DevConsensus
Comparisons / Cursor vs Gemini CLI
AI coding tools · HN opinions Nov 2025 – Nov 2026

Cursor vs Gemini CLI: what developers actually say

Based on 977 opinions on Hacker News from developers who discussed these two, most of them first-hand users.

Cursor
55%
approval · 766 opinions · 600 developers
last 90 days: 53%
Gemini CLI
29%
approval · 211 opinions · 175 developers
last 90 days: 25%

Cursor comes out ahead overall: 55% approval from 766 opinions versus 29% from 211 for Gemini CLI, and no comment stated a direct preference between them. Cursor leads on speed (44 positive, 8 negative) and UX (101 positive, 59 negative). Gemini CLI's clearest weakness is reliability (7 positive, 55 negative), and it has more limit complaints (1 positive, 12 negative). Gemini CLI fits a terminal workflow, but its 25% recent approval makes it the riskier pick.

Choose Cursor if

  • Want the higher overall approval rate
  • Care most about speed and UX
  • Want one interface for several agent models

Choose Gemini CLI if

  • Want a terminal agent from Google
  • Work mainly from the command line
  • Can accept weaker reliability

Where each one wins and loses

PraiseComplaintsA = CursorB = Gemini CLI
UX
A
59
101
B
28
7
Cost & pricing
A
60
58
B
11
7
Code quality
A
49
59
B
17
6
Reliability
A
58
14
B
55
7
Speed
A
8
44
B
4
2
Autonomy
A
22
30
B
11
9
Usage limits
A
20
17
B
12
1
Customization
A
9
21
B
3
1

Side by side

CursorGemini CLI
Approval
55%
29%
Last 90 days53%25%
Opinions766211
First-hand users583163
TypeAI IDETerminal agent
Made byAnysphereGoogle
WebsiteVisit ↗Visit ↗

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