No affiliate links on this page. Prices change often, so confirm on the official sites.
Both help you write, explain and fix code, and both have free plans. The main difference is simple: Cursor is its own code editor, while GitHub Copilot plugs into the editor you already use.
| Cursor | GitHub Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | AI-first code editor (built on VS Code) | AI helper that plugs into your editor |
| Free plan | Yes (limited agent requests) | Yes (limited chat and agent usage) |
| Entry paid plan | Plus $8/mo (part of the X Subscription; Grok models only) | Pro $10/mo |
| Where it works | Cursor editor (most VS Code extensions carry over) | VS Code, JetBrains, terminal and GitHub |
| Good to know | Check which AI models each paid tier includes | Free for verified students and some open-source maintainers |
Pick Cursor if…
- You want an editor built around AI from the ground up, especially for editing across several files at once.
- You already use VS Code and don’t mind switching to a familiar fork where your settings and extensions carry over.
Pick GitHub Copilot if…
- You want to stay in the editor you already use, like JetBrains or standard VS Code.
- You already live in GitHub, or you qualify for free student or open-source maintainer access.
Facts above come from cursor.com/pricing and github.com/features/copilot/plans (checked Oct 2026). The “pick if” notes are my opinion.
Where they really differ
Cursor replaces your editor. Because it’s built on VS Code, moving over takes a few minutes, and its whole layout is made for asking AI to write a feature or fix a bug across several files. When I checked in Oct 2026, its $8/mo Plus plan came with the X Subscription and only used Grok models, while bigger plans cost more, so read the plan table carefully before paying.
GitHub Copilot meets you where you already work. If half your team uses JetBrains and the other half uses VS Code, Copilot works in both and ties right into GitHub. Pro is $10/mo.
If you’d rather work in the terminal, Claude includes Claude Code with its paid plans. And if you don’t write code at all and just want a working website or web app, look at Lovable instead. Whichever coding tool you pick, read every change before you keep it—AI code can look clean and still break things.