The AI code editor that lets marketers build custom landing pages, internal tools, automations, and workflows without learning to code. Use GPT-5, Claude Sonnet 4.5, or Gemini 2.5 Pro to code while you work.
Cursor is an AI-powered code editor (fork of VS Code) that lets you build software by describing what you want in plain English. It's designed for people who want to build custom tools but don't want to spend years learning to code.
Marketers are tired of waiting on developers or paying $5K+ for simple tools. With Cursor, you can:
You don't need to be a developer anymore. You just need to know what you want to build.
These are the Cursor capabilities that give marketers superpowers:
The feature that changes everything
Background agents are autonomous AI that code entire features while you work on something else. You give it a task ("Build a lead scoring calculator"), and it codes, tests, debugs, and ships it without constant supervision.
Edit across your entire project at once
Change your color scheme, update CTAs, or refactor features across 20+ files with a single prompt. Cursor understands your project structure and makes coordinated changes.
Use the best AI for each task
Switch between GPT-5, Claude Sonnet 4.5, Gemini 2.5 Pro, and Grok based on what you're building. Each model has different strengths.
The fastest way to change code
Select any code, hit Cmd+K (Mac) or Ctrl+K (Windows), describe what you want changed, and watch it update instantly. No context switching, no copying prompts.
Understand any project instantly
Ask questions about existing code: "How does the checkout flow work?" or "Where is the email integration?" Cursor reads your entire project and explains it.
Professional deployment workflow
Background agents work directly with GitHub pull requests, handle code reviews, and manage deployments. Your work is version-controlled and professional from day one.
Real examples of tools marketers are building without developer backgrounds:
Build high-converting landing pages faster than no-code tools
What You Can Build:
Create custom analytics and reporting tools for your exact needs
What You Can Build:
Build custom automations that go beyond what n8n can do
What You Can Build:
Ship experiments and tests faster than your competitors
What You Can Build:
Connect your tools exactly the way you want
What You Can Build:
Build browser tools that enhance your marketing workflow
What You Can Build:
Here are 5 specific projects marketers are building with Cursor, complete with time estimates and how-tos:
A complete landing page with hero section, features, testimonials, pricing, and contact form. Includes email integration, analytics tracking, and mobile-responsive design.
You describe what you want ("Create a SaaS landing page with a hero section, three feature cards, testimonial slider, and contact form"), and Cursor's AI writes all the code. You can see instant previews and make changes by describing what you want different.
A dashboard that pulls data from your CRM, Google Analytics, and ad platforms to show the exact KPIs you care about. Real-time updates, custom date ranges, and export functionality.
Cursor handles all the complex API integrations, data processing, and chart generation. You just tell it which metrics you want to see and from which sources. The AI figures out how to connect everything.
An interactive tool that scores leads based on your custom criteria (company size, budget, behavior, etc.). Exports scores to your CRM and helps sales prioritize outreach.
You define your scoring rules in plain English ("Companies with 50+ employees get 20 points, SaaS industry gets 15 points"), and Cursor builds the calculator logic, UI, and CRM integration.
A tool that generates on-brand email templates with personalization merge tags, preview functionality, and one-click export to your ESP (Mailchimp, ConvertKit, etc.).
Cursor handles the complex HTML email formatting, personalization tokens, and ESP integration. You focus on your brand guidelines and copy strategy.
A scheduling tool that posts to LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram at optimal times. Includes AI caption generation, image uploads, and performance tracking.
Cursor connects to social media APIs, builds the scheduling logic, and creates the dashboard UI. You just set your posting schedule and let it run.
Here's how Cursor compares to other options marketers consider:
Bottom line: Cursor is more powerful for marketers building complete tools. Copilot is fine for light code assistance.
Bottom line: Use Bolt/v0 for quick prototypes. Use Cursor when you're building real tools you'll maintain and scale.
Bottom line: For 80% of marketing tools and internal projects, Cursor is faster and cheaper than hiring. Save developers for complex systems.
Follow these steps to build your first marketing tool with Cursor:
Go to cursor.sh and download the app for Mac or Windows. It's a 2-week free trial with no credit card required.
In Settings → Models, select which AI you want to use. For marketers, we recommend:
Open Cursor, click "New Folder" to create a project directory. Then open the chat panel (Cmd/Ctrl+L) and describe what you want to build.
Use the example prompts below to build something real:
Landing Page:
"Create a modern landing page for a marketing analytics SaaS product. Include a hero section with headline and CTA, three feature cards, testimonials section, pricing table with three tiers, and a contact form. Use a blue and white color scheme. Make it mobile-responsive."
Dashboard:
"Build a marketing KPI dashboard that displays cards for website traffic, conversion rate, MQLs, and revenue. Include date range picker, line charts showing trends over time, and ability to export data as CSV. Use data from a JSON file for now."
Calculator Tool:
"Create a lead scoring calculator where I can input company size, industry, budget, and behavior scores. Each field should have different point values. Show the total score and categorize leads as Hot, Warm, or Cold. Include an export button to download results."
Content Tool:
"Build an email template generator that takes my brand colors, logo URL, and copy as input, then generates a responsive HTML email template with header, body, CTA button, and footer. Include a live preview and copy-to-clipboard button."
Cursor offers three pricing tiers. For most marketers, the Pro plan ($20/month) is the sweet spot:
2-week trial
Good for: Testing Cursor and building small projects
per month
Good for: Most marketers building 2-5 tools/month
per month
Good for: Heavy users or teams building constantly
Build 20+ tools per year for the cost of one developer project.
Join 2,500+ marketers learning to build custom tools with AI
2-week free trial • No credit card required • Cancel anytime
Tools that work great with Cursor for marketing automation
The best AI model to use inside Cursor. Claude Sonnet 4.5 excels at coding and autonomous work.
Complement Cursor-built tools with no-code automation. Connect to 400+ apps.
Alternative AI model for Cursor. Great at understanding large codebases and visual content.
No. Cursor is designed for people who don't code. You describe what you want in plain English, and the AI writes the code. You'll learn basic concepts over time, but you can build real tools from day one without coding knowledge.
Marketers are building landing pages, analytics dashboards, email template generators, lead scoring calculators, A/B testing tools, Chrome extensions, custom integrations, and internal marketing tools. If you can describe what you want, Cursor can build it.
For marketing tools, we recommend Claude Sonnet 4.5 as your default. It's the most powerful for autonomous work and complex logic. Use GPT-5 for faster simple tasks, and Gemini 2.5 Pro when working with large existing codebases.
Cursor is more powerful. It has background agents that code autonomously while you work, multi-model support (not just GPT), better codebase understanding, and multi-file editing. Copilot is just autocomplete; Cursor builds entire features.
You can build real, production-ready tools. Cursor uses professional development practices like GitHub integration, testing, and proper code structure. Marketers are shipping actual business tools, not just demos.
You can build your first tool in 30 minutes. Within a week of regular use, you'll be comfortable building landing pages and simple tools. More complex projects like dashboards might take 2-3 weeks to master, but you're productive from day one.
Last updated: October 2025 | Written by James Dickerson (@boringmarketer)
Part of The Vibe Marketer's complete guide to AI marketing tools