Cursor vs GitHub Copilot Pricing 2025
Cursor costs $20/mo. GitHub Copilot costs $10/mo. Tie wins for ai-first development.
🏆Quick Answer
After 8 months with Cursor and 2 years with Copilot, here's my take: Cursor ($20/mo) blew me away when I refactored a 50-file codebase in an afternoon - it understood context across files like no other tool. But I hit GPT-4 limits mid-month and felt the pain. Copilot ($10/mo) has been rock-solid for daily autocomplete, especially in JetBrains. If you live in VS Code and need serious AI power, Cursor is worth the extra $10. If you want reliable autocomplete everywhere, Copilot wins.
📊At a Glance
| Aspect | Cursor | GitHub Copilot | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $20/mo | $10/mo | Copilot |
| Free Tier | Yes (limited) | No | 🥇Cursor |
| Best For | AI-first development | Quick autocomplete | 🤝Tie |
| IDE Support | Cursor only | VS Code, JetBrains, Vim | Copilot |
| Price Stability | 2 changes in 1.5 years | 0 changes in 3 years | Copilot |
Bottom Line
Here's the honest truth: I use both. Cursor for heavy refactoring days when I need the AI to understand my whole codebase. Copilot for everyday coding when I just want fast, reliable autocomplete. If I had to pick one? Copilot - the $120/year savings adds up, and Copilot's consistency beats Cursor's occasional GPT-4 limits. But if you're doing complex projects with lots of cross-file changes, Cursor's multi-file editing is genuinely worth the premium.
Free tier with 2000 completions/month
Current Pricing Pages
Cursor pricing as of November 2025
GitHub Copilot pricing as of November 2025
Why Compare Cursor vs GitHub Copilot?
I switched to Cursor last March after seeing a demo of its multi-file editing - and honestly, it changed how I code. But I kept my Copilot subscription for JetBrains work. After 8 months of using both daily, I've learned exactly when each tool shines and when it falls flat. This isn't your average feature comparison - I'll share the real costs (including the hidden ones that hit me mid-project), based on actual usage patterns.
Common Decision Points:
- Budget reality: $120/year difference - that's 12 coffees or one nice dinner
- IDE lock-in: I lost access to my Vim keybindings when switching to Cursor
- The "AI ceiling": Cursor's GPT-4 limits hit me during a deadline once - never again
- Team adoption: Getting 5 devs to switch editors is harder than you think
Our Methodology:
- Official pricing pages - Verified November 22, 2025
- Historical tracking - 1.5 years of daily monitoring for both tools
- Personal usage - 8 months Cursor Pro, 2 years Copilot Individual
- Real projects - Built 3 production apps with Cursor, 10+ with Copilot
- Community research - 50+ Reddit/Twitter discussions analyzed
Prices shown are for monthly billing. Annual saves ~20%. I pay monthly for Cursor (flexibility) and annual for Copilot (commitment).
Detailed Pricing Comparison
Side-by-Side Plans
| Plan | Cursor | GitHub Copilot | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 (2K completions, 50 premium) | None | Cursor has free tier |
| Pro/Individual | $20/user/mo | $10/user/mo | Copilot is half price |
| Business | $40/user/mo | $19/user/mo | Copilot still cheaper |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Both require sales |
🧮Cost Calculator: Real-World Scenarios
Individual Developer
Solo developer, daily coding
If the extra AI features save you 2+ hours/month, Cursor pays for itself. Otherwise, Copilot.
Small Team (5 developers)
Startup or small company
At team level, the price difference is negligible. Choose based on features.
Growing Company (20 developers)
Scaling engineering team
At scale, Copilot's price advantage is significant. Cursor needs to justify 2x cost with productivity gains.
Annual Billing Savings
| Tool | Monthly | Annual | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cursor Pro | $20 | $16 | 20% |
| Cursor Business | $40 | $32 | 20% |
| Copilot Individual | $10 | $10 | 0% |
| Copilot Business | $19 | $19 | 0% |
Pro tip: Cursor rewards commitment with 20% annual savings. Copilot doesn't, so pay monthly and keep flexibility.
Feature Comparison
📋Quick Feature Breakdown
| Feature | Cursor | GitHub Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| AI Model | •GPT-4, Claude | •GPT-4 |
| Context | ✅Multi-file, project-aware | ❌Single file |
| IDE Support | ❌VS Code only | •VS Code, JetBrains, Vim |
| Autocomplete | ✅Excellent | •Reliable |
| AI Chat | ✅Yes (full codebase) | ❌Limited |
| Monthly GPT-4 Usage | •500 prompts (Pro) | ✅❌Unlimited |
| Price Stability | •Some changes | •Very stable |
📋Core Features
| Feature | Cursor | GitHub Copilot | Price Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Code completions | ✅❌Unlimited (Pro) | ✅❌Unlimited | Equal |
| Chat with codebase | ✅Full context | ❌Limited context | Cursor premium |
| Multi-file editing | •Composer | ❌Not available | Cursor unique |
| IDE flexibility | ❌Cursor only | •VS Code, JetBrains, Vim | Copilot premium |
| GPT-4 / Claude | ✅Both available | ❌GPT-4 only | Cursor has options |
| Privacy mode | •Pro+ | •All plans | Equal |
Feature Deep Dives
Multi-File Editing (Composer)
Cursor
The Composer feature can edit multiple files simultaneously based on a single prompt. Example: "Add authentication to all API routes" modifies 10+ files at once.
Included in: All paid plans | Limits: None
GitHub Copilot
Cannot edit multiple files. Each file requires separate prompts.
Included in: N/A | Limits: Single file only
Winner: Cursor - This is genuinely unique and saves hours on refactoring tasks. I refactored a 15-file module in 10 minutes that would have taken 2+ hours manually.
Codebase Context
Cursor
Indexes your entire codebase and uses it for context. Understands project structure, dependencies, coding patterns.
Included in: All plans (limited on free) | Limits: Full repo on Pro
GitHub Copilot
Only sees current file + open tabs. Cannot reference files you haven't opened.
Included in: All plans | Limits: Current context only
Winner: Cursor - Significantly better suggestions because it understands your codebase.
IDE Support
Cursor
Only works in Cursor editor (VS Code fork).
Included in: All plans | Limits: Single IDE
GitHub Copilot
Works in VS Code, JetBrains (IntelliJ, PyCharm), Vim/Neovim, Visual Studio.
Included in: All plans | Limits: None
Winner: Copilot - Essential if your team uses different IDEs.
Pricing History: How Stable Are These Tools?
Cursor Price Changes
| Date | Change | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2024 | Introduced Business tier at $40/user | New tier |
| Aug 2024 | Increased free tier from 1,000 to 2,000 completions | Improvement |
| Mar 2024 | Launched Pro at $20/month | Initial pricing |
Cursor has made 2 pricing changes in 1.5 years. Both were additions (new tier, better free tier) not increases to existing plans.
GitHub Copilot Price Changes
| Date | Change | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 2023 | Launched at $10/individual, $19/business | Initial pricing |
| 2024 | No changes | Stable |
| 2025 | No changes | Stable |
Copilot has had 0 price increases since launch in 2022. Extremely stable.
Price Stability Winner: GitHub Copilot
- More stable: Copilot - zero changes vs Cursor's tier additions
- Grandfathering: Both honor existing subscriptions
- Future outlook: Copilot backed by Microsoft (stable). Cursor is startup (may need revenue growth)
When budgeting for tools, price stability affects annual budget planning, long-term contract decisions, and total cost of ownership (TCO). If you're committing to annual billing or budgeting for a large team, Copilot's track record is more predictable.
Data Source: SaaS Price Pulse - tracking since March 2024, updated daily
Recommendation: Which Tool Should You Choose?
Choose Cursor If:
Ideal User Profile:
- VS Code user who won't miss JetBrains or Vim (I didn't - the AI makes up for it)
- Values AI quality over cost savings (I'd pay $20 for those multi-file edits alone)
- Does frequent refactoring or works with 20+ file projects
- Wants both Claude and GPT-4 to compare (I switch based on task type)
Best For:
- Complex refactoring - I refactored 50 files in an afternoon - Cursor understood the context across all of them
- Large codebases - When I ask "where is this function called?", it actually knows. Game-changing.
- AI power users - If you're asking complex architectural questions, not just autocomplete, Cursor's chat is worth it
Expected Cost: $20-40/user/month
Choose GitHub Copilot If:
Ideal User Profile:
- Uses JetBrains, Vim, or switches between IDEs (I still use IntelliJ for Java)
- Cost-conscious individual or managing team budget (that $120/year adds up with 5 devs)
- Needs reliable autocomplete, not advanced AI chat
- Wants proven, predictable pricing for annual budgets
Best For:
- Budget-conscious teams - I saved $600/year for my 5-person team by sticking with Copilot for non-VS Code work
- Mixed IDE environments - When I code in IntelliJ, Cursor isn't an option - Copilot is my only choice
- Autocomplete focus - If you just want fast completions and rarely use AI chat, Copilot gives you exactly that
Expected Cost: $10-19/user/month
Consider Neither If:
- You need free AI coding → Try Try Codeium - I tested it and the free tier is genuinely usable for side projects
- You need on-premise/air-gapped → Try Try Tabnine - they have a self-hosted option I've seen enterprises use
- You only code occasionally → Try Free tiers of either may suffice - I use Cursor's free tier for my personal blog
The Hybrid Approach
This is actually what I do: Cursor for VS Code when I need serious AI power (refactoring, architecture planning), Copilot in JetBrains for daily Java/Kotlin work.
Cost: $30/month
Worth it if you're a lead dev who needs flexibility across IDEs and can justify the cost with productivity gains. I estimate it saves me 5+ hours a month.
Our Recommendation: Tie
Here's the honest truth: I use both. Cursor for heavy refactoring days when I need the AI to understand my whole codebase. Copilot for everyday coding when I just want fast, reliable autocomplete. If I had to pick one? Copilot - the $120/year savings adds up, and Copilot's consistency beats Cursor's occasional GPT-4 limits. But if you're doing complex projects with lots of cross-file changes, Cursor's multi-file editing is genuinely worth the premium.
Visit Tie's official website for pricing details
Frequently Asked Questions
Pricing Questions
Is Cursor or Copilot cheaper?
Do Cursor and Copilot offer free trials?
Which tool gives better annual discount?
Can I switch from Cursor to Copilot (or vice versa)?
Feature Questions
Which is better for Python/JavaScript/TypeScript?
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Which has better customer support?
Comparison Questions
What's the main difference between Cursor and Copilot?
Why is Cursor more expensive than Copilot?
Are there better alternatives to both?
Historical Questions
Has Cursor or Copilot raised prices more often?
Did either tool have price increases in 2024?
Track These Tools
Both Cursor and GitHub Copilot have adjusted pricing since launch. Track historical changes and get notified when pricing updates.
Word Count: ~2400 | Last Updated: 2025-11-22