A dedicated AI code editor and a cross-editor GitHub assistant, compared for everyday repository work. This guidance is based on company pages linked from the profiles below.
You want repository chat, agents, and multi-file editing in Cursor's editor, from its CLI in an existing IDE workflow, or through a documented ACP integration.
Look elsewhere if: You need Cursor inside an editor beyond the documented JetBrains, Zed, or Neovim paths without building a custom ACP client, need confirmed JetBrains ACP access on Cursor's free Hobby plan, or cannot route code context through Cursor's hosted backend.
Development already runs through GitHub and supported editors, with review and agents in that workflow.
Look elsewhere if: You want a dedicated AI-first editor or need every feature to run fully self-hosted.
| Detail | CursorAnysphere | GitHub CopilotGitHub |
|---|---|---|
| Made for | Developer tool | Developer tool |
| US price | Free; Pro $20/mo; Pro+ $60/mo; Ultra $200/mo (opens in a new tab) Full Cursor plan detailsHobby is free. Pro costs $20 monthly and includes $20 of third-party model usage; Pro+ costs $60 and includes $70; Ultra costs $200 and includes $400. On individual plans, third-party model usage is charged at the model's API price. On Teams and Enterprise, Cursor adds $0.25 per million tokens to third-party model API pricing for included, on-demand, and BYOK usage; Auto Cost and Cursor's first-party models are exempt. Cursor describes each plan's separate allowance for its own models only as ‘generous included usage,’ without a number. Teams Standard is $40 per user monthly. Pro, Pro+, and Ultra can continue after included usage with monthly on-demand billing; Start does not include on-demand usage. On Teams, usage is allocated per user and does not transfer; on-demand is enabled by default, with a configurable monthly team-wide spending limit. Cloud Agents are charged at the selected model's API price, and Cursor asks you to set a spend limit before first use. | Free; Pro $10/mo (opens in a new tab) Full GitHub Copilot plan detailsFree plan. Pro is listed at $10 monthly, Pro+ at $39, and Max at $100. For organizations, Business is $19 per user monthly and Enterprise is $39 per user monthly; Enterprise requires GitHub Enterprise Cloud. |
| Ways to use it | Web, Phone browser, macOS, Windows, Linux, Desktop editor, CLI, JetBrains IDEs, Zed, Neovim | GitHub, GitHub Mobile, macOS, Windows, Linux, VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Xcode, CLI, More editors |
| Access | Desktop editor and terminal, ACP support for JetBrains IDEs, Zed, Neovim, and custom clients, plus cloud agents through a browser, phone, Slack, GitHub, or Linear. Cursor says JetBrains ACP is free for users on paid plans; the checked pages do not state whether Hobby users can use it. | Hosted service available on GitHub, GitHub Mobile, supported editors, and the command line, plus a desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux. |
| Where it runs | Desktop and terminal clients plus cloud agents. | GitHub-hosted by default with organization and enterprise controls; supported clients can instead use third-party or local models through local BYOK without a Copilot subscription, though provider costs may apply. |
| Profile evidence | Capabilities · Access · Limits · collected Aug 2, 2026 | Capabilities · Access · Limits · collected Aug 1, 2026 |
Start with Cursor when you want its editor, its CLI in an existing IDE workflow, or documented ACP paths for JetBrains IDEs, Zed, Neovim, and custom clients. Cursor says JetBrains ACP is free for users on paid plans; its checked pages do not state whether Hobby users can use it. Start with GitHub Copilot when you want its supported editor integrations tied directly to GitHub workflows.
Company sources: Cursor download (opens in a new tab) · Cursor CLI (opens in a new tab) · Cursor ACP (opens in a new tab) · Cursor in JetBrains IDEs (opens in a new tab) · What is GitHub Copilot? (opens in a new tab)Cursor’s desktop Agent can edit workspace files without approval; Shell, MCP, and Fetch calls follow its selected Auto-review, allowlist, or Run Everything mode. Its Cloud Agents auto-run terminal commands in isolated virtual machines with internet access on by default. GitHub Copilot’s desktop app is a separate boundary: it can run parallel agent sessions in dedicated Git worktrees and branches, offers Interactive, Plan, and Autopilot modes, and can instead start a session in a public-preview cloud sandbox hosted by GitHub. Its separate cloud agent works in an ephemeral GitHub Actions environment, can change only the selected repository and one branch, and creates pull requests that a human must review and merge. By default, its GitHub Actions workflows wait for a user with write access to approve them.
Company sources: Cursor Agent security (opens in a new tab) · Cursor run modes (opens in a new tab) · Cursor Auto-review (opens in a new tab) · Cursor Cloud Agent security (opens in a new tab) · GitHub Copilot app (opens in a new tab) · GitHub Copilot cloud agent (opens in a new tab) · GitHub Copilot cloud agent risks and mitigations (opens in a new tab)Cursor says requests still pass through its backend for final prompt building, even when you supply an API key. GitHub lists a separate local BYOK path for VS Code, JetBrains, Xcode, Copilot CLI, the Copilot app, and the Copilot SDK. It can use local or externally hosted models; GitHub says keys stay client-side and the path removes the Copilot API dependency, making it suitable for air-gapped environments or use without a Copilot subscription. This applies only to those listed clients, not every Copilot feature. Business or Enterprise administrators can disable local BYOK in IDEs. GitHub's separate Enterprise BYOK path is server-side and still requires a Copilot license and internet access.
Company sources: Cursor data use (opens in a new tab) · GitHub Copilot BYOK (opens in a new tab)With Privacy Mode on, Cursor says it and its model providers do not train on customer data; with it off, Cursor may use codebase data, prompts, editor actions, and code snippets for training. GitHub says Copilot Free, Pro, Pro+, and Max interactions—including code context from a private repository while Copilot is active—may be used for training unless the user opts out; private repositories at rest and Business or Enterprise customer data are excluded.
Company sources: Cursor data use (opens in a new tab) · Managing GitHub Copilot policies (opens in a new tab) · GitHub Copilot interaction data policy update (opens in a new tab)Use the price row above for plan costs and Cursor’s usage details. Cursor describes the separate allowance for its own models only as ‘generous included usage,’ without a number. GitHub Copilot’s official plans page conflicts on Max’s monthly AI Credit allowance. Confirm both before subscribing, then estimate a normal week’s model mix.
Company sources: Cursor models and pricing (opens in a new tab) · GitHub Copilot plans (opens in a new tab)