Cursor is an editor with an agent inside it. Claude Code is an agent that runs in whatever you already use, including Cursor. And Cursor is no longer the neutral one with every model: SpaceX bought it in August, and since October 12 it is sold inside The X Subscription, with Grok included and every other model billed on top.
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Pick Cursor if you still type most of your code yourself and want autocomplete on every line, or you want to switch between Grok, Gemini and Claude without changing tools.
Pick Claude Code if you hand over whole tasks and review the result, you want Claude models at a flat subscription price, and you would rather keep the editor you have.
Pick neither if you cannot read a diff, because both assume you will review code and run it yourself, and an app builder like Lovable or Replit hosts and deploys the thing for you.
prices checked 2026-10-13 · by dan scutaru
| Cursor | Claude Code | |
|---|---|---|
| price | free tier · from $8/mo | from $20/mo |
| free tier | Free plan: limited agent requests and limited Chat requests, in a pool shared with Grok. Third-party models (Claude, GPT, Gemini) not included. No published limits. | None. Claude's Free plan does not include Claude Code. |
| runs on | mac, windows, linux, web, ios | web, ios, android, mac, windows, linux, api |
| Top individual plan | Ultra, $200/mo (Super is $100) | Max 20x, $200/mo (Max 5x is $100) |
| How usage is metered | One weekly pool shared with Grok chat and Grok Bot, size not published. Third-party models billed on top | A rolling 5-hour session limit plus weekly limits, shared with Claude chat, also not published |
| When you hit the limit | Buy top-ups or wait for the weekly refresh | Wait for the reset, or turn on usage credits at API rates |
| Models | Grok included. Claude and Gemini at API list price from the $30 Premium plan, not on $8 Plus. GPT only until 12 November 2026, the date OpenAI gave for ending Cursor's access | Anthropic models only |
| Autocomplete as you type | Tab. The new plans do not state an allowance | None |
Neither stays at its entry price once the agent does your daily work. Cursor starts at $8 for Grok models only and recommends its $30 Premium plan to new AI users. Claude Code starts at $20 with Claude Pro. Anthropic's docs put Claude Code on API billing at $150 to $250 per developer per month across enterprise deployments.
The meters differ. Cursor gives you one weekly pool shared with Grok chat and Grok Bot, and it covers Grok only: Claude, GPT and Gemini are billed on top at API list price. Claude Max gives you 5x or 20x Pro per 5-hour session, with weekly limits on top. Neither publishes the size of what you are buying.
Yes, and it is supported. Anthropic's docs have an Install for Cursor link for the same extension that runs in VS Code, or you can open Cursor's terminal and run claude.
The two share nothing. Claude Code bills your Claude plan, Cursor's agent bills your Cursor plan, and each keeps its own context. People who run both usually keep Cursor for Tab and for reading diffs, and give Claude Code the long tasks. On Cursor Premium and Claude Pro that is $50 a month before either limit bites.
Cursor has a terminal agent now, so editor against terminal no longer decides anything. The command is agent. It has Agent, Plan and Ask modes, a --model flag, and a print mode for scripts and CI, the same shape as claude -p.
For Claude Code the CLI is the full product, and its VS Code extension exposes only a subset of the commands. If the terminal is where you live, choose on models and billing, not on features.
People who leave Cursor mostly leave over the bill: heavy users on premium models describe months far past the plan price, then a move to a flat Claude Max plan. People who stay say the diff review is better in an editor and, as one Hacker News commenter put it, "Autocomplete is still the best available."
The complaints about Claude Code are about limits you cannot see. In March, Max subscribers reported 5-hour windows draining in an hour or two, and the weekly cap sits on top of that.
For handing off a whole task and reviewing the result, it is the one more people on Hacker News report moving to. For writing code yourself, no: it has no autocomplete, and Tab is the reason people give for staying on Cursor.
Yes, from the $30 Premium plan up. Cursor's model list includes Claude Fable 5.1, Opus 5.5 and Sonnet 5.5, billed on top of the plan at API list price, and the $8 Plus plan has Grok models only. People still on an older Cursor plan keep their included third-party usage until they switch.
No. Claude's free plan does not include it. You need Pro at $20 a month ($17 billed annually) or a Console account paying API rates. Cursor does have a free plan, with limited agent requests. The full answer →
Nobody can say, because neither company publishes the allowance. Cursor's new Ultra is 50 times its $8 plan, refreshed weekly, shared with Grok and covering Grok models only, so Claude in Cursor costs extra. Max 20x is twenty times Pro per 5-hour session under a weekly limit, with the Fable model capped at half of it. If you only want Claude models, Max is the direct way to buy them.