The local-first LLM IDE with 82+ built-in tools, Ask/Plan/Agent modes, and autonomous browser control — switch Playwright Chromium or bundled Tor Browser in Settings.
A complete AI-powered development environment — local models, autonomous agents, Tor or Chromium browser control, and no rate limits.
Native GGUF inference with hardware-aware tuning — your code stays on your machine unless you choose a cloud model.
Run GGUF models on GPU or CPU with KV cache quantization and automatic context sizing.
Recommended models and VRAM callouts matched to your GPU — no guesswork picking a quant.
Multimodal support for image-aware coding and analysis with compatible local models.
Indexes your repo on open. The agent searches semantically with built-in search_codebase.
Ask, plan, or run fully autonomous loops with 82+ native tools — including toggleable Tor Browser or Playwright Chromium control.
Switch in Settings between embedded Chromium and bundled Tor Browser — agents navigate, click, fill forms, and screenshot, including .onion sites.
Quick answers, structured plans in .guide/plans/, or full execution with tool approval policies.
Files, terminal, git, web search, browser automation, RAG, memory, checkpoints — pre-wired, no extension hunting.
Delegate parallel work to background sub-agents and apply multi-file edits across your project.
A complete IDE — Monaco editing, LSP IntelliSense, integrated terminal, git, voice input, and optional cloud providers.
VS Code-grade editing with multi-root workspaces, run/debug, and on-demand language servers.
Integrated PowerShell/bash terminal and git status in the status bar — no context switching.
Whisper-powered speech recognition. Talk to your AI assistant hands-free.
OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Groq, Mistral, Cerebras, OpenRouter, and more — with automatic fallback.
Air-gap capable. Local inference never sends your source code to the cloud unless you choose a cloud model.
A modern, dark-themed editor with integrated AI chat, file explorer, browser automation, and everything else built right in.
write_file — inline diffs as the agent editsNative local AI inference and zero-setup tooling — honest comparison, no lock-in.
| Feature | guIDE | Cursor | Windsurf | VS Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local AI Inference (On-Device) | Yes | No | No | No |
| Built-in MCP Tools (82+) | Yes | No | No | No |
| Browser Automation (Playwright + Tor) | Yes | No | No | No |
| Tor Browser Agent Control | Yes | No | No | No |
| Ask / Plan / Agent Modes | Yes | Partial | Partial | No |
| Composer (Multi-File Edits) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Code Runner (50+ Languages) | Yes | No | No | Ext |
| Voice Input (Whisper STT) | Yes | No | No | No |
| RAG Codebase Indexing | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| AI Chat / Copilot | Yes | Yes | Yes | Ext |
| Cloud LLM Providers | 26 | Yes | Yes | Ext |
| Git Integration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| File Explorer + Search | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Agentic AI Loop (Multi-Step) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Hardware-Aware Model Selection | Yes | No | No | No |
| Privacy First (Air-Gapped) | Yes | No | No | No |
| Free Tier Available | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Subscription Required | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Ext = Requires third-party extension · Comparison based on default/built-in features as of 2026
guIDE Desktop is completely free — local AI, tools, and editor included. Optional cloud AI: 14-day free trial, then $4.99/mo flat rate for 500 messages/day — not per-token.
The full guIDE experience in your browser. No install required. Works on any device.