AI Coding Assistants · Pricing comparison
Cursor vs GitHub Copilot: Pricing
Copilot is half the price at $10 and works in any editor. Cursor at $20 is the stronger agent if you're willing to switch editors.
Last checked September 27, 2026
At a glance
GitHub Copilot is the cheaper option ($10.00/mo less), both offer a free plan, Cursor rates slightly higher.
Our take
GitHub Copilot Pro is $10/mo, the cheapest serious coding assistant, with Pro+ at $39 and a new Max tier at $100. Cursor Pro is $20/mo, with Pro+ at $60 and Ultra at $200. At every level, Copilot is cheaper.
Cursor's advantage is its agent: multi-file edits and autonomous tasks inside an editor built around AI. Its plans include a credit pool equal to the price, and Auto mode is unlimited, so costs only climb if you manually pick expensive models. Copilot works inside VS Code, JetBrains and more, which matters if your team won't change editors.
Copilot's free tier (2,000 completions a month) is also more useful than Cursor's, which is mainly for evaluation.
- Choose Cursor if you want the strongest agentic coding and are happy to use the Cursor editor.
- Choose GitHub Copilot if you want the lowest price, a useful free tier, or must stay in your current IDE.
Watch out: Both have moved to credit or usage pools. If you regularly pick premium models manually, your real cost can exceed the plan price.
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Cursor vs GitHub Copilot: side-by-side
| Feature | Cursor | GitHub Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| Category | AI Coding Assistants | AI Coding Assistants |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan details | Limited free tier — enough to evaluate, not for daily work. | Free tier with 2,000 completions and 50 chat/agent requests monthly. |
| Starting price | $20/mo (Pro) | $10/mo (Pro) |
| Highest known plan | $200/mo (Ultra) | $100/mo (Max) |
| Trial of paid plan | No (free plan instead) | No (free plan instead) |
| Best for | Professional developers who want the strongest agentic coding | Developers on GitHub and teams wanting the easiest budget approval |
| Team support | Yes | Yes |
| API access | No | Yes |
| Editor rating | 4.6 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
Pricing and free plans
Cursor uses a freemium model, starting at $20/mo (Pro). Pro $20/mo, Pro+ $60/mo, Ultra $200/mo; each paid plan includes a model-usage credit pool equal to its price, and Auto mode is unlimited. Teams is $40/user/mo. Annual billing saves about 20%. Its free plan: Limited free tier — enough to evaluate, not for daily work.
GitHub Copilot uses a freemium model, starting at $10/mo (Pro). Pro is $10/mo, Pro+ $39/mo and the new Max tier $100/mo, each with monthly usage credits. Business and Enterprise are sold per seat to organizations. Its free plan: Free tier with 2,000 completions and 50 chat/agent requests monthly.
Which is cheaper?
If budget is the deciding factor, GitHub Copilot wins on entry price. If output quality or specific features matter more, weigh the feature lists below before deciding.
Cursor: pros and cons
Pros
- Best-in-class agent capability
- Fast, context-aware completions
- Model choice per task
Cons
- Credits opaque for heavy users
- $60-200 tiers for power use
- Free tier too small for real work
GitHub Copilot: pros and cons
Pros
- Cheapest capable paid plan
- Widest IDE support
- Genuinely useful free tier
Cons
- Agent features trail Cursor
- Premium requests capped
- Usage-based billing incoming
Who each tool is best for
- Best for beginners: GitHub Copilot — lower barrier to entry and easier to start for free or cheaply.
- Best for teams: Cursor.
- Best if you need an API: GitHub Copilot offers API access where the other does not.
- Cursor is best for: Professional developers who want the strongest agentic coding.
- GitHub Copilot is best for: Developers on GitHub and teams wanting the easiest budget approval.
Verdict
Copilot is half the price at $10 and works in any editor. Cursor at $20 is the stronger agent if you're willing to switch editors. Choose Cursor if you want the strongest agentic coding and are happy to use the Cursor editor; choose GitHub Copilot if you want the lowest price, a useful free tier, or must stay in your current IDE.
Cursor vs GitHub Copilot FAQ
Which is cheaper, Cursor or GitHub Copilot?
GitHub Copilot has the cheaper entry price — about $10.00/mo less. Cursor starts at $20/mo (Pro), while GitHub Copilot starts at $10/mo (Pro).
Does Cursor or GitHub Copilot have a free plan?
Both offer a free plan. Cursor: Limited free tier — enough to evaluate, not for daily work. GitHub Copilot: Free tier with 2,000 completions and 50 chat/agent requests monthly.
Is Cursor or GitHub Copilot better for beginners?
GitHub Copilot tends to be the easier starting point thanks to its pricing and free access, though both cover the same core ai coding assistants needs.
Which is better for teams?
Cursor is the stronger team pick given its collaboration support and rating.