// head_to_head
Claude Code vs Cursor
Plans, included models and benchmark scores for Claude Code and Cursor, side by side — and which to pick for what.
All coding toolsPlans checked 2026-10-27
Cursor: SpaceXAI completed its acquisition of Cursor on August 14, 2026. The $8 Plus plan offers Grok models only.
Which to choose
- You want the strongest model for coding work: Claude Code. Its best included model, Claude Fable 5.1, scores 97.7 on LiveBench coding against 84.5 for SpaceXAI: Grok 4.7 on Cursor.
- You want the strongest model for long-horizon agentic work: Claude Code. Its best included model, Claude Fable 5.1, scores 77.9 on LiveBench long-horizon agentic against 46.1 for SpaceXAI: Grok 4.7 on Cursor.
- You want the lowest paid entry price: Cursor. Cursor Plus is $8/mo against $20/mo for Claude Code Pro.
- You want to pay per token with your own API key: Claude Code. Claude Code accepts your own API key, so cost tracks usage instead of a plan’s limits.
Side by side
| Claude Code | Cursor | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Anthropic | SpaceXAI |
| Where you use it | Terminal agent, plus IDE extensions, desktop and web | AI code editor (VS Code fork) with cloud agents |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Paid from | $20/mo · Pro | $8/mo · Plus |
| Best coding model | 97.7Claude Fable 5.1 | 84.5SpaceXAI: Grok 4.7 |
| Best agentic model | 77.9Claude Fable 5.1 | 46.1SpaceXAI: Grok 4.7 |
| Own API key | Yes | No |
| Open source | No | No |
Claude Code plans and models
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Pro | $20/mo$17/mo billed annually | At least 5× Free usage per five-hour session; weekly limits apply+ Fable via usage credits |
| Max | from $100/mo | 5× or 20× Pro usage per session, plus $100 or $200 in monthly API credits; Fable capped at 50% of weekly limits |
| Team (Standard)team | $25/moper seat · $20 billed annually | More usage than Pro; 2–150 seats |
| Team (Premium)team | $125/moper seat · $100 billed annually | 5× Standard usage; Fable capped at 50% of weekly limits |
| Model | Coding | Long-horizon agentic | Same work via API |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Fable 5.1 | 97.7 | 77.9 | $6,540/mo |
| Claude Opus 5.5 | 96.3 | 72.8 | $2,672/mo |
| Claude Sonnet 5.5 | 94.7 | 63.4 | $1,336/mo |
| Claude Haiku 5.5 | 91.4 | 40.0 | $69.60/mo |
Cursor plans and models
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Limited chat and agent requestsModels not named by the vendor |
| Plus | $8/mo | Shared usage pool; Grok models only |
| Premium | $30/mo | 4× Plus usage; cloud agents and automations+ Third-party models at API list price |
| Super | $100/mo | 15× Plus usage; priority access at peak+ Third-party models at API list price |
| Ultra | $200/mo | 50× Plus usage; earliest access to new models+ Third-party models at API list price |
| Teamsteam | $30/moper user · from | Pooled usage, 4–50× Plus+ Third-party models at API list price |
| Model | Coding | Long-horizon agentic | Same work via API |
|---|---|---|---|
| SpaceXAI: Grok 4.7 | 84.5 | 46.1 | $1,240/mo |
Grok models are included; third-party models are billed separately at API list price.
Claude Code vs Cursor FAQ
Is Claude Code or Cursor cheaper?
Cursor has the lower entry price: Claude Code Pro is $20/mo and Cursor Plus is $8/mo.
Which is better if you want the strongest model for coding work?
Claude Code. Its best included model, Claude Fable 5.1, scores 97.7 on LiveBench coding against 84.5 for SpaceXAI: Grok 4.7 on Cursor.
Which is better if you want the strongest model for long-horizon agentic work?
Claude Code. Its best included model, Claude Fable 5.1, scores 77.9 on LiveBench long-horizon agentic against 46.1 for SpaceXAI: Grok 4.7 on Cursor.
Do Claude Code and Cursor have free plans?
Claude Code: no. Cursor: yes.
Where these numbers come from
- Plans and prices — each vendor's own pricing page, checked 2026-10-27: Claude Code, Cursor. Usage allowances change often; check before you buy.
- Model scores — LiveBench coding and long-horizon agentic categories for the models each plan includes, live from the same data as the leaderboard. A tool's own agent loop matters too; these scores rate the model, not the tool.
- “Same work via API” — a heavy coding-agent month (40K tokens in, 4K out, 20K requests, 70% cached input) at OpenRouter list price, for comparing a subscription against paying per token.