Side-by-side comparison · Coding & Dev Tools
Cursor vs Claude Code vs GitHub Copilot
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
Cursor
3.9Pick it if: Developers and curious beginners who want AI help but still want a visual editor.
Claude Code
4.4Pick it if: Anyone building software, from first-timers to senior engineers, who wants an AI that does the work itself.
GitHub Copilot
4.0Pick it if: Teams and developers whose code lives on GitHub and who want AI in the tools they already use.
Claude Code scores highest overall, but GitHub Copilot gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.
Overview
| Attribute | Cursor | Claude Code | GitHub Copilot |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | A code editor with AI built in, for people who want to watch every change happen. | An AI agent that works inside your project: it reads, writes and runs the code for you. | GitHub's AI helper: it finishes your code, reviews pull requests and takes on whole tasks. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Paid | Freemium |
| Starting price | $8/mo | $20/mo | $10/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | No | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | No | Yes | No |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Cursor | Claude Code | GitHub Copilot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 3.9 | 4.4Winner | 4.0 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| FeaturesHow much it can do, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 5.0 | 3.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Cursor | Claude Code | GitHub Copilot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | No | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension | No | No | – |
| API access | – | 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 | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 12/ 17 | 12/ 17 | 12/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Cursor | Claude Code | GitHub Copilot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Trying the editor and a few agent runs. | ProOur pick $20/mo, or $17/mo billed yearly Trying Claude Code and light daily use. | Free Free Trying autocomplete and light chat. |
Plus $8/mo Light users who are happy with Grok models only. | Team From $20/seat/mo billed yearly Businesses with 2 to 150 people who want central billing. | ProOur pick $10/mo Individual developers on GitHub. | |
PremiumOur pick $30/mo Most developers who want Claude or OpenAI models. | Enterprise $20/seat/mo billed yearly, 20-seat minimum Larger companies with compliance needs. | Pro+ $39/mo Developers who run agent tasks every day. | |
Super $100/mo Heavy daily agent users. | Max From $100/mo Anyone running Claude Code for hours a day. | Max $100/mo Heavy agent-driven work. | |
Teams From $30/user/mo Companies that need admin controls and SSO. | API (pay as you go) Usage based Teams who want to pay only for what they use. | Business and Enterprise See website Companies that need admin controls and policy management. | |
Enterprise Custom Large organisations. | |||
| Which plan to pick | Skip Plus unless you are happy with Grok. Premium is the realistic starting point if you want Claude or OpenAI models, and budget for the extra usage billing on top of the $30. There is also a $200 Ultra plan with 50x the Plus usage for people who live in it. | 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. | Pro is the sweet spot for an individual: cheap, unlimited autocomplete and enough credits for a few agent tasks a week. Only move to Pro+ if you find yourself buying extra credits every month. |
Key features
| Attribute | Cursor | Claude Code | GitHub Copilot |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Cursor | Claude Code | GitHub Copilot |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Cursor | Claude Code | GitHub Copilot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for |
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How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability. The "Visit" buttons may use affiliate links, which never affect a score.
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