Amazon Q Developer

Amazon Q Developer

Amazon Q Developer is AWS's generative AI assistant for software development. It provides inline code suggestions, vulnerability scanning, and chat assistance across IDEs, CLI, and AWS Console. The service offers deep AWS integration with enterprise controls for organizations building cloud-native applications.

Strengths

• Comprehensive IDE support including JetBrains, IntelliJ IDEA, Visual Studio, VS Code, and Eclipse
• Free tier with 50 agentic requests per month and basic security features
• All-in-one workflow spanning IDE, CLI, AWS Console, and Slack integration
• Enterprise controls with admin dashboards and ability to block open-source code suggestions
• IP indemnity protection for Pro tier users
• Java code transformation capabilities for legacy upgrades

Weaknesses

• Heavy focus on AWS ecosystem limits non-AWS development workflows
• Free tier restricted to 50 agentic requests per month
• Requires AWS Builder ID or IAM user authentication
• Limited model transparency compared to other Cursor alternatives
• Enterprise features require IAM Identity Center setup

Best for

Developers building AWS-native applications who need enterprise security controls and multi-platform AI assistance.

Pricing plans

• Free Tier — $0/month — 50 agentic requests, 1,000 Java upgrade lines of code
• Pro Tier — $19/month per user — Unlimited agentic requests, 4,000 Java upgrade lines of code (pooled), IP indemnity

Tech details

• Type: Cloud-based AI coding assistant
• IDEs: JetBrains, IntelliJ IDEA, Visual Studio, VS Code, Eclipse (preview)
• Key features: Inline suggestions, vulnerability scanning, code transformation, chat assistance
• Privacy / hosting: Cloud-hosted on AWS infrastructure, Pro tier automatically opts out of data collection
• Models / context window: Context size up to 100 kB, specific models unknown

When to choose this over Cursor

• Your team primarily develops AWS applications and needs native cloud integration
• Enterprise security requirements demand IP indemnity protection and admin controls
• You need AI assistance across multiple platforms beyond just the IDE

When Cursor may be a better fit

• You develop primarily non-AWS applications or use multiple cloud providers
• You prefer transparent model selection and don't need enterprise compliance features
• The 50 monthly request limit on free tier is insufficient for your development pace

Conclusion

Amazon Q Developer serves as a solid Cursor alternative for AWS-focused development teams. Its strength lies in enterprise-grade security controls and seamless AWS ecosystem integration. Solo developers may find the AWS-centric approach limiting, while enterprise teams benefit from comprehensive admin features and IP protection.

Sources

• Official site
• Docs
• Pricing