Cursor

What it is

Cursor is an AI-first code editor, built as a fork of Visual Studio Code, that puts AI agents at the centre of the coding workflow. It offers AI autocomplete, chat about your codebase and agents that can plan and make changes across many files, run commands and work in the cloud. Because it is based on VS Code, most extensions, themes and keyboard shortcuts carry over, which lowers the switching cost for many developers. Cursor also has its own model, Composer, alongside access to frontier models from major AI labs.

Key features

Based on Cursor's official pricing page (October 2026):

• Agent: describe a task and let the agent edit files across your project; limits rise with each plan.
• Composer: Cursor's own coding model, available from the free Hobby plan.
• Frontier models from leading providers on paid plans.
• MCPs, skills and hooks to connect tools and customise agent behaviour.
• Cloud agents that run tasks remotely, plus automations with shared team context on Teams.
• Bugbot: agentic code review for pull requests, usage-billed on Pro and included in Teams.
• Privacy mode: when enabled, Cursor says code data is not used for training by Cursor or its model providers.

Pricing (verified October 2026)

• Hobby: free, no credit card required, limited agent requests.
• Pro: $20/month. Extended agent limits, frontier models, MCPs, skills and hooks, cloud agents, and Bugbot on usage-based billing.
• Pro+: $60/month, recommended by Cursor for daily agent users.
• Ultra: $200/month, for agent power users.
• Teams: $40/user/month. Central billing, a team marketplace for internal rules, skills and plugins, Bugbot, usage analytics, team-wide privacy mode and SAML/OIDC SSO.
• Enterprise: custom, adding pooled usage, repository, model and MCP access controls, SCIM and audit logs.

Cursor explains that every plan includes a set amount of model usage. Once that is consumed, on-demand usage lets you continue, billed in arrears. Cursor also warns that it does not authorise resellers, so buy only from the official website.

Choosing a tier

The higher tiers mainly buy more included agent usage. If you mostly use autocomplete and occasional chat, Pro is likely enough. If you run agents all day on large codebases, Cursor itself recommends Pro+ or Ultra. Check your usage dashboard after the first month before upgrading, and set a spending limit if you enable on-demand usage.

Working safely with agents

• Commit your work before starting an agent task so you can roll back easily.
• Ask the agent to explain its plan before it edits files.
• Keep secrets out of files the agent can read, and turn on privacy mode for client or proprietary code.
• Run your tests after every agent change.

Who it's for

• Professional developers who want agents deeply built into their editor.
• VS Code users who want to keep familiar extensions and shortcuts.
• Startups and teams shipping quickly with AI-assisted workflows.
• Engineering organisations needing SSO, privacy controls and analytics.

Pros

• Agent-centric design built into the whole editor.
• Familiar VS Code foundation.
• Choice of frontier models plus Cursor's own Composer model.
• Clear privacy mode commitment on training.
• Free tier with no card required.

Cons

• Heavy agent users may need $60 or $200 tiers, or pay on-demand charges.
• Usage limits per plan are described qualitatively rather than as exact numbers.
• Requires switching editors if you use JetBrains or other IDEs.
• Agents can make broad changes quickly, which demands careful review and version control.

Alternatives on AIMAPER

• GitHub Copilot: cheaper entry and works across many editors.
• Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf): another AI-native editor from Cognition.
• Claude: coding help via chat and Claude Code in the terminal.

See all options in our AI coding tools category.

Bottom line

Cursor is one of the most capable AI editors for developers who want agents to do substantial work. Try Hobby first, move to Pro for daily use, and watch your usage before considering the higher tiers.