Developers create a Russian alternative to Cursor with ruble payments

After the popular AI code editor Cursor restricted access for users in Russia and began canceling paid subscriptions, local developers quickly created their own alternative. In the article, the authors share their experience in developing a replacement solution as a VS Code extension. They detail the product creation process, architectural choices, technical challenges, and the pitfalls encountered during a week of intensive work. The project's main goal is to provide Russian programmers with a convenient tool for working with AI assistants without the need for a VPN and with the ability to pay for subscriptions in rubles. The authors also disclose the project's economics and implementation costs. This case demonstrates the local community's rapid response to changes in the availability of foreign SaaS services and the drive to create independent development tools.