis, or browse the Cursor changelog and Gemini CLI changelog.
Data source
Feature data is maintained in feature-matrix.json under a CC-BY-4.0 license. Release data comes from releases.json. Both are updated daily. See the methodology page for details on sourcing and human review.