The quick answer
If you just want a recommendation: use Claude Code CLI if you live in the terminal and want full control over your AI workflows. Use Cursor if you want powerful IDE autocomplete and chat in a VS Code-like environment. Use Windsurf if you want a polished, batteries-included coding experience with minimal setup.
All three support the global Claude Code skills ecosystem — so whichever you pick, your installed skills work.
| Tool | Best for | Skills support | Price model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Code CLI | Power users, terminal workflows, agentic automation | Full — native skill ecosystem | Usage-based (API tokens) |
| Cursor | IDE-first developers, inline autocomplete, VS Code users | Global skills via CLI install | Free tier + Pro $20/mo |
| Windsurf | All-in-one experience, beautiful UX, less configuration | Global skills via CLI install | Free tier + Pro $15/mo |
Claude Code CLI — for power users
Claude Code CLI is Anthropic's terminal-first AI coding assistant. It gives you direct access to Claude with full agentic capabilities: multi-step tasks, file editing, shell commands, MCP servers, hook-based automation, and the complete skills.sh ecosystem.
There's no GUI layer in between. You run claude in your terminal, describe what you want, and Claude takes action — reading files, running commands, editing code — with your approval at each step (or autonomously, with the right flags).
What makes it different
- Full skill ecosystem — the only tool with native slash-command skill support and the complete skills.sh registry
- MCP servers — connect any data source or API directly into Claude's context
- Hooks — run arbitrary shell scripts before or after Claude actions (pre-commit, post-edit, etc.)
- CLAUDE.md — project-level and user-level instruction files that persist across sessions
- Agentic mode — Claude can plan and execute multi-step workflows with minimal interruption
- No vendor lock-in on the editor — works in any terminal, any editor, any OS
Best if: you live in the terminal, you build complex automation workflows, you want maximum control over how Claude behaves, or you're building agent-first systems where Claude needs to interact with external tools via MCP.
Not ideal if: you want inline autocomplete while typing code, or you'd rather not leave your GUI editor at all.
Cursor — for IDE-first developers
Cursor is a VS Code fork that embeds Claude (and other models) directly into the editor. Its primary value is Tab autocomplete — a next-token predictor that's significantly better than Copilot for multi-line completions — combined with a chat panel that can reference your full codebase.
If you already live in VS Code and don't want to change your muscle memory, Cursor is the closest thing to a drop-in upgrade. Your extensions, themes, and keybindings all carry over.
What makes it different
- Tab autocomplete — multi-line, context-aware suggestions that predict what you're about to write
- Composer / Agent mode — multi-file edits with a diff review UI before applying changes
- Codebase indexing — Cursor indexes your repo so chat can reference any file without manual @file includes
- VS Code compatibility — your existing extensions, themes, and settings all work
- Global skills support — skills installed globally via npx skills add -g are available in Cursor's chat panel
Best if: you prefer staying in an editor, you value inline autocomplete while typing, you have an existing VS Code setup you don't want to rebuild, or you do a lot of multi-file refactors where the diff UI is helpful.
Not ideal if: you want deep terminal integration, custom hooks, or MCP server connections beyond what Cursor supports natively.
Windsurf — for the all-in-one experience
Windsurf is Codeium's standalone AI code editor. It runs on a Claude backend and ships with Cascade — an agentic mode that can plan and execute multi-step coding tasks while showing you what it's doing in a structured flow UI.
Where Cursor feels like VS Code with AI bolted on, Windsurf feels like it was designed for AI from the ground up. The UX is cleaner, the onboarding is smoother, and the opinionated defaults mean less time configuring and more time building.
What makes it different
- Cascade agent — structured agentic mode with a clear action log of what Windsurf is doing and why
- Polished UX — purpose-built interface that feels cohesive rather than a patched VS Code
- Claude backend — same model, different delivery; Codeium tunes the prompting layer for their UI
- Flows — Windsurf's way of grouping related AI actions into a reviewable session
- Global skills support — same as Cursor: install globally with the CLI, invoke with slash commands in chat
Best if: you want a single app that handles everything without configuration, you prefer a clean interface to VS Code's extension ecosystem, or you're new to AI-assisted coding and want the most guided experience.
Not ideal if: you're deeply invested in the VS Code extension ecosystem, you need fine-grained hook or MCP configuration, or you prefer terminal-native workflows.
Skills ecosystem support compared
The Claude Code skills ecosystem is the one area where the three tools diverge most. Claude Code CLI has the deepest native integration; Cursor and Windsurf support global skills well but with some limitations on project-scoped and custom skill creation workflows.
| Feature | Claude Code CLI | Cursor | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slash commands | Full support | Full support | Full support |
| Global skills (~/.claude/skills/) | Native | Via CLI install | Via CLI install |
| Project skills (.claude/skills/) | Native | Partial | Partial |
| Custom skill creation | Full workflow | Manual | Manual |
| MCP support | Native | Limited | Limited |
| CLAUDE.md support | Native | Reads on open | Reads on open |
For most developers, the practical difference is small: install skills globally once, and they work everywhere. Where Claude Code CLI pulls ahead is in custom skill creation workflows, hook-based automation, and MCP server connections that let skills pull in real-time data.
Which one should you use?
Here's a direct decision tree. Pick the first branch that matches you:
The honest answer is that most experienced developers end up with two tools: the CLI for deep agentic work and either Cursor or Windsurf for everyday editing. The tools complement each other rather than competing, especially once your skills are installed globally.
Can you use all three?
Yes — and this is actually the recommended setup for developers who want maximum flexibility.
Global Claude Code skills are installed once and shared across all three tools. The npx skills add command detects which agents are installed on your machine and configures each one automatically. Install a skill once, use it in Claude Code CLI, Cursor, and Windsurf simultaneously.
# Install any skill globally with -g
npx skills add anthropics/skills@frontend-design -g -y
# The CLI configures Claude Code CLI, Cursor, Windsurf, and
# any other supported agents found on your machine in one pass.
# Now use it in any tool:
# Claude Code CLI: /frontend-design build a dark landing page
# Cursor chat: /frontend-design build a dark landing page
# Windsurf Cascade: /frontend-design build a dark landing page
The practical workflow: use Claude Code CLI for scaffolding, automation, and tasks that require shell access or MCP integrations. Use Cursor or Windsurf for day-to-day coding where inline autocomplete and a diff UI are more ergonomic. Your skills, CLAUDE.md instructions, and project context stay consistent across all three.
For a step-by-step setup guide, see Using Claude Code skills in Cursor and Windsurf. To browse skills worth installing across all your tools, start with the skills directory.