Cursor vs GitHub Copilot: Pricing, Models and Which to Pick
The two most compared AI coding tools, line by line on October 2026 prices, included models, IDE support and usage limits.
By , research by the BestBots team · Updated Oct 18, 2026
Fact checked against each company's published pricing, documentation and verified user ratings. How we score
GitHub Copilot is the better pick for most developers in October 2026: $10 a month includes Claude, GPT, Gemini and Grok models and works in the IDE you already use. Cursor is the pick if you want an all in one AI editor with Cloud Agents and Bugbot reviews and are happy using its own Grok and Composer models, since third party models now cost extra.
Side by side
| Spec | Cursor | GitHub Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| BestBots Score | 3.9 | 4.6 |
| Starting price | $8 per month | $10 per month |
| Pricing model | per seat subscription plus usage | per seat subscription plus AI credits |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Price | $30 per month (Premium); Plus $8 is Grok only | $10 per month (Pro); Free plan available |
| Models | Grok 4.7, 4.6, 4.5 and Composer 2.5 included; Claude, GPT, Gemini at API list price on Premium and up | Claude (Opus, Sonnet, Haiku, Fable), GPT 5 and 6 series, Gemini, Grok, Kimi, MAI |
| IDE support | Cursor editor (desktop), Cloud Agents, mobile | VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Eclipse, Xcode, Neovim, Zed, GitHub.com |
| Terminal agent | Yes, Cursor CLI | Yes, Copilot CLI on every plan including Free |
| Usage limits | Weekly usage pool: Premium 4x Plus, Super 15x, Ultra 50x | AI credits: Pro 1,500, Pro+ 7,000, Max 20,000 a month; extra $0.01 per credit |
| Team plan | Teams $30, $100 or $200 per seat per month | Business $19 and Enterprise $39 per seat per month |
The short answer
These two used to be compared as "Copilot plugin vs Cursor editor at $20." That framing is out of date.
Cursor is now sold as part of The X Subscription, one plan covering Cursor, Grok and X. Its included usage pool covers Cursor's own models (Grok 4.7, 4.6, 4.5 and Composer 2.5). Claude, GPT and Gemini are available from the $30 Premium plan up, but billed at the model's API list price from prepaid credit.
Copilot moved to monthly AI credits. Pro at $10 includes 1,500 credits that you can spend on any listed model, including Claude Opus 5.5, GPT 6.1 Sol, Gemini and Grok. Completions stay unlimited and do not use credits.
So the question is no longer which is cheaper at $20. It is whether you want Cursor's editor and its in house models, or Copilot's wide IDE coverage and bundled third party models.
Pricing
| Plan | Cursor | GitHub Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Limited agent and chat requests | 2,000 completions a month, limited chat and agent |
| Entry paid | Plus $8 (Grok models only) | Pro $10 (1,500 AI credits) |
| Main plan | Premium $30 (4x Plus usage) | Pro+ $39 (7,000 AI credits) |
| Heavy | Super $100 (15x), Ultra $200 (50x) | Max $100 (20,000 AI credits) |
| Annual option | $80, $300, $1,000, $2,000 per year | Not listed on the plans page |
| Team seat | $30, $100 or $200 | Business $19, Enterprise $39 |
| Overage | Top offs; third party models at API list price | $0.01 per AI credit |
| Reset | Weekly | Monthly |
Prices are as listed on each vendor's pricing page and docs in October 2026.
Solo developer, one year. Copilot Pro is $120. Cursor Premium is $360 billed monthly or $300 annually, before third party model usage. If you only use Cursor's own models, the $8 Plus plan is $96 a year, but it lacks Cloud Agents, Bugbot and third party models.
Same developer wanting Claude. On Copilot, Claude usage comes out of the 1,500 included credits, and beyond that each extra 1,000 credits costs $10. On Cursor Premium, an illustrative 20M input and 2M output tokens on Claude Sonnet 5.5 at listed rates ($2 and $10 per million) adds $60 a month on top of $30. Your volume will differ, but the structure is the point: on Cursor, third party models are a separate meter from the first request.
Team of 10. Copilot Business: 10 x $19 = $190 a month. Cursor Teams at the $30 tier: $300 a month, with third party models at API list price plus the Cursor Token Rate.
Features
| Feature | Cursor | GitHub Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Cursor editor, CLI, Cloud Agents, mobile | VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Eclipse, Xcode, Neovim, Zed, GitHub.com, CLI |
| Included models | Grok 4.7, 4.6, 4.5, Composer 2.5 | Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok, Kimi, MAI from credits |
| Third party models | API list price, Premium and up | Included in credits |
| Cloud agent | Cloud Agents and Automations, Premium and up | Cloud agent on Pro and up, opens pull requests |
| Code review | Bugbot, Premium and up | Pull request reviews, Pro and up |
| Third party agents | Not listed | Delegate to Claude and Codex agents, Pro+ and up |
| Code hosting | Origin, Premium and up | GitHub |
| Enterprise controls | SCIM, audit logs, model and MCP access controls | Policy management, IP indemnity, SAML SSO |
Cursor's advantage is integration. The editor, agent, cloud runs, automations, reviews and even code hosting are one product, and its usage pool refreshes weekly so one heavy day does not sink the month.
Copilot's advantage is reach. It runs in more editors than any tool in our coding agent guide, and because it is part of GitHub, issues turn into pull requests without another service.
Who wins for X
You use JetBrains, Visual Studio or Xcode. Copilot. Cursor asks you to switch editors.
You want Claude or GPT on a flat fee. Copilot, or a direct plan like Claude Code or Codex. Cursor bills those models separately.
You want one AI editor for everything and like Grok or Composer. Cursor. Premium bundles agents, Cloud Agents, Automations, Bugbot and Origin for $30.
You run a team on GitHub on a budget. Copilot Business at $19 a seat is about a third less than Cursor's lowest team seat.
You are a heavy daily agent user. Compare Copilot Max ($100, 20,000 credits) with Cursor Super ($100, 15x Plus). Cursor's weekly reset is friendlier for bursty work; Copilot's credit count is easier to forecast.
Verdict
For most developers, GitHub Copilot is the better buy: lower price, bundled third party models, broader IDE support, and the higher review score (4.1 from 1,058 on VS Code Marketplace, against Cursor's 1.5 from 348 on Trustpilot, which is dominated by billing complaints). Cursor remains a strong editor, and teams already invested in it may find Premium worth it, but the new plan structure makes it a harder recommendation for anyone who mainly wants Claude or GPT. Read our GitHub Copilot review or see Cursor alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cursor better than GitHub Copilot?
As an editor experience, Cursor is more integrated: agents, Cloud Agents, Automations and Bugbot code review all live in one app. On price and model access, Copilot wins in October 2026: $10 a month includes Claude, GPT, Gemini and Grok models, while Cursor's $30 Premium includes only its own models and bills the others at API list price.
Is Cursor more expensive than Copilot?
Yes. Cursor Premium is $30 a month against Copilot Pro at $10, and Cursor adds API list price for Claude, GPT or Gemini usage. Cursor's $8 Plus plan is cheaper than Copilot Pro but limited to Grok and Composer models with no Cloud Agents or Bugbot.
Can I use Claude in Cursor and Copilot?
Yes in both, priced differently. Copilot lists Claude Haiku, Sonnet, Opus and Fable models on every plan, drawn from your monthly AI credits. Cursor offers Claude on Premium and above at the model's API list price from prepaid credit, for example Claude Sonnet 5.5 at $2 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens.
Does Copilot work in JetBrains and Cursor does not?
Copilot's agent mode runs in VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Eclipse and Xcode, and its extensions cover Neovim and Zed. Cursor is a standalone editor plus a CLI and Cloud Agents; it is not sold as a JetBrains plugin.
Which has a better free plan?
Copilot Free gives 2,000 inline suggestions a month plus limited chat and agent usage, a CLI and a large model list. Cursor Free gives limited agent and chat requests. For most people Copilot Free goes further.
What happened to Cursor Pro at $20?
Cursor now sells new customers The X Subscription, which bundles Cursor with Grok and X. Pro ($20), Pro+ ($60) and the old Ultra are legacy plans that keep working for existing subscribers; Cursor lists Premium ($30) as the comparable plan for Pro.
Which is better for teams?
Copilot Business is $19 a seat with pooled credits, policy controls and IP indemnity, and Copilot Enterprise is $39. Cursor Teams seats are $30, $100 or $200 with pooled usage, SSO and analytics. Copilot is cheaper per seat and fits teams on GitHub; Cursor fits teams standardizing on one AI editor.