The short answer
- Copilot Pro costs $10/mo against Cursor Pro at $20/mo, with agent mode, a CLI and code review in VS Code and JetBrains: a modeled first-year saving of $70. the math
- Light use? Cursor's free Hobby plan has limited agent requests and Composer, a modeled saving of $228 if it covers you. the math
- Copilot Free gives 2,000 completions a month; if that's enough, drop Copilot Pro for a modeled saving of $108. the math
- Cline and Aider are free, Apache-2.0 coding agents that use your own model API key: no seat, but you pay the model provider per token. the math
Who should switch, and who shouldn't
Switch if
- You use an agent in the editor, Tab completions and chat with your codebase, not cloud agents or a review bot. recipe
- You work in JetBrains or plain VS Code and don't need Cursor's editor: Copilot works in both. the math
- Your usage is bursty: with your own API key you pay per token instead of a monthly seat. the math
Stay if
- You use Cursor's cloud or background agents, its CLI agent, the code review bot, or MCP, rules and skills heavily. recipe
- Your team relies on centralized billing and administration in Cursor Teams. cursor.com
- You burn through premium-model requests: Copilot Pro includes 1,500 AI credits a month, and more needs Pro+ or Max. docs.github.com
What Cursor and GitHub Copilot cost today
List prices from each vendor's pricing page, as stored in the Stackcut catalog. Each price links its source.
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly (per month) | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cursor Pro (Individual) | $20/mo | not shown | Extended agent limits, frontier models, cloud agents; on-demand usage billed at API rates |
| Cursor Pro+ | $60/mo | not shown | Pro Plus: more included usage |
| Cursor Ultra | $200/mo | not shown | Highest individual included usage |
| Cursor Teams | $40/user/mo | not shown | Standard seat; centralized billing, SAML/OIDC SSO, Bugbot |
| GitHub Copilot Pro | $10/mo | not shown | 1,000 base + 500 flex = 1,500 AI credits/mo; unlimited completions |
| GitHub Copilot Pro+ | $39/mo | not shown | 3,900 base + 3,100 flex = 7,000 AI credits/mo; premium models |
| GitHub Copilot Business | $19/user/mo | not shown | $19 per granted seat; 1,900 AI credits per user/mo |
The alternatives, ranked
5 ways out, ranked by modeled saving in the first year after setup and upkeep (3 priced). Modeled, not measured: each figure links the math on the recipe page.
- The recipes model 1 developer against Cursor Pro at $20/mo and Copilot Pro at $10/mo. Per-token agents aren't priced, because the bill depends on your usage. recipe
What AI coding costs at 1, 5 and 20 developers
Individual plans are one per person; team plans are per seat and add central billing. Bring-your-own-key agents have no seat price.
| Option | List price | 1 developer | 5 developers | 20 developers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cursor Pro (Individual) today | $20/mobilled monthly | $20 | $100one plan per person | $400one plan per person |
| Cursor Teams today | $40/developer/mobilled monthly | $40 | $200 | $800 |
| GitHub Copilot Pro today | $10/mobilled monthly | $10 | $50one plan per person | $200one plan per person |
| GitHub Copilot Business today | $19/developer/mobilled monthly | $19 | $95 | $380 |
| GitHub Copilot Free2,000 completions a month | $0free plan | $0free tier | $0free tier | $0free tier |
| Cursor Hobbylimited agent requests | $0free plan | $0free tier | $0free tier | $0free tier |
| Cline or Aiderplus per-token model costs | $0 licenseApache-2.0 | $0+ your server | $0+ your server | $0+ your server |
How to leave Cursor and GitHub Copilot
Export first, then cancel. Every step links the vendor's own help page, checked on the date shown.
How to leave Cursor
Export first
- No export path documented yet.
Cancel
- cursor.com/dashboard/billing → Manage Subscription → Cancel Subscription → confirm.
- Subscriptions bought in the iOS or Android app are cancelled through Apple or Google Play. On Teams, an admin cancels.
- Takes effect
- You keep paid features until the end of the billing period; then the account reverts to the free Hobby plan.
- Refunds
- Individual plans: only if the charge was in the last 14 days and you haven't used the subscription in that period.
- After you cancel
- Cancelling doesn't delete your account or any local project files.
How to leave GitHub Copilot
Export first
- No export path documented yet.
Cancel
- Profile picture → Settings → Billing and licensing → Licensing (or Plans and usage) → GitHub Copilot → Manage subscription → Cancel subscription.
- Takes effect
- At the end of the current billing cycle.
- After you cancel
- You're moved to Copilot Free.
Not covered by the paths above, per the recipe: Frontier model choice, Cloud/background agents, CLI agent, Code review bot, MCP, rules and skills, Cloud coding agent, Pull request code review, Copilot CLI, Multiple model choice. If you rely on one of these, keep the incumbent or check the path closely.
Open-source and forkable options
- Cline: Free open-source agent in VS Code with your own model API key. No server; you pay the model provider per token, so cost depends on use. License: Apache-2.0 · source code
- Aider: Free terminal coding agent with your own model API key. No server; you pay the model provider per token, so cost depends on use. License: Apache-2.0 · source code
Open source means no license fee, not free to run: the server, backups and upgrades are yours. Read the license before you fork or resell; several of these are open-core or source-available.
FAQ
How do I cancel Cursor?
cursor.com/dashboard/billing → Manage Subscription → Cancel Subscription. You keep paid features until the period ends, then drop to Hobby; your account and local files stay. cursor.com
Can I get a refund from Cursor?
On individual plans, only within 14 days of the charge and only if you haven't used the subscription in that period. cursor.com
How do I cancel GitHub Copilot Pro?
Settings → Billing and licensing → Licensing → GitHub Copilot → Manage subscription → Cancel subscription. You move to Copilot Free at the end of the billing cycle. docs.github.com
Are Cline and Aider really free?
The tools are Apache-2.0 and cost nothing. You pay your model provider per token, so the cost depends on how much you use them. the math
Keep reading
Check your own stack
Get your free stack audit
Stackcut finds every software subscription in your inbox and shows what to cancel, what to pay per use, and what AI can replace, with a spec and a cost for each. Your stack audit is free and takes about 2 minutes.
Or ask your agent
Connect the Stackcut MCP server (https://stackcut.io/mcp, no API key) and ask: “Our 5 developers each pay for Cursor Pro and GitHub Copilot Pro. Which should we keep?”
audit_stack({"services": [
{"vendor": "cursor", "seats": 5},
{"vendor": "github_copilot", "seats": 5}]})