Cursor vs GitHub Copilot
Last checked 2026-10-15
Based on published features, pricing and documentation, checked 2026-10-15. No hands-on testing. No hands-on testing; this compares published information only.
| Cursor | GitHub Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | Anysphere | GitHub / Microsoft |
| Summary | AI code editor whose Agent edits code, runs terminal commands and controls a browser; Cloud Agents run in isolated VMs and open PRs. | Coding assistant with IDE agent mode and a cloud agent that works in GitHub Actions on issues, branches and pull requests. |
| Free tier | Not verified | Yes (verified) |
| Cheapest verified paid plan | See official site | Pro: $10/mo (github.com/features/copilot/plans) |
| Plans | All plans: See official site | Free: Free Pro: $10/mo Pro+: $39/mo Max: $100/mo Business / Enterprise: See official site |
| Capabilities | IDE agent, Terminal commands, Browser control, Cloud Agents (VMs), Opens PRs, Artifacts (videos/screenshots), MCP, Slack/GitHub/Linear triggers, Automations, CLI | IDE agent mode, Cloud agent, Issue → PR, Custom agents, MCP, Hooks & skills, Code chat |
| Rubric score | 67/100 | 80/100 |
| Sources | cursor.com/docs/agent/overview cursor.com/docs/cloud-agent cursor.com/help/ai-features/background-agents | docs.github.com/en/copilot/concepts/agents/cloud-agent/about-cloud-agent github.com/features/copilot/plans |
Tasks both are listed for (15)
- Explain unfamiliar code
- Write unit tests
- Fix a failing build
- Refactor across files
- Automated PR review
- Issue to pull request
- Generate a regex or SQL query
- Write a shell/PowerShell script
- Explain logs and errors
- Infrastructure-as-code changes
- CI pipeline setup
- Write analysis code