Not everyone wants their editor - the tool they stare at for eight hours a day - to be closed-source SaaS with usage limits. The open-source AI IDE space has matured to the point where it’s a real alternative, not a compromise. Here are the four options worth knowing.
Void
Void is the most direct open-source answer to Cursor: a VS Code fork with AI features (autocomplete, inline edit, chat, agent mode) built in - but with a crucial difference in philosophy. Your data goes where you say it goes. Void lets you point at any model provider or run local models, and it doesn’t route your code through its own backend.
Why choose it:
- Cursor-like feature set without the subscription or the telemetry
- Bring your own API keys, or go fully local with Ollama
- VS Code extensions and settings carry over
Caveats: it’s younger than Cursor, so the polish gap is real - but the pace of development is fast and the community is active.
Zed
Zed comes at the problem from the opposite direction: it’s a from-scratch, high-performance editor (written in Rust, by the creators of Atom) that added AI features - and it’s open source.
Zed’s pitch:
- Speed. GPU-rendered, instantly responsive, nothing like Electron
- Built-in collaboration. Real-time multiplayer editing is native, not a plugin
- AI that fits the editor. Assistant panel, inline transformations, and agentic editing, with support for multiple providers
Caveats: the extension ecosystem is much smaller than VS Code’s, and some AI features are tied to Zed’s hosted plans unless you bring your own keys.
PearAI
PearAI is another open-source Cursor-style fork of VS Code, built on top of Continue’s foundations. Its angle is curation: rather than building every AI feature from scratch, PearAI integrates the best open-source AI tooling into one editor - chat, autocomplete, and more - with a unified experience.
Why choose it: you want the “AI IDE” concept with fully open components and an inventory-style approach to features.
Caveats: the project has evolved its strategy over time; check current activity on the repo before committing a team to it.
Continue
Continue isn’t an editor at all - it’s the open-source autopilot that runs inside VS Code and JetBrains. If you like your current IDE and just want open, configurable AI superpowers in it, Continue is the answer.
- Tab autocomplete, edit, and chat in your existing IDE
- Fully model-agnostic - cloud APIs or local models via Ollama/LM Studio
- Configurable in code - a
config.yamldefines your models, prompts, and context providers, versionable in git - Hub of shared blocks - reusable prompts, rules, and model configs from the community
Caveats: as an extension, it can’t do the deep editor-level tricks a fork can (Cursor-style inline diffs are limited by the host editor’s APIs).
How to Choose
| Your priority | Pick |
|---|---|
| Cursor features, no closed source | Void |
| Performance above all | Zed |
| Curated all-in-one AI editor | PearAI |
| Keep VS Code/JetBrains, add AI | Continue |
The strongest reason to go open source here isn’t cost - it’s control: of your code’s data path, your model choices, and your editor’s future. Browse the full list in the directory, including open-source CLI agents like Aider and OpenHands.