Side-by-side comparison · Coding & Dev Tools
Claude Code vs Cursor vs OpenRouter
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Anyone building software, from first-timers to senior engineers, who wants an AI that does the work itself.
Pick it if: Developers and curious beginners who want AI help but still want a visual editor.
Pick it if: Business owners and developers adding AI to a product, and anyone who wants to try lots of models cheaply from one account.
Overview
| Attribute | Claude Code | Cursor | OpenRouter |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | An AI agent that works inside your project: it reads, writes and runs the code for you. | A code editor with AI built in, for people who want to watch every change happen. | One account and one API key for hundreds of AI models, paid for at the makers' prices. |
| Pricing model | Paid | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $20/mo | $8/mo | Model prices plus a 5.5% fee on credit top-ups |
| Free plan | No | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | No | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Claude Code | Cursor | OpenRouter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.4Winner | 3.9 | 3.7 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 3.5 | 4.0 | 3.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 5.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Claude Code | Cursor | OpenRouter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | No | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | No |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes | No |
| Browser extension | No | No | No |
| API access | Yes | – | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Makes images | No | No | Yes |
| Makes video | No | No | – |
| Writes code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes | – |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | Yes | – |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 12/ 17 | 12/ 17 | 10/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Claude Code | Cursor | OpenRouter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | ProOur pick $20/mo, or $17/mo billed yearly Trying Claude Code and light daily use. | Free Free Trying the editor and a few agent runs. | Free Free Trying models and light hobby use. |
Team From $20/seat/mo billed yearly, or $25 monthly Businesses with 2 to 150 people who want central billing. | Plus $8/mo Light users who are happy with Grok models only. | Pay as you goOur pick Model prices plus a 5.5% fee on credit top-ups Most businesses and developers building with AI. | |
Enterprise $20/seat/mo billed yearly, 20-seat minimum Larger companies with compliance needs. | PremiumOur pick $30/mo Most developers, especially if you want Claude alongside Grok. | Business Model prices plus an 8% fee on credit top-ups Companies that need data kept in the EU or US. | |
Max From $100/mo Anyone running Claude Code for hours a day. | Super or Ultra $100/mo or $200/mo Heavy daily agent users. | Enterprise Custom Large teams with volume commitments. | |
API (pay as you go) Usage based Teams who want to pay only for what they use. | Legacy Pro $20/mo Existing subscribers only. New customers can't buy it. | ||
Teams From $30/user/mo Companies that need admin controls and SSO. | |||
| Which plan to pick | Start on Pro. It is enough to build a small site or tool in evenings and weekends. If you hit the limit most days, Max 5x is the next step; it costs five times as much but usually works out cheaper than paying for the API directly. Max also lets you spend up to half your weekly limit on Fable, which Pro only gets through paid credits. | If you are on the old $20 Pro plan and it covers what you use, stay put; switching is permanent. New customers should skip Plus unless they are happy with Grok. Premium is the realistic starting point if you want Claude, and budget for the extra usage billing on top of the $30. Large companies can ask about a custom Enterprise plan. | Start free to test, then top up $10 to $20 of credit on Pay as you go. That alone lifts the free-model limit to 1,000 requests a day. Only look at Business if you have a legal reason to keep data in a region. |
Key features
| Attribute | Claude Code | Cursor | OpenRouter |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Claude Code | Cursor | OpenRouter |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Claude Code | Cursor | OpenRouter |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Claude Code, Cursor or OpenRouter?
Claude Code scores highest overall in our ratings (Claude Code 4.4/5, Cursor 3.9/5 and OpenRouter 3.7/5). Claude Code is best for building features end to end and fixing bugs you can't find. Cursor is best for editing with AI autocomplete and learning by watching changes happen. OpenRouter is best for Adding AI to your app without five vendor accounts and trying new models cheaply on launch day.
Which is cheaper, Claude Code, Cursor or OpenRouter?
Claude Code: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $20/mo. Cursor: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $8/mo. OpenRouter: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at Model prices plus a 5.5% fee on credit top-ups.
Which is easier to use, Claude Code, Cursor or OpenRouter?
Cursor rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Developers and curious beginners who want AI help but still want a visual editor.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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