Meet Devin: The AI Coding Agent—But Can It Beat Cursor?

Devin is a fully automated AI assistant engineer, showcasing the capabilities of Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI), who can build, test, and shape code better than 74.2% of humans.

So is it time to offload the lagging dev team and hire Devin for $500 a month?

As Q4 wraps up and every project manager is in a hustle to hit their KPIs, Devin makes an appearance with promising claims. Let’s dive in. 

What is Devin?

Devin is a coding assistant tailored to your unique workflow.

In Devin, you will find:

1. A remote server
2. Browser interface
3. VS Code editing interface
4. A planner
5. A chat interface

So according to OpenAI’s own primary internal evaluation benchmark, Devin is better at writing code than OpenAI’s o1. However, it works better with 4o. 

Devin operates mainly through Slack—it’s not an IDE (integrated development environment). To interact with Devin, simply tag it on Slack and assign a task. Devin will then set up a workspace that includes a shell, browser, and editor. From there, it can write, run, and test the code from start to finish, following test-driven development practices before sending a pull request to GitHub for production. The best part? You can follow the process step-by-step in the planner. As Devin works, it creates knowledge entries, providing context for everything it does.

Now let’s jump to the real deal. Code. 

So, what about the code? According to the CEO of Builder i.o, Steve Sewell - Devin writes pretty good code but not perfect code! For instance, it can build a new feature into an existing app and write pretty decently but it will have typical AI quirks like unnecessary packages. Then again, you can go to GitHub and add comments to the PO request and it will fix those issues. 

Devin is a one-of-a-kind tool with a Slack workflow that is available right now. But is this Boomer Discord (Slack) a smart choice for a company (Cognition) focused on reasoning? 

Key Strengths of Devin

• Automates repetitive and complex tasks. 
• Remembers user preferences.
• Provides deployment previews and detailed updates.
• Enables task delegation for async workflows.
• Reduces cognitive load and improves focus on high-level tasks.

Here’s what Devin is capable of:

• Write code from scratch.
• Debug and identify errors in existing code.
• Plan and execute complex software projects.
• Build and deploy complete applications independently.
• Continuously learn and enhance its capabilities through reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF).

Functionalities of Devin AI

Devin is not your typical software tool—it’s an engineer’s AI buddy that is designed to support software development with advanced features. Here’s how it helps. 

• You can communicate with Devin using conversational AI in a natural way since it understands human language.
• Devin handles text generation, content summarization, and even large-scale data analysis.
• It assists in discovering patterns through data exploration, cleansing, and statistical analysis, enabling smarter decisions.
• Devin automates repetitive tasks like scheduling, reporting, and data input, freeing up time for more strategic work.
• With integrated workgroup features, Devin makes team collaboration seamless. Teams can communicate in real time, share ideas, and work together no matter where they are.

Who is Devin For?

Devin is designed for teams and individuals looking to automate and optimize their software development workflows. 

• Startups - For lean teams looking to scale quickly, Devin can handle repetitive coding tasks.
• Remote Teams - With its Slack-based workflow, Devin fits seamlessly into asynchronous environments, enabling teams across time zones to collaborate effortlessly.
• Tech Leads and Developers - For engineers juggling multiple projects. Devin automates grunt work—like debugging, testing, and pull requests—so they can focus on high-impact tasks.

But is Devin Better than Cursor?

While Devin has impressive capabilities, Cursor comes with its own set of strengths.

Devin vs Cursor

Cursor feels faster when it comes to generating, testing, and tweaking code. Its lightweight design means there’s almost no lag, which is a big win when you’re working on tight deadlines or fast-paced projects. Cursor is also more cautious - it always asks before running commands, giving users greater control.

The best part? Cursor works right inside your IDE—like VS Code—so you don’t have to change how you already work. It gives real-time code suggestions, helps debug inline, and fixes issues instantly, all without forcing you to jump between tools.

Because Cursor works directly in your IDE, it fits naturally into most developers' workflows. You don’t need to switch over to Slack or any other external platform like you do with Devin. This makes the Cursor feel easier to use and less disruptive overall.

As for the code quality, Cursor tends to keep things clean and focused. Devin, on the other hand, sometimes goes overboard—like pulling unnecessary packages or overcomplicating solutions. Cursor is especially good at refactoring code and providing helpful suggestions that make sense for the project you’re working on.

The Verdict

While Devin excels at end-to-end automation, Cursor prioritizes developer control, precision, and a smoother adoption process.

As promising as it may seem - Devin might just not take off as big as Cursor and it's not about the price tag that it comes with. According to many engineers, Cursor is just so much easier to adopt and the incremental approach is remarkable. Devin sometimes jumps too far and the workflow is a not preferred type for most. While Cursor has its own quirks it fits well into most workflows in comparison to Devin.