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Side-by-side comparison · Coding & Dev Tools

Cursor vs Kiro

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Best overall

Cursor

3.9

From $8/mo

Kiro

3.6

From $20/mo

Comparing 2 tools. Add one more if you like.

At a glance

Best overall

Pick it if: Developers and curious beginners who want AI help but still want a visual editor.

Kiro3.6

Pick it if: Developers and technical founders who want a written plan before the AI builds anything, especially teams already on AWS.

Overview

AttributeCursorKiro
In one lineA code editor with AI built in, for people who want to watch every change happen.Amazon's AI code editor that writes a plan and requirements before it writes any code.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starting price$8/mo$20/mo
Free plan Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code No Yes

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeCursorKiro
Overall rating3.9Winner3.6
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.0
4.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers the job it's built for, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.5
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.0
3.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
3.0
3.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.0
3.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeCursorKiro
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes Yes
Desktop app Yes Yes
Browser extension No No
API access– No
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes Yes
Connects to other apps Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No
AI abilities
Works with your files Yes Yes
Understands images Yes Yes
Makes images No No
Makes video No No
Writes code Yes Yes
Runs agents or automations Yes Yes
Learns your brand or style Yes Yes
Works in many languages Yes Yes
Capabilities score12/ 1712/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeCursorKiro
Plans

Free

Free

Trying the editor and a few agent runs.

Free

Free

Trying spec mode on a small project.

Plus

$8/mo

Light users who are happy with Grok models only.

ProOur pick

$20/mo

Most individuals using it a few days a week.

PremiumOur pick

$30/mo

Most developers, especially if you want Claude alongside Grok.

Pro+

$40/mo

Regular daily users.

Super or Ultra

$100/mo or $200/mo

Heavy daily agent users.

Pro Max

$100/mo

Professionals in Kiro for hours each day.

Legacy Pro

$20/mo

Existing subscribers only. New customers can't buy it.

Power

$200/mo

The heaviest users.

Teams

From $30/user/mo

Companies that need admin controls and SSO.

Enterprise

Custom

Companies that need SSO and central billing.

Which plan to pickIf 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.Pro at $20 is the place to start, and you get $20 off your first paid month when you upgrade. Use the Auto model to make credits last, and only move up a tier once you know your monthly usage.

Key features

AttributeCursorKiro
Standout features
  • Tab autocomplete
  • Agent mode
  • Chat with your codebase
  • Cloud agents and automations
  • Rules
  • Built on VS Code
  • Specs
  • Vibe mode
  • Hooks
  • Workflows and Crew
  • Web and iPhone
  • Powers

Pros and cons

AttributeCursorKiro
Pros
  • The clearest view of what an AI is doing to your code
  • Autocomplete is still the best in the category
  • Feels familiar instantly if you have used VS Code
  • Cloud agents and code review on the mid plans
  • Spec mode makes the AI's plan easy to read and change before it builds
  • One subscription covers editor, terminal, web and iPhone
  • Good choice for businesses already on AWS
  • Hooks and Powers automate a lot of busywork
Cons
  • Cheap plans only give you Grok models
  • Claude usage is billed on top of the subscription at API prices, so the real cost is hard to predict
  • OpenAI models are due to leave Cursor, which narrows the model choice
  • You now buy it bundled with Grok and X Premium, whether you want them or not
  • Agent runs are less thorough than Claude Code on big tasks
  • Credits run out fast on the best models, and multipliers have gone up
  • Workflows are slow, ask for approval constantly and burn credits
  • Free plan's 50 credits a month is very small
  • History of pricing changes, including a botched launch in 2025
  • Some users say its agent uses more tokens than Claude Code or Codex for the same job

Who each one is for

AttributeCursorKiro
Best for
  • Editing with AI autocomplete
  • Learning by watching changes happen
  • Multi-file changes in agent mode
  • Developers who like VS Code
  • Turning a rough idea into requirements and a plan
  • Bigger features you want planned before building
  • Teams already on AWS
  • Automating checks with hooks
You'll find it used by
  • Developers
  • Startup teams
  • Students
  • Technical founders
  • Developers
  • AWS teams
  • Technical founders
  • Students

Questions people ask

Which is better, Cursor or Kiro?

Cursor scores highest overall in our ratings (Cursor 3.9/5 and Kiro 3.6/5). Cursor is best for editing with AI autocomplete and learning by watching changes happen. Kiro is best for turning a rough idea into requirements and a plan and bigger features you want planned before building.

Which is cheaper, Cursor or Kiro?

Cursor: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $8/mo. Kiro: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $20/mo.

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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