No affiliate links on this page and no paid placements, ever. Prices change often, so confirm on the official site.
AI-first code editor.
| Category | coding |
|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan; Plus $8/mo (part of the X Subscription; Grok models only) Freemium |
| Free tier | Yes: Free plan with limited agent requests |
| Price source | https://cursor.com/pricing (checked Oct 27, 2026) |
| Official site | cursor.com |
| Free quota reset | Refills every month on the Free tier (limited agent requests and tab completions) |
| Commercial rights | Included on Free and paid plans (your code stays yours) |
| Smartest way to test | Download the editor on Free ($0) to test Tab autocomplete on a real repo before paying $8/mo for Plus (part of the X Subscription; Grok models only) or $30/mo for Premium |
What it’s good for
Cursor is a code editor with AI built right in. You can ask it to explain code, write a feature or fix a bug across several files, and it shows you the changes before you keep them.
It’s built on VS Code, so it’ll feel familiar if you already use that editor. Your extensions and settings mostly carry over.
Who it’s for
Developers, and people learning to code who want an editor that does more of the typing. If you’ve never written code and just want a working app, Lovable is aimed at you instead.
Watch out for
- The free plan has a limited number of agent requests.
- Read every change before you accept it. AI-written code can look right and still break things.
- When I checked in Oct 2026, the $8/mo Plus plan came with the X Subscription and only used Grok models. Bigger plans cost more, so check which models each plan includes.
How it compares
GitHub Copilot is the other big name. Copilot plugs into the editor you already use, while Cursor is the editor. Claude includes Claude Code with its paid plans if you’d rather work in the terminal. See Cursor vs GitHub Copilot.
Before you pay
Start free on a small side project. Watch how fast you use up requests in a normal week before picking a plan.
How I wrote this: plan and price details come from the official pricing page (checked Oct 2026). The rest is my own take from reading the official pages, not a lab test. How I review
Visit Cursor → See my workspace
Tap Compare, then tap Compare on another tool in the full list. Or use the quick compare links under each alternative below.
Alternatives
GitHub Copilot: AI pair programmer inside your editor.
Free plan; Pro $10/mo
⇄ Compare side by side with GitHub Copilot