GitHub Copilot vs Cursor vs Claude Code: Best AI Coding Tool 2026

GitHub Copilot, Cursor and Claude Code are three of the most popular AI coding assistants, and all three changed their pricing in 2026. Copilot moved to credit-based billing in June, Cursor folded its plans into The X Subscription in October, and Anthropic now includes Claude Code in its Pro, Max and Ultra plans. This guide compares prices, limits and features as of 9 November 2026, using each company’s official pricing pages, so you can pick the right tool for how you code.

If you mainly want a general chatbot rather than a coding tool, see our ChatGPT Plus vs Claude Pro vs Gemini comparison.

What is the difference between Copilot, Cursor and Claude Code?

GitHub Copilot is an assistant that plugs into the tools you already use. GitHub says its credits work the same way across the IDE, github.com and the command line, and paid plans add a cloud agent and Copilot code review.

Cursor is an AI code editor. Its product page describes a path from “manual to agentic coding, in one familiar editor”, with agents that plan, write and review code. Cursor also has a command-line tool, cloud agents you can start from a browser or phone, and Bugbot, which reviews pull requests.

Claude Code is Anthropic’s coding agent. Anthropic says it understands your codebase, edits files and runs commands, and can read GitHub or GitLab issues, run tests and open pull requests. It works in the terminal, VS Code, Cursor, JetBrains IDEs, the Claude desktop app, the web, Slack and the iOS and Android apps.

How much does GitHub Copilot cost?

Since 1 June 2026, Copilot’s individual plans include a set allowance of AI credits. GitHub’s blog post from 12 May explained that each plan has “base” credits equal to its price, plus a “flex” top-up that GitHub says will change over time. As of 9 November 2026, GitHub lists:

Plan	Price	Monthly AI credits	Notes
Free	US$0	Limited	2,000 completions a month; limited chat and agent use
Student	Free for verified students	Allowance not stated	Copilot features at no cost
Pro	US$10/month	1,500 (1,000 base + 500 flex)	Unlimited completions, cloud agent, code review
Pro+	US$39/month	7,000 (3,900 + 3,100)	Adds Claude Code and Codex agents
Max	US$100/month	20,000 (10,000 + 10,000)	Priority access to new models and features
Business	US$19/seat/month	1,900 per user, pooled	Extra use at US$0.01 per credit
Enterprise	US$39/seat/month	3,900 per user, pooled	Extra use at US$0.01 per credit

GitHub says code completions and next edit suggestions on paid plans are unlimited and do not use credits. Verified teachers and maintainers of popular open-source projects may qualify for free Copilot Pro.

How much does Cursor cost?

On 12 October 2026, Cursor announced The X Subscription, which bundles Cursor with Grok, Grok Bot and X Premium. Its pricing page says subscriptions are sold through X Subscription Corp. Prices below exclude tax:

Plan	Monthly	Yearly	Usage	What you get
Free	US$0	–	Limited	Limited agent and chat requests
Plus	US$8	US$80	Base pool	Grok models only, fixed settings; no cloud agents or Bugbot
Premium	US$30	US$300	4x Plus	Cloud agents, automations, Bugbot code review, third-party models
Super	US$100	US$1,000	15x Plus	Priority model access at peak times
Ultra	US$200	US$2,000	50x Plus	Earliest access to new products and models
Teams	US$30, US$100 or US$200 per seat	–	Matches seat tier	SSO, central billing, usage analytics
Enterprise	Custom	–	Pooled	SCIM, audit logs, spend controls

Paid plans share a weekly usage pool across Cursor and Grok, covering Grok 4.7, 4.6 and 4.5 and Cursor’s Composer 2.5. On Premium and above, third-party models are charged at API list prices from prepaid credit. Older plans such as Pro (US$20) and Pro+ (US$60) still work for existing subscribers, but Cursor says moving to the new plans is permanent.

How much does Claude Code cost?

Claude Code is not a separate subscription. It comes with Anthropic’s paid Claude plans, and the free plan does not include it. As of 9 November 2026:

Plan	Price	Usage
Pro	US$20/month, or US$17/month billed annually (US$200 a year)	Baseline, with a five-hour limit and a weekly limit
Max	US$100/month	5x Pro; includes US$100 a month in API credits
Ultra	US$200/month	10x Pro weekly, no five-hour limit for verified accounts; US$200 a month in API credits
Team Standard	US$20/seat billed annually, US$25 monthly	More than Pro; 2 to 150 seats
Team Premium	US$100/seat billed annually, US$125 monthly	5x Standard seats
Enterprise	US$20/seat billed annually, plus usage at API rates	20-seat minimum

You can also run Claude Code through a Claude Console account, where Anthropic says it uses API tokens at standard API prices, which suits people who prefer pay-as-you-go.

Side-by-side comparison

	GitHub Copilot	Cursor	Claude Code
Free option	Yes, 2,000 completions a month	Yes, limited	No (Claude Free excludes it)
Cheapest paid plan	Pro, US$10	Plus, US$8	Pro, US$20
Top individual plan	Max, US$100	Ultra, US$200	Ultra, US$200
How usage is measured	Monthly AI credits	Weekly pool, plus credit for third-party models	Five-hour and weekly limits
Where it runs	IDE, github.com, CLI	Own editor, CLI, web, mobile	Terminal, IDEs, desktop, web, mobile, Slack

Pros and cons

GitHub Copilot

• Pros: low entry price; a real free tier; unlimited completions on paid plans; free for verified students and eligible teachers and maintainers; Pro+ and Max can use Claude Code and Codex agents.
• Cons: credit allowances take some working out; flex credits can change over time; Claude Code and Codex agents are not in Pro.

Cursor

• Pros: a full AI editor with agents, cloud agents and Bugbot in one place; yearly billing saves money; works from the browser and phone.
• Cons: the US$8 Plus plan is limited to Grok models; third-party models cost extra from prepaid credit; the move to The X Subscription is new and permanent for existing users who switch.

Claude Code

• Pros: works inside many editors, including Cursor and VS Code, so you do not have to switch tools; the same plan covers the Claude chat app; Max and Ultra include monthly API credits.
• Cons: no free option; the cheapest plan costs US$20; Pro has five-hour and weekly limits that heavy users may hit.

Which AI coding assistant should you choose?

1. Students and beginners: start with Copilot Free or Copilot Student, then upgrade to Pro at US$10 if you need more.
2. Developers who want an all-in-one AI editor: Cursor Premium at US$30 is the lowest Cursor plan with cloud agents and code review.
3. People who like working in the terminal or handing off bigger tasks: Claude Pro at US$20 gives you Claude Code plus the Claude chat app.
4. Heavy users: compare Copilot Max (US$100), Cursor Super (US$100) and Claude Max (US$100) based on which models and workflow you prefer.
5. Teams: Copilot Business costs US$19 per seat, Claude Team Standard US$20 per seat on annual billing, and Cursor Teams from US$30 per seat.

Before paying, try the free tier where one exists, and check the official pricing page again, because GitHub says its flex credits will vary over time and Anthropic says its plans are subject to change.