Cursor vs GitHub Copilot
Cursor (AI code editor with an integrated coding agent.) and GitHub Copilot (AI coding agent across editor, CLI and GitHub.) compared side by side: plans and prices, vendor-stated features, platforms and sign-in, with the date each fact was checked. Matches based on official product information.
- Based on official vendor pages, linked below
- Cursor pricing checked: 2026-10-28
- GitHub Copilot pricing checked: 2026-10-27
At a glance
Cursor
Anysphere- What it does
- AI code editor with an integrated coding agent.
- Strong at
- Strong fit for AI-first code editing with weekly refreshing usage pools.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid plans from
- US$8 / month
Pricing checked 2026-10-28 · Full Cursor record · Official site
GitHub Copilot
GitHub (Microsoft)- What it does
- AI coding agent across editor, CLI and GitHub.
- Strong at
- Strong fit for in-editor code completion inside existing IDEs.
- Free plan
- Yes - ongoing free plan
- Paid plans from
- US$10 / month
Pricing checked 2026-10-27 · Full GitHub Copilot record · Official site
Plans & pricing
Cursor plans & pricing
Checked 2026-10-28. · Vendor pricing page Confirm prices and terms with the vendor before buying.
Free
$0 / month
Limited agent requests and Chat requests
Plus
$8/month ($80/year billed annually)
Cursor's own models at fixed settings; includes Grok Chat, Voice, Imagine, Build and Grok API access; no third-party models
Premium
$30/month ($300/year billed annually)
4x Plus usage; third-party models at API list price from prepaid credit
Super
$100/month ($1,000/year billed annually)
15x Plus usage; priority model access at peak times
Ultra
$200/month ($2,000/year billed annually)
50x Plus usage
Teams
$30, $100 or $200 per seat/month
Matches the seat's tier; third-party models at API list price plus the Cursor Token Rate on eligible models
Enterprise
Custom
Pooled usage
GitHub Copilot plans & pricing
Checked 2026-10-27. · Vendor pricing page Confirm prices and terms with the vendor before buying.
Free
$0 / month
Pro
$10/month
Pro+
$39/month
Max
$100/month
Side-by-side facts
| Cursor | GitHub Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes - ongoing free plan |
| Paid plans from | US$8 / month | US$10 / month |
| API | Cloud Agents API/SDKs are documented; Enterprise APIs have admin/analytics scope. Not a standalone model API. | Management APIs and a Copilot SDK exist. Not a general model-inference API. |
What each tool says it does
Cursor - vendor-stated features
- Agent workflows
- Research
GitHub Copilot - vendor-stated features
- Where it runs
- Agent mode
- Model choice
Worth knowing before you choose
Cursor - worth knowing
- Cursor is sold as part of The X Subscription (one subscription covering Grok, Cursor and X).
- Paid plans include a weekly usage pool shared across Grok and Cursor; third-party models are not included and bill separately at API list price from prepaid credit on Premium and above.
- Teams is per seat at $30/$100/$200 per month matching the seat's tier.
- Annual billing: $80/$300/$1,000/$2,000 per year for Plus/Premium/Super/Ultra.
- Legacy plans (Pro, Pro+, Start, Teams Standard/Premium) keep working for existing subscribers.
- Model-provider usage is billed separately from the subscription.
- Official regions doc: model availability varies by provider region policies (Anthropic/OpenAI/Google supported-region lists govern per model; unavailable models are hidden, others keep working; BYOK possible where the provider serves the region).
- Signup: official quickstart requires sign-in after install.
- Pricing https://cursor.com/pricing: Free $0; paid tiers $8/$30/$100/$200 per month; third-party model usage billed separately; sold as part of The X Subscription.
GitHub Copilot - worth knowing
- Signup: personal GitHub account with a Copilot plan required (official quickstart).
- Free plan with limited chat and agent usage per owning pricing; no free credit amount listed.
- The plan prices listed here are the individual monthly plans.
- Usage consumes GitHub AI Credits.
Common questions
Is Cursor or GitHub Copilot free to use?
Cursor: Yes (checked 2026-10-28). GitHub Copilot: Yes - ongoing free plan (checked 2026-10-27).
What do Cursor and GitHub Copilot cost?
Cursor's entry paid plan is US$8 / month and GitHub Copilot's is US$10 / month, from each vendor's pricing page (2026-10-28 and 2026-10-27 respectively). The tables above list every plan each vendor published.
Which is better, Cursor or GitHub Copilot?
It depends on the job. Cursor: Strong fit for AI-first code editing with weekly refreshing usage pools. GitHub Copilot: Strong fit for in-editor code completion inside existing IDEs. The feature and pricing tables above show where they differ.
Where do these facts come from?
Every fact on this page is read from the vendors' own product and pricing pages, with the checked date shown beside it. Links to both official pages are at the top of each column.
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This comparison is not a recommendation: it sets out what each vendor states on its own pages, with the dates those pages were checked. Prices and features change - confirm with the vendor before buying.