Google just launched Antigravity, their new AI-powered IDE, and it's generating quite a buzz. After committing to using it exclusively for an entire day (no VS Code or Cursor), I have some insights to share about what makes it unique and where it falls short.
TL;DR
Overall Assessment
Google Antigravity showcases an innovative design philosophy with clear standout features, though it's not quite ready to "completely replace Cursor" yet. However, it's exceptionally well-suited for product managers and non-technical founders who want to be more hands-on with development.
Key Strengths
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Perfect for Product Managers: Antigravity transforms how PMs work. Previously, PMs would "design the product, then supervise multiple human collaborators making micro-decisions." Now, PMs can "design the product, then supervise Antigravity making those micro-decisions."
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Agent-First Architecture: The core design philosophy revolves around "collaborative coding agents." Two critical aspects: agent-first approach and seamless human collaboration.
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Built-in Browser Excellence: While Cursor also has a built-in browser, Antigravity excels in the interaction and collaboration flow, especially when simultaneously using the browser and code to debug issues.
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Intuitive Workflow Management: Many vendors are experimenting with workflows, but Antigravity offers the most user-friendly implementation for non-technical users (much easier than Claude skills for those without coding backgrounds).
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Interactive Planning Mode: The Plan mode allows real-time discussion, collaboration, and iteration with the AI before implementation begins.
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Generous Free Tier: Free access to Gemini 3 Pro, and when that's exhausted, you can switch to Claude Sonnet 4.5, also free.
Limitations
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No Paid Upgrade Option: While the free tier is generous, it runs out quickly. As someone seriously building AI products, I wish there was a $200/month plan. Without paid options, it remains more of a toy than a professional tool.
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Overkill for Simple Tasks: Antigravity tends to be slow and overly elaborate for straightforward tasks, often using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. For simple use cases, Cursor still provides a better experience. I still recommend beginners start with Cursor until they discover its limitations.
Getting Started and Common Issues
Visit the official website to download directly - no invitation code needed and it's free.
Google Antigravity official site: https://antigravity.google
After installation, you can import your VS Code or Cursor settings, then log in with your Google account to start using it.
Common Issue 1: Stuck on "Setting Up Your Account"
Solution: Close Antigravity completely, use a US VPN node with global + TUN mode enabled.
Common Issue 2: Region Not Supported Error
Solution: In addition to the VPN setup above, try switching to a different Google account.
Based on my testing, older Google accounts tend to have more issues. Google likely uses both IP and account behavior patterns to determine account regions. I successfully logged in on the first try using a newly registered Google account with US IP.
First Impressions: Cursor UI Meets Kilo-Style Planning
The interface looks familiar, similar to Cursor at first glance.
When given a task, Antigravity breaks it down and invokes appropriate tools.
Here's a key difference from Cursor: Antigravity's task list is interactive - you can discuss and refine it with the AI.
After a moment, Antigravity outputs a work plan, reminiscent of Kilo's approach.
Like the TODO list, this plan is also discussable with the AI.
Built-in Browser: A Game-Changer
This is where Antigravity truly shines for product managers: Instead of "designing a product and then supervising multiple human collaborators," you can now "design a product and supervise Antigravity making those implementation decisions."
The built-in browser is incredibly powerful, far surpassing Cursor's implementation in terms of interaction and collaboration.
The entry point is subtle, located here:
On first launch, there's an initialization guide:
After setup, I gave it a task to test:
This is remarkable because most browser automation solutions struggle with permission issues - but Antigravity handles them effortlessly. Likely because Google built this themselves, giving them better control over cross-tool permissions.
Oh, and Antigravity's browser automation environment can record sessions automatically.
Automated Web Interaction
Let's test Antigravity's web automation capabilities:
Fortunately, Antigravity has some ethics - it won't impersonate humans. That would be concerning.
When encountering CAPTCHA verification, Antigravity notifies you and hands over control:
Seamless Human-AI Collaboration
Antigravity's browser automation has an exceptionally user-friendly design: collaborative convenience.
You always know: when it's automating (user control disabled) and when it's stopped (needs human assistance). The transition is natural and clear.
When I tried to help it click during automation, this is what I saw - Antigravity clearly indicates that the agent is currently in control:
After automation completes and reproduces a bug, it can correlate with the code to identify issues. Again, designed for easy human collaboration:
Simplified MCP Management
Antigravity provides foolproof MCP management through an MCP Store.
Point and click to install what you need.
For example, installing Supabase MCP looks like this. Just fill in your Supabase token (the UI prompts you) and you're ready to go:
Clean Workflow and Rules Management
The interface is tucked away a bit, accessed here:
The design is clean and straightforward. Split into Rules and Workflows, each configurable at "global" and "project" levels.
What Happens When Free Tier Runs Out?
While Antigravity is free, Gemini 3 Pro does have daily limits.
When Gemini 3 Pro exceeds its limit, you can switch to Claude Sonnet 4.5, which gives you quite a bit more runway (also free).
However, after roughly another 2-3 hours of heavy use, Claude Sonnet 4.5 also hits its limit. This is where the real pain point emerges.
Conclusion
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While Antigravity isn't perfect yet, I believe Google has discovered the right design approach for an AI-era IDE: agent-first with seamless human collaboration. I'm bullish on Antigravity's future and confident it will continue improving.
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I've decided to make Antigravity my primary tool, using it alongside Codex and Droid for daily work.
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My advice for beginners remains unchanged: stick with Cursor until you genuinely discover its limitations.
Expect a deeper analysis next week after I've used it more extensively. I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences.
Original article (in Chinese) by Liu Xiaopai: wechat
