Cursor

Verified 19 Sept 2026Hobby free; Pro around $20/mo; Ultra much higher (Sep 2026)coding

Cursor is what happens when an editor is designed around the model instead of bolting a panel onto VS Code. Tab, Composer, and repo-aware chat are the reasons people pay. Copilot is cheaper if you refuse to switch editors. Claude Code is stronger on long unattended refactors if you like the terminal. Many seniors run both: Cursor for the file in front of them, Claude Code for the scary migration. Pricing: Hobby is a trial, Pro is the real product, Ultra is for people who burn agents all day. Plans checked 19 Sep 2026. Confirm the live page before you invoice a client.

Use it when

Daily product work in an AI-native editor, especially multi-file edits

Skip it when

You must stay inside JetBrains or you only want cheap autocomplete

Field notes

Budget extra for frontier model usage beyond the included pool

Works best if the team accepts a VS Code-shaped workflow

Not a reason to pirate a license. There is a free tier.

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