Google vs Cursor
Based on our analysis, Cursor is the more privacy-respecting choice overall.
BACK →| Category | Cursor | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | D · 26/100 | C+ · 58/100 |
| What they collect | Concern (8) | Concern (45) |
| Who they share it with | Mixed (42) | Mixed (52) |
| What you can do | Mixed (58) | Mixed (62) |
| What they promise | Mixed (55) | Positive (72) |
Google tracks almost everything you do online — every search, email, location, video, and website visit — across all their products and millions of third-party sites, then uses it to sell ads. They do give you unusually good tools to review and delete your data, but the defaults collect everything.
View full analysis →Cursor collects account data (name, email, payment), device and usage data, and — critically — "Inputs" (code snippets, prompts) and "Suggestions" (AI responses). In Privacy Mode ON, code and prompts are processed in memory only and never persisted; they have zero data retention agreements with OpenAI and Anthropic. In Privacy Mode OFF (default on Free/Pro), this data is stored and may be used to evaluate and improve AI. Cursor does not sell your data or use it for targeted advertising. Business plans default to Privacy Mode on.
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