Antigravity 1.11.9 vs Cursor 2.1.42 (Universal)
Two IDEs. Two philosophies of AI-assisted coding.
Google’s Antigravity and Cursor are both AI-powered IDEs, but the way they help a developer think and work is very different. In this piece, I compare them head-to-head and link to official documentation or changelogs so you can explore the exact features I describe.
Google Antigravity 1.11.9
Outcome-oriented, agentic development IDE
Official site: https://antigravity.google/ :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
Developer guide: Build with Google Antigravity (developers.googleblog.com) :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
Getting started tutorial: https://codelabs.developers.google.com/getting-started-google-antigravity :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
Antigravity is Google’s agent-first development platform. That means the tool is designed to think in terms of tasks and outcomes, not just code completion. You define a goal, and Antigravity manages the steps — planning, coding, testing, and verification — using autonomous agents. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
How it feels
Imagine a development environment that says:
“Tell me your goal. I’ll handle the workflow.”
Agents can run across your editor, terminal, and browser — not just suggest text in a sidebar. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}
Notable features
- Agent Manager & Mission Control — A dashboard to run and monitor multiple AI agents handling parts of a project in parallel. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}
- Artifacts — Agents produce verifiable outputs like task lists, implementation plans, screenshots, code diffs, and browser recordings so you can see what changed and why. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}
- Integrated execution — Agents can trigger terminal commands and browser tests as part of their planning and execution cycle. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}
- Multi-model support — While centered around Gemini 3, Antigravity also lets you choose other models like Claude Sonnet 4.5 or open-source variants. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}
Antigravity pushes you to think in tasks and teams of agents, not lines of code.
Best for: large refactors, multi-component tasks, proto-typing that benefits from autonomous agent assistance.
Cursor 2.1.42 (Universal)
Fluid, conversational AI coding experience
Official site & docs: https://cursor.com/ and https://cursor.com/docs :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}
Changelog highlights: https://cursor.com/changelog/2-1 :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}
Cursor is an AI-enhanced code editor, derived from Visual Studio Code. It blends familiar IDE workflows with large-language-model assistance that understands your project. :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}
How it feels
Cursor stays close to what you know: file tree, terminals, editor panes. The AI fills in context, suggests code blocks, and helps you refactor — all side-by-side with what you’re typing. :contentReference[oaicite:12]{index=12}
Notable features
- Plan Mode — Cursor now asks clarifying questions when you start a plan, improving quality of larger changes. :contentReference[oaicite:13]{index=13}
- AI Code Review — Built-in review tools help catch bugs without leaving the editor. :contentReference[oaicite:14]{index=14}
- Project-wide context awareness — Cursor doesn’t just look at the current file, it understands your whole codebase. :contentReference[oaicite:15]{index=15}
- Tab autocomplete & inline editing — Smooth flow from thought to code. :contentReference[oaicite:16]{index=16}
Cursor feels like a co-pilot beside you — responsive, conversational, and deeply tied to your key strokes.
Best for: quick iteration, continuous dialog with the IDE, and developers who want AI to stay within their line-by-line workflow.
Side-by-Side: How They Compare
| Aspect | Antigravity 1.11.9 | Cursor 2.1.42 |
|---|---|---|
| AI philosophy | Agent-oriented tasks | Conversational assistance |
| Core workflow | Define outcomes; delegate workflows | Real-time editing + AI help |
| Complex tasks | Strong — agents plan & run | Moderate — Plan mode helps |
| Autonomy | High | Medium |
| Best for | Large multi-step development work | Fluid editing and exploration |
| Learning curve | Steeper | Gentle |
| Documentation links | Antigravity doc | Cursor docs |
What This Means for You
Antigravity asks:
“What are you trying to achieve?”
Cursor asks:
“How can I help while you code?”
Both are powerful, but they offer different mental models of collaboration with AI. One feels like empowering an intelligent team; the other feels like understanding and enhancing your own flow.
The Book Experiment
To see these differences in action, I’ll write the same book twice — once using Cursor’s conversational flow and once using Antigravity’s task delegation.
Cursor workflow
- Draft chapters interactively
- Ask questions inline
- Refine tone with human-AI dialog
Antigravity workflow
- Set goals for each chapter
- Let agents plan, write, revise
- Curate outputs and artifacts
What I’ll measure
- Speed to draft
- Structural quality
- Voice consistency
- Developer experience
This exercise isn’t just about code — it’s about how tools shape thinking.
If you want, I can also draft your book outline template ready for both IDE workflows so you can start writing right away. Let me know! ::contentReference[oaicite:17]{index=17}
