Cortex AI IDE

What it is

Spec sheet

What it does

Cortex is an agentic coding workspace that plans changes, edits multiple files, runs terminal commands, verifies results, and presents reviewable diffs.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Purpose

Cortex is an agentic coding workspace that plans changes, edits across files, runs terminal commands, and verifies results with reviewable diffs.Read 4 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Audience

The site describes it as intended for developers and small teams building SaaS, e-commerce, fintech, internal tools, and open source projects.Read 4 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Security

API keys are stored in the operating system credential store, and BYOK requests go directly from the computer to the selected provider over TLS.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Support

Community support is included on the free tier; the yearly Pro plan advertises priority support with a 24-hour target.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Company

Cortex is described as a technology venture of Pasons Group, a Dubai-headquartered UAE business group established in 2003 with more than 70 outlets.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Agent modes

The documentation provides Agent mode for edits, Ask mode for read-only investigation, and Plan mode for implementation plans without file changes.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Agent tools

The documented core tool set includes file read/write/edit, Bash, Glob, Grep, semantic search, LSP, web search/fetch, Git-related work, task tracking, and Loop review.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

AI providers

The site lists eight built-in provider integrations: Xiaomi MiMo, DeepSeek, Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter, Alibaba Qwen, Google Gemini, and InferenceHub.Read 4 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

BYOK billing

Users supply provider keys and pay the selected model provider directly; Cortex says it adds no token markup or usage meter.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Credential security

The site says API keys are stored in the operating system's secure credential store and BYOK model requests go directly to the selected provider over TLS.Read 4 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Custom endpoints

Cortex Connect accepts OpenAI-compatible endpoints, including hosted services and local or self-managed Ollama, vLLM, and LM Studio servers.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Custom providers

Cortex Connect supports OpenAI-compatible endpoints, including local services such as Ollama and vLLM and hosted services such as Groq and NVIDIA NIM.Read 4 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Data routing

Cortex states that code, prompts, chats, project memory, and API keys are not sent to Cortex servers; account email and plan information are retained for account operation.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Documentation depth

The documentation covers installation, workspace use, chat modes, every agent tool, providers and keys, memory, permissions, updates, and troubleshooting, with a stated October 5, 2026 update.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Download status

Windows builds are distributed through Microsoft Store, Linux through x64 .deb and .rpm packages, and macOS requires a source build because no .dmg is published.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Editor

Cortex uses the Monaco editor with syntax support for mainstream languages and an integrated project file explorer.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Extensions

The documentation describes a plugin system managed through Settings → Extensions.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Licence

The desktop source is released under Apache License 2.0, while hosted account, billing, update, and distribution services are separate components.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com

Limit: administration

The independent AI IDE List says mature enterprise administration, SSO, policy controls, and procurement features are not documented.Read 15 Oct 2026 · aiidelist.com

Limit: early stability

The changelog records early fixes for long-chat freezes, terminal behavior, blank panels, crashes, provider errors, and update-notification failures.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Limit: ecosystem

The independent AI IDE List identifies a smaller VS Code and JetBrains extension ecosystem as a trade-off.Read 15 Oct 2026 · aiidelist.com

Limit: liability

The EULA disclaims responsibility for AI-generated code errors, security or data loss, provider outages, and provider rate limits, with liability capped at the greater of $100 or fees paid in the prior 12 months.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Limit: macOS

The independent AI IDE List flags the absence of a prebuilt, notarized macOS installer and the need to build from source.Read 15 Oct 2026 · aiidelist.com

Limit: provider responsibility

The independent AI IDE List notes that users must manage their own provider API keys and separate model billing.Read 15 Oct 2026 · aiidelist.com

macOS

The download page says there is no prebuilt macOS installer and provides an official source-build guide for Apple silicon and Intel Macs.Read 4 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

MCP

MCP servers can add external tools and data, and Cortex can read existing Cursor and Claude MCP configurations.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

No free trial

The pricing page says there is no time-limited free trial because the complete core IDE remains available in the free BYOK tier.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Notable news

The first public release was v2.7.0 on July 9, 2026, and v3.0.0 added Microsoft Store distribution and Google Gemini on August 6, 2026.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

PeerPush listing

PeerPush classifies Cortex as a free desktop developer tool for code development, AI code assistance, and AI agents.Read 15 Oct 2026 · peerpush.com

Praise: BYOK control

The independent AI IDE List says direct BYOK avoids vendor token markup and lets developers choose providers themselves.Read 15 Oct 2026 · aiidelist.com

Praise: workflow

The independent AI IDE List highlights the plan/edit/run/verify workflow, multi-file changes, local memory, and provider flexibility as strengths.Read 15 Oct 2026 · aiidelist.com

Project memory

Project memory is stored locally under .cortex/memory/, while chat history is kept in a project-specific local SQLite database.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Providers

Built-in provider integrations are Xiaomi MiMo, DeepSeek, Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter, Alibaba Qwen, Google Gemini, and InferenceHub.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Rating on PeerPush

5.0 out of 5 from 1 reviewRead 15 Oct 2026 · peerpush.com

Skills

The product includes more than 250 reusable skills for workflows such as debugging, refactoring, documentation, SEO, design review, and project-specific work.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Subscription services

The optional subscription includes managed services such as hosted semantic search, web search and fetch, OCR fallback, voice input, MCP services, and priority support.Read 4 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

System requirements

The repository lists Windows 10/11 64-bit, Python 3.11+, Node.js 18+, recent Git, about 2 GB disk, and 8 GB RAM recommended.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com

Terminal and SSH

The product provides a native terminal shared with the agent and can grant the agent access to an SSH session.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Usage requirements

AI features require an internet connection and at least one supported API key; the stated minimum is 4 GB RAM and 200 MB free disk space.Read 4 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Windows and Linux

The download page offers native Windows 10 and 11 and Linux builds, with Windows installation through the Microsoft Store and Linux .deb and .rpm packages.Read 4 Oct 2026 · cortex-ide.app

Plans and prices

Every Cortex AI IDE plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Who it suits

Verdict

Where Specifiction places it

• AI Code Editors#3 of 269.1
• Agentic Ides#3 of 219.1