Cursorvs
GitHub Copilot
These are the two serious options for AI-assisted coding, priced within ten dollars of each other. The difference is not really completion quality — it is whether you are willing to change editors, and whether the decision is yours alone or has to clear a security review.
Published · updated
The short answer
- Want the AI-native experience — Composer, agent mode, predictive Tab — and you control your own toolchain → Cursor
- Need JetBrains support, SSO, audit logs, or just not to change what the team already uses → GitHub Copilot
- Cannot decide → run Copilot for a month, add Cursor if you feel the ceiling. Both together is $40/mo
Side by side
| Cursor | GitHub Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | Anysphere | GitHub (Microsoft) |
| Form | VS Code fork with its own AI layer | Extension for VS Code, JetBrains and others |
| Individual price | $20/mo (Pro) | $10/mo |
| Team price | $40/seat/mo (Business) | $19/seat/mo (Business) |
| Multi-file editing | Composer — strongest in class | Workspace, more limited |
| Repository-wide context | @codebase | Supported but less capable |
| Editors | VS Code fork only | VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Neovim |
| Training opt-out | Privacy Mode | Default on Business; opt-in on individual Pro |
| Certification | — | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 |
| Self-hosting | — | GitHub Enterprise Server |
Highlighted cells mark where one is clearly ahead on that row. Pricing and specifications come from published vendor information and change without notice.
Who wins what
Solo developers and startups
Cursor
Composer and predictive Tab change how fast one person can move through a codebase. At $20/mo this is where the return is clearest.
Large organisations on VS Code
GitHub Copilot
GitHub integration, SSO and audit logs mean the smallest possible change to how the organisation already works, and a much easier security review.
Cost-sensitive teams
GitHub Copilot
$19 per seat against Cursor Business at $40. For ten people that is $190 a month versus $400.
Access to the newest models
Cursor
Picks up new frontier models quickly, and switching between them is a UI control rather than a release note.
JetBrains or Visual Studio shops
GitHub Copilot
Cursor is a VS Code fork. If your team is on JetBrains, this is the only option of the two.
Strengths and trade-offs
Cursor
Strengths
- Composer handles coordinated edits across many files
- Predictive Tab suggests where to edit next, not just what to type
- @codebase puts the whole repository in context
- Fast to adopt new frontier models, switchable from the UI
- Existing VS Code extensions and settings carry over
Trade-offs
- Cannot run in JetBrains or Visual Studio
- Premium model requests are capped; heavy use means buying credits
- Composer is memory-hungry on large projects
- Thin Japanese documentation and support
- Trails upstream VS Code releases
GitHub Copilot
Strengths
- Runs in VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio and Neovim
- Official integration with GitHub issues, pull requests and Slack
- $19 per seat on Business — efficient for a team
- SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 shorten security review
- GitHub Enterprise Server allows on-premise deployment
Trade-offs
- Multi-file editing is weaker than Composer
- Repository-wide context exists but is less capable
- Individual Pro trains on your code unless you turn it off
- Japanese comment generation drifts toward English
- Total cost climbs once GitHub Enterprise is in the mix
What it costs
For one person, Copilot is $120 a year cheaper. For a team the gap widens sharply: five seats is a $1,260 annual difference. Cursor's productivity gain often exceeds that in principle, but it is a harder case to put in a budget request.
Which one, for who you are
Solo engineer or freelancer
Cursor, straight away
Optimising your own throughput, no one to convince
The multi-file work and repository context are worth more than the $10 difference.
Startup of 5 to 20
Cursor Business
Speed matters more than process
Everyone is on VS Code anyway, and the velocity gain compounds across the team.
Enterprise IT
GitHub Copilot Business
Procurement, identity and audit requirements
SOC 2, ISO 27001, SSO and audit logs are already answered.
JetBrains or Visual Studio team
GitHub Copilot
The IDE is not negotiable
Cursor structurally cannot run there.
Still undecided
Start with Copilot Pro
No strong constraint either way
Cheaper to try, and nothing is lost if you add Cursor later.
Questions we get
- Can I use both?
- Yes, and some people do — Copilot inside JetBrains for one project, Cursor for another. Together it is $30/mo for individuals, which is less than most teams spend on a single SaaS seat.
- Does Cursor really make you faster?
- For multi-file work, yes, noticeably. For single-line completion the two are close enough that the difference comes down to preference.
- Which is safer for proprietary code?
- Both can exclude your code from training — Cursor through Privacy Mode, Copilot by default on Business and Enterprise. Copilot additionally carries SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001, which matters if someone has to sign off.