Warp — Cursor alternative

Warp is a modern Rust-based terminal with built-in AI capabilities. It functions as an Agentic Development Environment designed to help developers ship faster with agents. The terminal includes AI-powered command generation, natural language task execution, and codebase context awareness. Solo developers prefer it for terminal-first workflows where AI assistance lives directly in their command-line environment rather than a separate editor.

Strengths

• Supports multiple premium AI models including Claude Opus 4.1, Claude Sonnet 4, OpenAI o3, and Gemini 2.5 Pro, giving developers flexibility in model selection.
• Codebase indexing allows the terminal to understand project context, supporting up to 100,000 files per codebase on higher tiers.
• Integrates with popular development tools including Docker, Raycast, VSCode, and JetBrains IDEs.
• Zero Data Retention policy on Turbo and higher plans ensures neither Warp nor contracted LLM providers retain or train on user data.
• Secret redaction is unconditionally applied in all AI interactions to prevent sensitive data from being collected or sent to third parties.
• Free tier includes 150 AI requests per month with access to top models, making it accessible for evaluation.

Weaknesses

• Terminal-only tool rather than full IDE, limiting use cases to command-line workflows and terminal-based development.
• Model context windows are fixed by provider limitations; exceeding token limits results in errors.
• AI interactions pass data directly to OpenAI or Anthropic APIs, requiring trust in third-party LLM providers except on Enterprise plans with custom LLM support.
• Pay-as-you-go overages only available on Pro and higher plans; Free tier has no overage options.
• Not available for all operating systems; primarily focused on macOS with limited Windows and Linux support.

Best for

Developers who live in the terminal, DevOps engineers, and command-line power users who want AI assistance integrated directly into their shell environment rather than a separate code editor.

Pricing plans

• Free — $0/month — 150 AI requests/month, 3 indexed codebases (5,000 files each), 10 Workflows, 3 Notebooks.
• Pro — $15/user/month (annual) or $18/month (monthly) — 2,500 AI requests/month, 40 indexed codebases (10,000 files each), pay-as-you-go overages, unlimited Lite AI requests.
• Turbo — $40/user/month (annual) or $50/month (monthly) — 10,000 AI requests/month, 40 indexed codebases (20,000 files each), pay-as-you-go overages, unlimited Lite AI requests, Zero Data Retention, SAML SSO.
• Business — $55/user/month (annual) or $60/month (monthly) — 10,000 AI requests/month, 40 indexed codebases (20,000 files each), up to 50 seats, Bring Your Own LLM, Zero Data Retention, SAML SSO, dedicated account manager.
• Lightspeed — $200/user/month (annual) or $225/month (monthly) — 50,000 AI requests/month, 40 indexed codebases (100,000 files each), pay-as-you-go overages, unlimited Lite AI requests, Zero Data Retention, SAML SSO.
• Enterprise — Custom pricing — Custom AI limits, custom codebase indexing, Zero Data Retention, SAML SSO, Bring Your Own LLM, SOC 2 compliance, dedicated account manager with onboarding.

Tech details

• Type: AI-powered terminal with agentic capabilities
• IDEs: Standalone terminal application; integrates with VSCode, JetBrains IDEs, Docker, and Raycast
• Key features: Agent Mode for natural language task execution, AI command generation, codebase context indexing, command history search, collaborative sessions, Warp Drive for shared workflows and notebooks, Model Context Protocol (MCP) support
• Privacy / hosting: Cloud-based with optional telemetry; Zero Data Retention on Turbo, Business, Lightspeed, and Enterprise plans; Warp Drive data stored on Google Cloud Platform servers in the United States with encryption in transit and at rest; users can opt out of telemetry while retaining full AI functionality
• Models / context window: Claude Opus 4.1, Claude Sonnet 4, OpenAI o3, Gemini 2.5 Pro; context windows determined by model provider limits (e.g., GPT-4o supports up to 123,904 tokens); Lite model with unlimited usage on Turbo and higher plans

When to choose this over Cursor

• You spend most development time in the terminal rather than a graphical code editor.
• You need AI assistance specifically for command-line tasks, DevOps workflows, and shell scripting.
• You want codebase context awareness without leaving the terminal environment.

When Cursor may be a better fit

• You primarily write code in a graphical editor and need inline code completion and multi-file editing assistance.
• You require a unified environment for both coding and terminal work within a single application.
• Your workflow centers on visual debugging, file tree navigation, and IDE-specific features beyond terminal capabilities.

Conclusion

Warp transforms the terminal into an intelligent development environment for command-line-focused workflows. It brings modern AI capabilities directly to the shell, making it valuable for developers who prefer terminal-based work. While it cannot replace a full code editor, it serves as a compelling Cursor alternative for terminal-heavy tasks and DevOps workflows. The zero data retention policy and flexible model selection address privacy concerns for teams with strict data requirements.

Sources

• Official site: https://www.warp.dev/
• Docs: https://docs.warp.dev/
• Pricing: https://www.warp.dev/pricing

FAQ

Q: Can Warp replace my code editor like VSCode or Cursor? A: No. Warp is a terminal application focused on command-line workflows. While it offers AI assistance for coding tasks, it lacks the graphical editing, multi-file navigation, and inline completion features of full code editors. It integrates with VSCode and JetBrains IDEs rather than replacing them.

Q: How does codebase context work in Warp? A: Warp indexes your codebase to provide context-aware AI responses. The number of indexed codebases and files per codebase depends on your plan tier. This allows the AI to understand your project structure and provide relevant command suggestions.

Q: Is my code data used to train AI models? A: No, neither Warp nor its providers train on your data. Turbo and higher plans include Zero Data Retention, meaning neither Warp nor contracted LLM providers retain, store, or train on your AI data.

Q: What happens when I exceed my monthly AI request limit? A: On Turbo and higher plans, Warp automatically switches to the Lite model, allowing continued AI usage without interruption at no additional cost. Pro, Turbo, and Lightspeed plans also support pay-as-you-go overages for premium models. On the Free plan, premium models become unavailable until your quota resets.

Q: Can I use Warp with my own API keys or self-hosted models? A: Bring Your Own LLM is only available on the Enterprise plan, where Warp works closely with customers to support preferred LLM providers. This feature is not available on other plan tiers.

Q: Does Warp work on Windows and Linux? A: Warp supports macOS, Windows, and Linux. However, feature availability and performance optimization may vary by platform, with macOS receiving primary development focus.

Q: How does Warp handle sensitive information in commands? A: Warp unconditionally applies Secret Redaction in all AI interactions to ensure sensitive data is never collected or sent to third parties. Users can also add custom secret regex patterns for additional protection.

Q: Can teams collaborate using Warp? A: Yes. Warp includes shared Notebooks and Workflows via Warp Drive, plus real-time session sharing for team collaboration. Team features scale with plan tiers, with unlimited shared objects on paid plans.