Cursor vs GitHub Copilot

Short answer: neither wins at everything.

Pick Cursor if you want an AI agent built right into your code editor.

Pick GitHub Copilot if your code lives on GitHub and you want unlimited code completion for $10 a month.

Cursor vs GitHub Copilot side by side

	Cursor	GitHub Copilot
What it is	Code editor with an AI agent built in	Coding agent from GitHub (Microsoft)
Made by	Cursor / X Subscription	GitHub (Microsoft)
Price	Free; Plus $8; Premium $30; Super $100; Ultra $200 /mo; Teams $30+/user	Pro $10/mo with 1,500 AI credits; agent use consumes credits
Free plan	Yes	Not listed in our data
Good at	Agent built into the editor; cloud agents and code reviews on Premium	Unlimited code completion on Pro
Watch out for	Third-party model usage billed separately	Credits expire monthly
Privacy	Privacy mode guarantees code isn't used for training by Cursor or model providers	Not listed in our data
Who it's for	Developers	Developers on GitHub
Where it runs	code editor (desktop), cloud agents	code editor, command line, cloud agent on GitHub
Status	Current. Now sold as part of the X Subscription (Cursor + Grok + X)	Current. GitHub removed Gemini 3.7 Flash, GPT-5.5, GPT-5.4, GPT-5.4 mini, GPT-5 mini and Grok 4.5 from most Copilot experiences on Oct 19, 2026 (suggested: Gemini 3.8 Flash, GPT-6.1 Sol, GPT-6 Luna, Grok 4.7; Enterprise admins may need to enable alternatives). Next: GitHub removes Claude Opus 4.8 (kept for individual annual plans), Claude Opus 5 and GPT-5.6 Terra from Copilot on Nov 16, 2026; suggested: Opus 5.5, GPT-6.1 Sol or GPT-6 Luna
Sources	cursor.com	docs.github.com · github.blog · github.blog (2) · github.blog (3)

Related comparisons

Still not sure? Answer 4 quick questions and WhichBot will point you to one AI to open, or check the AI you already use.

Questions people ask

Is Cursor or GitHub Copilot better?

It depends on what you do. Pick Cursor if you want an AI agent built right into your code editor. Pick GitHub Copilot if your code lives on GitHub and you want unlimited code completion for $10 a month.

Is Cursor free?

Yes. Cursor has a free plan. Plans: Free; Plus $8; Premium $30; Super $100; Ultra $200 /mo; Teams $30+/user.

How does WhichBot decide?

Hector uses a written rubric: everyday usefulness, cost and free plans, privacy, reliability, ease of use, availability and safety. Rankings are one input, not the answer.

Facts come from the companies' own pages, linked above, and were last checked Oct 28, 2026. Prices are US and can change. Picks are Hector's: no paid picks, sponsors always labeled, and no sponsorship from AI labs. Our policy.