Cursor vs GitHub Copilot
A VS Code fork built around AI, with full codebase indexing and multi-file editing. The incumbent AI coding assistant, embedded across VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim and github.com.
At a glance
| Cursor | GitHub Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $20/mo | $10/mo |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Plans offered | 5 | 6 |
| Team pricing | $40/seat/mo | $19/seat/mo |
| Vendor | Anysphere | GitHub |
| Best for | Developers working across large existing codebases | Developers who mainly want excellent autocomplete at the lowest price |
| Main trade-off | Twice the price of Copilot Pro for individuals | Opus-class models are gated behind the $39 Pro+ tier |
The short answer
Choose Cursor if developers working across large existing codebases. Choose GitHub Copilot if developers who mainly want excellent autocomplete at the lowest price. The rest of this page is the detail behind that.
Pricing
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
GitHub Copilot
| Plan | Price | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Limited completions and chat |
| Pro | $10/mo | 300 premium requests/mo · Unlimited completions |
| Pro+ | $39/mo | Opus-class model access · Much larger model allowance |
| Max | $100/mo | Largest individual allowance |
| Business | $19/seat/mo | Org policy management · Audit logs |
| Enterprise | $39/seat/mo | Knowledge bases · Fine-grained controls |
Pricing verified
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
GitHub Copilot
Strengths
- Cheapest credible paid tier at $10/month
- Works in JetBrains, Neovim and Visual Studio, not just VS Code
- Deep GitHub integration for pull requests and code review
- Enterprise procurement is straightforward where GitHub is already approved
Trade-offs
- Opus-class models are gated behind the $39 Pro+ tier
- Codebase awareness is weaker than Cursor on large repositories
- Agentic multi-file work lags the dedicated agent tools
GitHub Copilot: who it suits
Buy it if
- Developers who mainly want excellent autocomplete at the lowest price
- Teams not on VS Code, since editor coverage is far broader
- Organisations where GitHub is already a procured vendor
Skip it if
- Anyone whose main need is large multi-file refactoring -- Cursor and the agent tools are better at it
- Developers who want frontier reasoning models at the entry price, since those start at $39
- Teams wanting a fully autonomous agent rather than an assistant
Visit GitHub Copilotfrom $10/mo · free tier available
Common questions
- Is Cursor or GitHub Copilot cheaper?
- Cursor starts at $20/mo and GitHub Copilot at $10/mo. GitHub Copilot is cheaper at entry level, though the allowances differ.
- 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.
- Who should not use GitHub Copilot?
- Anyone whose main need is large multi-file refactoring -- Cursor and the agent tools are better at it. Developers who want frontier reasoning models at the entry price, since those start at $39. Teams wanting a fully autonomous agent rather than an assistant.
- Does Cursor or GitHub Copilot have a free tier?
- Both offer a free tier, so you can evaluate each before paying.