Cursor vs Claude Code vs Copilot: pricing & usage limits
An AI editor, a terminal agent and an IDE assistant side by side, from each vendor's official pages, checked 2026-10-20.
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| Cursor | Claude Code | GitHub Copilot | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | AI IDE | CLI agent | IDE assistant |
| Plans & prices | Free$0 Plus$8 Premium$30 Super$100 Ultra$200 Teams$30+ per user/mo | Free$0 Pro$20 ($17/mo annual) Max 5x$100 Max 20x$200 Team (Premium seat)$100/seat (annual), $125 monthly | Free$0 Pro$10 Pro+$39 Max$100 |
| Limits by plan | Free Limited agent and chat requests Plus Shared weekly usage pool (Cursor+Grok); only Grok models Premium 4x Plus usage; third-party models billed at API list price Super 15x Plus usage Ultra 50x Plus usage Teams 4-50x Plus usage by seat tier | Free Claude Code not included Pro 5-hour session + weekly limits, shared with Claude chat Max 5x 5x Pro usage; includes $100/mo API credits for the Claude Platform Max 20x 20x Pro usage; includes $200/mo API credits for the Claude Platform Team (Premium seat) 5x Standard-seat usage; includes Claude Code; teams of 2-150 | Free Limited chat and agent usage (no fixed numbers on plans page) Pro $15/mo AI credits ($10 base + $5 flex) Pro+ $70/mo AI credits ($39 base + $31 flex) Max $200/mo AI credits ($100 base + $100 flex); 1 credit = $0.01 |
| Limit reset | Weekly (legacy plans: monthly) | Rolling 5 hours + weekly | Monthly |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Check usage | Current plans: open Usage at grok.com/dashboard (your editor settings show the same remaining usage). Legacy plans: the Spending tab in your dashboard. | Run /status inside Claude Code to see your remaining allocation. | not verified |
| Checked | Checked 2026-10-20 | Checked 2026-10-20 | Checked 2026-10-20 |
Verdict
Pick Cursor if
you want a full AI editor, a cheap $8 entry, and a weekly pool for Cursor/Grok models, paying API list price for third-party models.
Pick Claude Code if
you want Claude models in the terminal or IDE, bundled with the Claude apps, and can work within 5-hour and weekly limits.
Pick Copilot if
you want to stay in VS Code, JetBrains or GitHub, and want a $10 entry with dollar-based AI credits (free for verified students).
FAQ
Which is cheapest: Cursor, Claude Code or Copilot?
Cheapest paid entry as of 2026-10-20: Cursor Plus $8, GitHub Copilot Pro $10, Claude Pro $20 ($17/mo annual). Cursor and Copilot have free plans; Claude Code isn't included in Claude's Free plan.
How do the usage limits differ?
Cursor uses a weekly usage pool shared with Grok. Claude Code has five-hour session and weekly limits shared with the Claude apps. Copilot gives a monthly allowance of GitHub AI Credits (Pro: 1,500 credits, 1 credit = $0.01).
Which works in VS Code and JetBrains?
Copilot runs in VS Code, JetBrains and GitHub. Claude Code runs in the terminal and in VS Code, Cursor and JetBrains IDEs. Cursor is its own editor.
Do students get any of these free?
GitHub Copilot Student is free for verified students. Cursor closed its student discount to new sign-ups on June 25, 2026. See our student discounts guide.
More: Cursor vs Copilot · Cursor vs Claude Code · Cursor vs Claude Code vs Codex · Cursor pricing history · Student discounts
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