Switch from Cursor to Freebuff in 5 minutes
A no-disruption migration: keep your editor, drop the subscription.
JG
James GrugettCo-founder, Freebuff
TL;DR
- You don’t need to change editors — Freebuff runs in any terminal.
- Total time: ~5 minutes.
- Cost after switch: $0/month.
Step 1: Install Freebuff#
npm install -g freebuffOr run without install: npx freebuff@latest.
Step 2: Open a project + start Freebuff#
cd ~/code/my-app
freebuffFreebuff indexes the repo locally on first run. No upload, no cloud sync.
Step 3: Pin Freebuff side-by-side with your editor#
- VS Code / Cursor: open the built-in terminal (
Ctrl+) and runfreebuff`. Drag the terminal panel to the side for a vertical split. - JetBrains: open the terminal tool window (
Alt+F12). - Vim/Neovim: use a tmux split or
:terminal.
Step 4: Map your common Cursor flows to Freebuff#
| Feature | Freebuff | Cursor |
|---|---|---|
| Inline edit (⌘K) | Highlight in CLI prompt + describe change | ⌘K |
| Chat / agent | Prompt at top of Freebuff CLI | ⌘L Composer |
| Codebase Q&A | /ask <question> | @codebase |
| Browser preview | /browser (built-in) | External |
| Multi-file refactor | /plan then accept | Composer plan |
| Model switch | /model | Model menu |
Step 5: Cancel your Cursor subscription#
In Cursor: Settings → Billing → Cancel. You’re done. Welcome to $0/month.
Do I lose tab-completion?+
Not if you keep Cursor or use VS Code with a free completion extension. Freebuff focuses on the agent loop; pair it with whatever completion you like.
Will my Cursor rules and prompts transfer?+
Mostly yes. Move
.cursorrules content into .freebuff/AGENTS.md and Freebuff will respect it automatically.