Comparison

Cursor vs GitHub Copilot

Overview

The AI Code Editor

Cursor is an AI-native code editor built for agentic coding, multi-file edits, debugging, and codebase-aware assistance inside a VS Code-based environment.

GitHub Copilot

The world's most widely adopted AI developer tool

github.com →

GitHub Copilot is GitHub's AI coding assistant for code completion, chat, code review, agent workflows, and IDE-native development help across individual and business plans.

Which should you choose?

Cursor is a standalone AI-native editor with codebase-aware chat and agent workflows, at $20/month Pro (Teams $40/month). GitHub Copilot is a plugin that layers AI into your existing editor and GitHub workflow, with a free tier and Pro at $10/month, Business at $19/month. Copilot's edge is native GitHub/PR integration and a cheaper entry price; Cursor's edge is a purpose-built editing experience. Choose Copilot if you want to keep your current editor and stay tightly integrated with GitHub; choose Cursor if you want an editor rebuilt around AI-first workflows.

TLDR

—If you want to keep your current editor and get tight GitHub integration at a lower price, choose GitHub Copilot.
—If you want an editor rebuilt from the ground up around AI agent workflows, choose Cursor.

Features

—Codebase-aware chat
—Inline edits
—Agent workflows
—Tab completions
—Terminal integration
—Bugbot
—Cloud agents
—MCP support

—Code completion
—AI chat
—Agent mode
—Code review
—Copilot CLI
—Multi-model access
—IDE integrations
—GitHub workflow integration

Pricing

Cursor

freemiumFree plan availableFirst-time users can start with a 2-week free Pro trial.

Plan	Price	Notes
Hobby	Free	Free tier with limited agent requests and limited model access.
Pro	$20/mo	Individual paid tier.
Teams	$40/mo	Per user per month.
Enterprise	Contact sales	Contact sales for enterprise pricing.

View pricing page →

GitHub Copilot

freemiumFree plan available

Plan	Price	Notes
Free	Free	Includes limited chat or agent requests and limited completions.
Pro	$10/mo	Individual paid tier.
Pro+	$39/mo	Higher-end individual tier with broader model access.
Business	$19/mo	Per user per month.
Enterprise	$39/mo	Per user per month.