Amazon Q Developer vs Cursor
AWS's coding assistant, strongest on AWS-native work and legacy Java transformation, with an unusually generous free tier. A VS Code fork built around AI, with full codebase indexing and multi-file editing.
At a glance
| Amazon Q Developer | Cursor | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $19/seat/mo | $20/mo |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Plans offered | 2 | 5 |
| Team pricing | $19/seat/mo | $40/seat/mo |
| Vendor | Amazon Web Services | Anysphere |
| Best for | Teams building on AWS, where the service integration is the point | Developers working across large existing codebases |
| Main trade-off | Clearly strongest on AWS-native work; less compelling if your stack is elsewhere | Twice the price of Copilot Pro for individuals |
The short answer
Choose Amazon Q Developer if teams building on aws, where the service integration is the point. Choose Cursor if developers working across large existing codebases. The rest of this page is the detail behind that.
Pricing
Amazon Q Developer
| Plan | Price | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 50 agentic requests/month · Latest Claude models in IDE or CLI · Perpetual, not a trial |
| Pro | $19/seat/mo | Expanded agentic request limits · 4,000 lines/month of Java transformation, pooled at account level · Admin dashboards · IP indemnity |
Pricing verified
Cursor
| Plan | Price | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Hobby | Free | Limited completions · Limited agent requests |
| Pro | $20/mo | 500 fast premium requests/mo · Access to frontier models including Opus-class · Consumption billing beyond quota |
| Pro+ | $60/mo | Substantially higher request allowance |
| Ultra | $200/mo | Highest allowance for sustained agentic work |
| Teams | $40/seat/mo | Central billing · Org privacy controls |
Pricing verified
Amazon Q Developer
Strengths
- A perpetual free tier with 50 agentic requests a month and access to current Claude models -- more generous than most paid entry tiers were a year ago
- IP indemnity included at $19, where competitors reserve it for enterprise pricing
- Java transformation genuinely automates legacy version upgrades, which is drudgery nothing else targets
- Procurement is trivial where AWS is already an approved vendor
Trade-offs
- Clearly strongest on AWS-native work; less compelling if your stack is elsewhere
- Only two tiers, so there is no middle ground above 50 requests
- Java transformation lines are pooled across the whole account, so a large org shares one budget
- General coding quality is not obviously ahead of cheaper, more focused tools
Amazon Q Developer: who it suits
Buy it if
- Teams building on AWS, where the service integration is the point
- Organisations carrying legacy Java that needs version migration
- Anyone wanting IP indemnity without an enterprise contract
Skip it if
- Developers with no AWS footprint -- the differentiators are all AWS-shaped
- Heavy individual users, since the jump from 50 free requests goes straight to a seat licence
- Teams whose main criterion is raw editing experience, where Cursor and Zed are stronger
Visit Amazon Q Developerfrom $19/seat/mo · free tier available
Cursor
Strengths
- Full codebase indexing makes multi-file edits genuinely reliable
- Frontier models including Opus-class are on the $20 tier, not held back for a higher plan
- Familiar to anyone who already uses VS Code -- extensions and keybindings carry over
Trade-offs
- Twice the price of Copilot Pro for individuals
- Costs become unpredictable once you exceed the request quota and consumption billing starts
- Forking the editor means lagging slightly behind upstream VS Code releases
Cursor: who it suits
Buy it if
- Developers working across large existing codebases
- Anyone who wants Opus-class models without paying for a higher tier
- Teams already standardised on VS Code
Skip it if
- Developers who mainly want inline autocomplete -- you would be paying double for capability you do not use
- Anyone who needs a strictly predictable monthly bill, because usage above quota bills on consumption
- JetBrains or Neovim users unwilling to change editor
Visit Cursorfrom $20/mo · free tier available
Common questions
- Is Amazon Q Developer or Cursor cheaper?
- Amazon Q Developer starts at $19/seat/mo and Cursor at $20/mo. Amazon Q Developer is cheaper at entry level, though the allowances differ.
- Who should not use Amazon Q Developer?
- Developers with no AWS footprint -- the differentiators are all AWS-shaped. Heavy individual users, since the jump from 50 free requests goes straight to a seat licence. Teams whose main criterion is raw editing experience, where Cursor and Zed are stronger.
- Who should not use Cursor?
- Developers who mainly want inline autocomplete -- you would be paying double for capability you do not use. Anyone who needs a strictly predictable monthly bill, because usage above quota bills on consumption. JetBrains or Neovim users unwilling to change editor.
- Does Amazon Q Developer or Cursor have a free tier?
- Both offer a free tier, so you can evaluate each before paying.