Verdict
Pick Claude Code if most of your work runs on Claude models. Every paid Claude plan includes it, and your coding draws from the same flat-rate pool as your chats, so you aren’t paying per token. Ultra removes the five-hour window for verified accounts, which matters for long agent runs.
Pick Cursor if you want an AI-first editor and you’re comfortable with Grok and Cursor’s own models, or if you want to mix models from several vendors in one place. The catch is that Claude, GPT and Gemini are now billed at API list price from the first request, on top of the plan. If you’d mostly use them, price that out against a flat Claude or ChatGPT plan first.
Either way, factor in Cursor’s October security incident. Cursor says it’s contained and has contacted affected users, but anyone who installed the tampered extension should follow its security notice.
This page is re-checked whenever either tool changes its pricing, limits or models. See the change log for the details behind each row.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cursor or Claude Code cheaper?
Cursor Plus is $8 a month but runs Grok only. Claude Code starts with Claude Pro at $20. If you want Claude models, Claude Pro is usually cheaper than Cursor Premium ($30) plus API list price for every Claude request.
Can I use Claude Code inside Cursor?
Yes, Claude Code runs in Cursor's terminal like any other. Note that in October 2026 a tampered copy of the Claude Code extension was served from Cursor's marketplace for about 11 hours; Cursor says it's contained.
Which has better models?
Claude Code uses Anthropic's models, with Opus 5.5 by default. Cursor includes Grok and Composer, and offers Claude, GPT and Gemini on Premium and up at API list price.