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Cursor vs GitHub Copilot

An AI editor you work inside, or GitHub's pair programmer across the editors and pull requests a team already uses.

The tools

  • Cursor

    4.7

    AI code editor for tab completion, chat, and agents that edit the project you have open.

    Visit

  • GitHub Copilot

    4.5

    GitHub's AI pair programmer across editors, pull requests, and the GitHub website.

    Visit

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Comparison

What it is

Cursor

A desktop code editor. Tab completion, chat, and agents edit the project you have open.

GitHub Copilot

GitHub's AI pair programmer across editors, pull requests, and GitHub. It suggests code as you type and can take on larger edits and agent-style tasks.

Best for

Cursor

Developers who want the agent and the editor to be the same place.

GitHub Copilot

Developers and teams who want AI inside the GitHub workflow they already use.

Pricing model

Cursor

Freemium. Cursor's pricing page lists Free at $0/month, Plus at $8/month, Premium at $30/month, Super at $100/month, and Ultra at $200/month. Teams starts at $30 per user per month. Prices exclude tax.

GitHub Copilot

Freemium. GitHub's Copilot plans page lists Copilot Free, Pro at $10 USD per month, Pro+ at $39 USD per month, Max at $100 USD per month, Business at $19 USD per granted seat per month, and Enterprise at $39 USD per granted seat per month.

Free tier

Cursor

Yes. Cursor's pricing page lists Free at $0/month with limited agent requests and limited Chat requests.

GitHub Copilot

Yes. GitHub's plans page says Copilot Free includes limited access at no cost, and limits inline suggestions to 2,000 completions per month on that plan.

Platforms

Cursor

See site.

GitHub Copilot

GitHub's plans page says every plan includes Copilot CLI and the Copilot app, and describes Copilot Chat in IDEs, on GitHub, and in GitHub Mobile. See site for the full editor list.

Key strengths

Cursor

You stay in the files. Cursor's pricing page says Premium and above add cloud agents, and that third-party models are billed at API list price. Plus includes Grok models only.

GitHub Copilot

The option for teams that already standardize on GitHub, including pull requests. GitHub's plans page says paid plans add a monthly allowance of GitHub AI Credits.

Limitations

Cursor

Plus includes Grok models only. Third-party models are billed separately, and only from Premium up. Cursor's pricing page says included usage refreshes weekly and excludes tax.

GitHub Copilot

Copilot Free is limited, including 2,000 completions per month. GitHub's plans page says Copilot is not currently available for GitHub Enterprise Server. See site for credit details.

Prices were checked against the sources below on Oct 19, 2026. They exclude tax unless a source says otherwise, and they change. Where a figure could not be pinned down, the cell says to check the site.

Pick one

  • Pick Cursor if

    you want tab completion, chat, and an agent in one desktop editor.

  • Pick GitHub Copilot if

    the team already works in GitHub and wants the agent in that pull-request flow.

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Questions

Is Cursor better than GitHub Copilot?
On the editorial score, Cursor is 4.7 and GitHub Copilot is 4.5. This page reads those scores from the directory and does not change them. Cursor ranks first for vibe coding because you stay in the editor. Copilot is seventh among coding agents because it fits teams already on GitHub.
Does GitHub Copilot have a free plan?
Yes. GitHub's Copilot plans page says Copilot Free includes limited access at no cost, and that inline suggestions are limited to 2,000 completions per month on Copilot Free. Paid plans start at $10 USD per month for Copilot Pro.
What does Cursor cost?
Cursor's pricing page lists Free at $0/month, Plus at $8/month, Premium at $30/month, Super at $100/month, and Ultra at $200/month. Teams starts at $30 per user per month. Prices exclude tax. Third-party models are billed separately.
Which one should a GitHub team open?
GitHub Copilot, if the agent has to live in the editors and the pull-request flow the team already uses. That is why it is on the coding-agents shortlist. Use Cursor if you want the agent and the editor to be the same desktop app.

On VibeStack

Sources