Rogue Code vs Cursor
The Cursor alternative that's native, in Rust.
Cursor is a coding agent with an editor, built on Electron. Rogue Code is a native app for building: you say or type what you want, Rogue writes the files in a folder you own and opens the preview beside the chat.
Make a website for my ceramics studio in Rio
What's inside each app
We opened each official package for Macs with Apple silicon and added up the files by part, both on the same scale.
- The app, in Rust133 MB
- The agent engine231 MB
- Icons, voice and languages3 MB
- Electron Framework (Chromium and Node.js)289 MB
- Extensions219 MB
- The app's code and resources270 MB
- node_modules88 MB
- The rest113 MB
Electron carries a whole Chromium and Node.js inside each app, and Cursor adds the editor built from VS Code, with its extensions. Rogue Code is one Rust executable that draws its interface on the Mac's GPU and uses the WebKit that already comes with macOS for the preview. Most of its 367 MB is the agent engine that ships inside it.
Measured on November 6, 2026: Rogue Code installed on a Mac; Cursor from its official update archive (Cursor-darwin-arm64.zip), read without installing. Cursor's documentation mentions Electron for macOS updates.
A whole session, from the request to the checked site
A real conversation: Rogue loads the design guide, generates the images, writes the page, checks it at desktop and phone sizes, fixes what it found and only then opens the site in the panel.
What Rogue checks before calling it done
- JavaScript errors and files that didn't load
- A page wider than the screen, at 1440 and at 390 pixels
- Text cut off, covered or without contrast
- Buttons too small for a phone and links that go nowhere
- Broken or stretched images
Clean check at both desktop and phone. Your site is live in the panel.
Side by side, fact by fact
Cursor, from its official pages
Cursor, part of SpaceX since August 2026. Checked on November 6, 2026.
- What it is
- A coding agent with an editor: the Agents Window, agent-first, and the classic IDE with VS Code extensions. It also runs in the terminal, on the web, on iPhone, in Slack and on GitHub. source
- Where it runs
- macOS 12 or later (Apple silicon and Intel), Windows 10 or later and Linux. source
- Price
- Free ($0), Plus ($8), Premium ($30), Super ($100) and Ultra ($200) a month; Teams from $30 per person. Sold by X Subscription Corp. source
- How it charges
- A weekly usage pool shared with Grok. Claude, GPT and Gemini are billed separately at API list price, from Premium up. source
- Models
- Its own Composer 2.5 and the Grok models trained with SpaceXAI, plus models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google. source
- Built with
- Electron: the Cursor docs mention it for macOS updates, and the official Mac package carries the Electron Framework. source
Rogue Code
Rogue's desktop app. Measured on version 0.2.14.
- What it is
- Rogue's desktop app for coding with AI: the chat, the files and a live preview in one window. source
- Built with
- Rust, native, no Electron. The interface is drawn by the Mac's GPU (Metal) and the preview uses macOS's own WebKit.
- Size
- 170 MB to download and 367 MB installed, the agent engine included, in 15 files (version 0.2.14).
- Preview
- Rogue starts the project by itself and opens it in a browser inside the app, beside the chat. It reloads on every saved file. source
- Voice
- Hold ⌥ Space in any app, talk and let go: it becomes a session (macOS 26). A microphone in the request field for dictation. source
- Models
- Rogue Pro (fast), Rogue Pro and Rogue Lightning, with effort from Low to Maximum. source
- Where it runs
- Macs with Apple silicon, macOS 13 or later. Windows is on the way. source
- How to get it
- By invitation, with an open waitlist. It comes with the Go plan ($10 a month) and Max, which open soon. source
When to choose each one
Choose Cursor if you
- spend the day inside the code and want a full editor, with Tab and VS Code extensions;
- want to pick models from several labs in one place;
- already run agents in the cloud, in Slack and on GitHub.
Choose Rogue Code if you
- want to describe the result, out loud or typed, and follow it in the preview;
- prefer a native app: a 170 MB download and 15 files in the package;
- want the page to come out designed and checked at desktop and phone sizes;
- make sites, apps and games, 3D included, without opening an editor.
Questions about Rogue Code and Cursor
Is Rogue Code a Cursor alternative?
Yes, for building without spending the day in a code editor. In Rogue Code you say what you want, out loud or typed, and Rogue creates and revises the project in a folder you own, with a live preview beside the chat. It's also native: a 170 MB download, against 302 MB for Cursor 3.29 for Macs with Apple silicon (measured on November 6, 2026).
Is Cursor built with Electron?
Yes. Cursor's documentation mentions Electron for macOS updates, and the official Mac package carries the Electron Framework: 289 MB of the app's 978 MB installed. Rogue Code doesn't use Electron: it's a Rust executable that draws its interface on the Mac's GPU.
Do I need to know how to code to use Rogue Code?
No. You describe the result and follow it in the preview. If you code, everything is at hand: the files sit in a folder you own, and every step shows up in the chat, from the command Rogue ran to the file it edited.
Can I open a Rogue Code project in Cursor?
Yes. The project is a regular folder on your computer. Open it in Cursor, VS Code or any other editor whenever you like, and come back to Rogue Code to keep asking.
How much do Rogue Code and Cursor cost?
Cursor has plans from $0 to $200 a month, with usage shared with Grok, and bills other labs' models separately (cursor.com/pricing, November 6, 2026). Rogue Code comes with the Go plan, at $10 a month, and with Max, which open soon; today it opens by invitation, with a waitlist.
Does Rogue Code have voice?
Yes. Hold ⌥ Space in any app on the Mac, talk and let go: the request becomes a session. Speech is recognized on the Mac itself, and the key works on macOS 26. The request field also has a microphone for dictation.
Sources
Facts about Cursor come from its official pages, opened on November 6, 2026. Sizes are our own measurement on the same day: the official installer and the official update archive, read without installing anything.
Say it. Rogue builds it.
Rogue Code opens by invitation. Without one, join the waitlist and we'll send yours when it's your turn.