Cursor vs GitHub Copilot
Cursor is an editor built around an AI agent, owned since August 2026 by SpaceX, with its own models. GitHub Copilot is an assistant that goes into the editors you already use and is tied to GitHub. One asks you to switch editors, the other asks you to stay on GitHub. Both are American, and both meter usage beyond the plan.
Sebastiaan SmitsFounderVendors can pay for visibility on this site; it never changes what we say about a product. How that works.
Choose Cursor ifyou will change editor for an agent-first workflow, want published team pricing with SSO, and accept that its plans are bundled with the owner's Grok models.
Choose GitHub Copilot ifyour code already lives on GitHub, developers use VS Code, JetBrains or Neovim and will not move, and procurement wants one vendor.
Cursor and GitHub Copilot side by side
| Cursor | GitHub Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Our AI coding assistants rank | #9 of 13 | #12 of 13 |
| Established in | United States | United States |
| Pricing | Free plan; Premium, Super and Ultra tiers and per-seat Teams published; third-party models billed by usage | Free plan; per seat per month with AI credit allowance, published |
| List price, 8 October 2026 | Free; Plus $8, Premium $30, Super $100, Ultra $200 a month; Teams from $30 per user a month; Enterprise custom | Free; Pro $10 a month; Pro+ $39; Max $100 (individual plans, with AI credit allowances) |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
| Built for | Teams that want a finished AI editor and accept its owner's model priorities | Organisations on GitHub Enterprise that want procurement and policy in one place |
| Not for | Buyers who want the editor vendor neutral between model makers | Teams hosting code elsewhere or avoiding a single-platform dependency |
Both are reviewed in full in our AI coding assistants ranking: Cursor and GitHub Copilot.
Where they differ
Cursor 0 · GitHub Copilot 2 · open 3- 01
Editor or extension
Cursor is its own editor, so adopting it means every developer moves. Copilot installs as an extension in Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, Vim, Neovim and the JetBrains IDEs, plus Azure Data Studio. A team with mixed editors has an easier time with Copilot.
Edge: GitHub Copilot
- 02
Published price
Cursor lists Plus at $8, Premium at $30, Super at $100 and Ultra at $200 a month, and Teams from $30 per user. Copilot's page we read shows individual plans at $10, $39 and $100 a month with credit allowances. We did not compare the Copilot Business and Enterprise seat prices, since the page we fetched did not list them. Cursor's Plus tier is cheaper, but it only includes Grok models.
Edge: GitHub Copilot
- 03
Usage beyond the plan
Cursor says every tier includes a pool of usage shared across Cursor and Grok, and that third-party models are billed separately at API list price. Copilot is also sized in AI credits. Both bills move with use, so budget a margin for either.
Depends on the buyer
- 04
Training on your code
Cursor says that with privacy mode enabled, code data is not used for training by Cursor or its model providers, and Teams has a team-wide privacy mode. GitHub says it does not use Copilot Business or Enterprise data for training, but individual plans may feed training unless the user opts out. Both are fine for teams that set the right option.
Depends on the buyer
- 05
Ownership and dependence
Cursor now belongs to SpaceX and bundles Grok access into its plans. Copilot depends on GitHub and shares data with its affiliate Microsoft, and its agent features assume repositories on GitHub. Neither is neutral, they are just dependent on different owners.
Depends on the buyer
When neither fits
If you want a tool that is neutral between model makers or that works from the terminal, look at the top of the ranking. Zed is first in our AI coding assistant ranking and Cline is second, and Claude Code is the terminal-first option.
Cursor or GitHub Copilot: questions
3 answersIs Cursor better than GitHub Copilot?
It depends on whether you will change editors. Cursor is an editor built around an agent. Copilot is an assistant that works in the editors you already have. Neither is better for every team.
Do Cursor and Copilot train on my code?
Cursor says privacy mode stops training by Cursor and its providers. GitHub says Business and Enterprise data is not used for training, while individual plans may be used unless you opt out. Check the setting for your plan.
Who owns Cursor?
Our category data records that SpaceX completed its acquisition of Cursor in August 2026. GitHub Copilot is part of GitHub, which is part of Microsoft.
Sources
Checked 8 October 2026- Cursor pricing page: plan prices, on-demand usage after included amount, privacy mode and Teams features.
- GitHub Copilot plans page: individual plan prices and AI credits, supported editors and training-data statements.