Cursor vs GitHub Copilot: which should you use?
Last updated
Short answer: For code editor for professional developers, Cursor scores higher in our ranking (87 vs 83 out of 100). For learning to code, GitHub Copilot scores higher in our ranking (76 vs 72 out of 100).
Preliminary · based on public info| Tool | What it is | Pricing | Our scores |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cursor | AI-first code editor with agent, cloud agents and Bugbot. Sold via The X Subscription (Grok + Cursor + X) since Oct 12, 2026; legacy Cursor Pro/Pro+/Ultra continue for existing subscribers who do not switch. | Free; Plus $8/mo (Grok/Composer only); Premium $30/mo; Super $100; Ultra $200; Teams $30/$100/$200 per seat. Weekly shared Grok+Cursor pool. Third-party models (Claude/GPT/Gemini) on Premium+: API list price via top-ups. Legacy Pro $20/Pro+ $60 still work for existing subs (closed to new signups Oct 12, 2026). Price checked 2026-10-15 | code editor for professional developers 87 learning to code 72 |
| GitHub Copilot | The most widely integrated assistant: IDEs, CLI, cloud agent, PR code review. | Free (limited: 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests); Pro $10/mo ($15 in AI credits: $10 base + $5 flex); Pro+ $39/mo ($70 in credits); Max $100/mo ($200 in credits); Business $19/user/mo (1,900 credits); Enterprise $39/user/mo (3,900 credits). 1 AI credit = $0.01; completions unlimited on paid plans. Gemini 4 Argon (Oct 13, 2026) on Pro+/Max/Business/Enterprise at provider list price, not Pro. Price checked 2026-10-15 | teams with privacy and compliance needs 84 code editor for professional developers 83 autonomous agent to hand off tickets 80 learning to code 76 |
Free PDF: the AI Coding Cost Cheat Sheet. Enter your email to download it, plus one email a week when picks or prices move.
FAQ
Cursor vs GitHub Copilot: which should you use?
For code editor for professional developers, Cursor scores higher in our ranking (87 vs 83 out of 100). For learning to code, GitHub Copilot scores higher in our ranking (76 vs 72 out of 100).
How much does Cursor cost?
Free; Plus $8/mo (Grok/Composer only); Premium $30/mo; Super $100; Ultra $200; Teams $30/$100/$200 per seat. Weekly shared Grok+Cursor pool. Third-party models (Claude/GPT/Gemini) on Premium+: API list price via top-ups. Legacy Pro $20/Pro+ $60 still work for existing subs (closed to new signups Oct 12, 2026). (Checked on 2026-10-15.)
How much does GitHub Copilot cost?
Free (limited: 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests); Pro $10/mo ($15 in AI credits: $10 base + $5 flex); Pro+ $39/mo ($70 in credits); Max $100/mo ($200 in credits); Business $19/user/mo (1,900 credits); Enterprise $39/user/mo (3,900 credits). 1 AI credit = $0.01; completions unlimited on paid plans. Gemini 4 Argon (Oct 13, 2026) on Pro+/Max/Business/Enterprise at provider list price, not Pro. (Checked on 2026-10-15.)
Are these scores hands-on tested?
No. Both scores are preliminary, based on vendor documentation and public reporting applied to our 100-point rubric.
Next steps
- n8n vs Make vs Zapier side-by-side comparison
- Cursor vs Codex side-by-side comparison
- Cursor vs Claude Code side-by-side comparison
- Railway vs Render vs Vercel side-by-side comparison
- Take the 3-question tool picker
- Where to host what you build
- Automate it: n8n vs Make vs Zapier connect forms, email and payments without code
Related answers
- What is the best AI coding tool for beginners?
- What is the best AI coding tool for non-coders?
- What is the best free AI coding tool?
- What is the best AI coding agent for the terminal (CLI)?
- What is the best AI tool to build a web app?
- What is the best AI coding tool for VS Code?
- cursor-vs-claude-code
- claude-code-vs-codex
- lovable-vs-bolt
Prices link to vendor pages; see how we score.
Free: the AI Coding Cost Cheat Sheet (PDF)
What $0, about $20 and $100+ a month gets you across 30+ AI coding tools, with prices copied from vendor pages (checked Oct 14, 2026). Enter your email to download it now. You'll also get our free weekly email: what shipped and which picks or prices moved, about a 2-minute read. Unsubscribe anytime.