Cursor vs GitHub Copilot

Prices and plans checked November 3, 2026. Companies change plans often, so confirm on their sites before you buy.

Quick verdict

Pick GitHub Copilot if you want the cheapest solid option, want to keep the editor you already use, or your team lives on GitHub. Its $10/month Pro plan is the best value here, and normal code completions don't eat into your credits.

Pick Cursor if you want an editor built around AI agents from the ground up and you're happy to pay a bit more. Since October 2026, new Cursor plans come bundled with xAI's Grok through The X Subscription. The $8 plan only covers Grok models, so most developers who want Claude or GPT inside Cursor will need Premium ($30/month) or higher.

	Cursor	GitHub Copilot
What it is	A standalone code editor built on VS Code, designed around AI agents	An AI assistant that plugs into your existing editor, GitHub.com and the terminal
Free plan	Yes, limited agent and chat requests with Cursor's own models	Yes, 2,000 code completions a month plus a small AI credit allowance
Cheapest paid plan	Plus, $8/month (Grok and Cursor models only)	Pro, $10/month (1,500 AI credits)
Mid tier	Premium, $30/month (4× Plus usage)	Pro+, $39/month (7,000 AI credits)
Top individual tier	Ultra, $200/month (50× Plus usage)	Max, $100/month (20,000 AI credits)
Teams	From $30 per user/month	Business $19, Enterprise $39 per user/month
Model choice	Grok and Cursor models included; Claude, GPT, Gemini and others on Premium and up, paid at API rates from prepaid credit	Models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI and others, paid from your AI credits
Agents	Local agents, plus cloud agents and automations on Premium and up	Agent mode in the editor, Copilot CLI and a cloud coding agent on GitHub
Code completions	Tab completions in the editor	Completions and next-edit suggestions, not billed in credits
Best for	Developers who want an AI-first editor and heavy agent use	Most developers, students and teams already on GitHub

Pricing: what changed in 2026

Cursor changed how it sells plans on October 12, 2026. New subscribers now buy through The X Subscription, which bundles Cursor with xAI's Grok, Grok Bot and X Premium features. The tiers are Free, Plus ($8), Premium ($30), Super ($100) and Ultra ($200). Paid tiers share one usage pool between Grok and Cursor. If you already pay for an older Cursor plan (Pro, Pro+ or Ultra), you can keep it at your current price.

GitHub Copilot moved individual plans to GitHub AI Credits. Pro ($10) includes 1,500 credits a month, Pro+ ($39) includes 7,000, and the new Max plan ($100) includes 20,000. Everyday code completions don't use credits, so light users rarely notice the limits. Verified students get Copilot free.

Models: who gets Claude, GPT and Gemini?

This is the biggest practical difference right now. Copilot lets you pick models from several companies on every paid plan, and the cost comes out of your monthly credits.

On Cursor's new plans, Free and Plus are limited to Grok and Cursor's own Composer models. Third-party models such as Claude, GPT and Gemini start at Premium ($30/month), and they're charged at the model's API list price from prepaid credit, on top of the subscription.

Workflow: editor vs add-on

Cursor is the editor. It's built on VS Code, so most extensions and keyboard shortcuts carry over, and the whole interface is designed around chatting with and directing agents across your codebase.

Copilot comes to you instead. It works inside your existing editor, on GitHub.com for pull requests and issues, in the terminal through Copilot CLI, and as a cloud agent you can assign work to. If your team already reviews code on GitHub, that integration is hard to beat.

FAQ

Is GitHub Copilot free?

Yes, there's a free plan with 2,000 code completions a month and a small AI credit allowance. Verified students get Copilot free, and some teachers and open-source maintainers qualify for free Pro.

Can I still use Claude in Cursor?

Yes, but on Cursor's new plans third-party models like Claude start at Premium ($30/month) and are billed at API list price from prepaid credit. Older Cursor Pro and Pro+ subscribers keep their existing allowances.

Which is cheaper?

For most people, Copilot Pro at $10/month. Cursor Plus is $8/month, but it only covers Grok and Cursor's own models.

Can I use both?

Yes. Some developers use Copilot inside their main editor and open Cursor for bigger agent-driven changes.

Sources

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