Cursor AI Pricing.
A complete breakdown of Cursor AI pricing in 2026, including the credit-based system introduced in June 2025. What you get at every tier, which plan fits your workflow, and how it compares to Claude Code, Copilot, and Windsurf.
Every Cursor Plan Explained
Cursor crossed $1 billion in annualized revenue in early 2026 with over a million paying developers. Here is exactly what each plan includes. For a deeper dive into Cursor features, see our full Cursor review.
Enough to test Cursor and decide if it fits your workflow. Limited Agent requests and Tab completions, but all UI features are available. No credit card required to start, plus a 7-day free Pro trial. Realistically, 2–3 hours of active coding will exhaust the free limits since Tab completions fire on every keystroke pause.
The sweet spot for most developers. Unlimited auto-mode completions that do not draw from credits. $20 in monthly credits for manually selecting premium models like Claude Sonnet 4.6 or GPT-5.4. Full access to Composer 1.5 for multi-file edits and Background Agent for async tasks. Supports BYOK for additional model flexibility.
For developers who consistently hit Pro credit limits by frequently selecting premium models. $60 in monthly credits gives 3x the premium model budget. Same unlimited auto-mode and all Pro features. If you find yourself running out of credits mid-month on Pro, this is your upgrade path.
For full-time AI-native developers who use premium models and agents all day. $200 in monthly credits provides maximum headroom for heavy Composer 1.5 usage, Background Agent runs, and premium model selection. The cost per premium request is the same as Pro — you just get more budget.
Teams ($40/seat/month) adds centralized billing, admin dashboard, enforced privacy mode (your code never trains models), SAML SSO, and usage analytics. Same AI capabilities as Pro. Enterprise offers custom pricing with advanced compliance, audit trails, and dedicated support for larger organizations.
How the Credit System Actually Works
In June 2025, Cursor replaced its simple request-count model with credits. Understanding this system is key to avoiding surprise costs. For tips on getting the most from Cursor, check our Cursor tips and tricks guide.
Auto Mode is Unlimited (and Free)
When Cursor picks the model automatically, completions do not draw from your credit pool. This is the default mode and works well for most tasks. Auto mode intelligently selects between fast and capable models based on task complexity. Most developers can use Cursor all day in auto mode without touching their credits.
Manual Model Selection Uses Credits
When you manually select a premium model like Claude Sonnet 4.6, GPT-5.4, or Opus, each request draws from your monthly credit pool. Different models cost different amounts of credits. Opus and other reasoning models cost more per request than Sonnet. Your credits reset monthly on your billing date.
Composer 1.5: The Multi-File Powerhouse
Released February 2026, Composer 1.5 was built by scaling reinforcement learning 20x beyond Composer 1. It features adaptive thinking depth — using more reasoning for complex tasks and less for simple ones. Self-summarization lets it handle longer tasks without losing accuracy. See our dedicated Composer guide for techniques.
Background Agent
A Pro feature that runs tasks in the background on a cloud VM. You describe what you want, and Cursor works on it while you continue coding or step away. It can run tests, install dependencies, and iterate until the task is complete. For more on this feature, see our Background Agent guide.
Cursor vs the Competition: Price-to-Value
How Cursor stacks up against other AI coding tools on price and features. For detailed comparisons, see Cursor vs Copilot, Cursor vs Windsurf, and Cursor vs Claude Code.
Cursor costs 2x more but includes Composer 1.5, Background Agent, and credit-based model choice. Copilot Pro+ ($39/mo) adds agent features that narrow the gap. Copilot works in more editors (JetBrains, Neovim, Xcode). If you only use VS Code-based editors, Cursor gives more AI power per dollar.
Same entry price, completely different tools. Cursor is a visual IDE with inline completions, diffs, and Composer. Claude Code is terminal-native for autonomous multi-file changes. Many developers use both. Claude Code Max 5x ($100) and Cursor Ultra ($200) serve similar power-user segments.
Windsurf is $5/month cheaper and has a decent free tier. Cursor has deeper codebase indexing, more mature Composer, Background Agent, and acquired Supermaven's sub-10ms completion technology. Windsurf's Cascade is strong for autonomous tasks. Cursor is more polished overall.
Cline is free with BYOK API costs. Cursor has inline completions, visual diffs, and Background Agent that Cline lacks. Cline offers maximum model flexibility and cost transparency. A heavy Cline user may spend $30-60/month in API costs, making Cursor potentially cheaper for the same capability.
Master Cursor and Every AI Coding Tool
Our course teaches the workflows that make Cursor, Claude Code, and any AI tool dramatically more effective. Learn context management, multi-file editing strategies, and the prompting patterns that top developers use to ship 2–5x faster.
Get the Accelerator for $79.99Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, Cursor offers a Hobby plan that is completely free. It includes limited Agent requests and limited Tab completions — enough to evaluate the tool but not for daily work. A typical day of active coding burns through the free limits within 2-3 hours. There is also a 7-day free Pro trial to test the full paid experience.
Since June 2025, Cursor uses a credit-based system. Every paid plan includes a monthly credit pool equal to the plan price in dollars ($20 for Pro, $60 for Pro+, $200 for Ultra). Auto mode is unlimited and does not draw from credits. Manually selecting premium models like Claude Sonnet or GPT-4 draws from your credit pool. When credits run out, you can purchase more or wait for the monthly reset.
For developers who code daily, Cursor Pro is one of the highest-ROI subscriptions available. Unlimited auto-mode completions save significant time on boilerplate. Composer 1.5 for multi-file edits and Background Agent for async tasks make it worth the price for most professionals within the first few days. The credit system means heavy premium model users may want Pro+ instead.
Pro ($20/month) is the baseline with $20 in monthly credits and unlimited auto mode. Pro+ ($60/month) adds $60 in credits for developers who frequently use premium models and hit Pro limits. Ultra ($200/month) gives $200 in credits for full-time AI-native development with heavy agent and premium model usage. All tiers include unlimited auto-mode completions.
Yes, Cursor supports bring-your-own-key (BYOK) for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and other providers. With BYOK, you pay the API provider directly and your usage does not count against Cursor's credit pool. This is useful if you have existing API agreements or want to use specific model versions not available in Cursor's default selection.
Cursor Pro is $20/month vs Copilot Pro at $10/month. Cursor includes more advanced features like Composer 1.5 (multi-file edits with RL-trained thinking), Background Agent, and model choice. Copilot offers broader editor support (JetBrains, Neovim, Xcode) and enterprise compliance features. Copilot Pro+ at $39/month adds agent features that close the gap.