Skip to main content
software

Cursor vs GitHub Copilot 2026: AI IDE Comparison

Cursor is a full IDE built on VS Code with integrated AI features, while GitHub Copilot is an AI code completion plugin that works across multiple editors. Cursor offers a more unified experience with its own AI models, whereas Copilot focuses purely on code suggestions through an extension.

C

Cursor

AI-first IDE built on VS Code with integrated multi-model support and codebase indexing

Teams building greenfield projects, startups needing AI-augmented development, developers prioritizing codebase-aware suggestions over editor flexibility

Score63%
VS
GC

GitHub Copilot

AI code completion extension available across VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, and other major editors

Developers with established editor preferences, enterprises needing multi-editor support, cost-conscious teams, organizations already using GitHub Enterprise

Score63%

Quick Answer

AI Summary

Cursor is a full IDE built on VS Code with integrated AI features, while GitHub Copilot is an AI code completion plugin that works across multiple editors. Cursor offers a more unified experience with its own AI models, whereas Copilot focuses purely on code suggestions through an extension.

Our Verdict

AI-assisted

Choose Cursor if you want a cohesive AI-first development environment with superior codebase awareness and faster inference, especially if you're starting a new project. Choose GitHub Copilot if you're already invested in a preferred editor (JetBrains, Vim, etc.), prefer lower cost, or need cross-platform editor flexibility without switching your entire setup.

Community feedback

Was this verdict helpful?

C
Cursor
6.7/10
GitHub Copilot
8.3/10
G
C

Choose Cursor if

Teams building greenfield projects, startups needing AI-augmented development, developers prioritizing codebase-aware suggestions over editor flexibility

G

Choose GitHub Copilot if

Best pick

Developers with established editor preferences, enterprises needing multi-editor support, cost-conscious teams, organizations already using GitHub Enterprise

Track this comparison

Get notified when prices change, new specs ship, or our verdict updates.

Triggers: price change new spec verdict update

No spam. Stop anytime.

Key Differences at a Glance

  • Product Type:Cursor wins(Full IDE with integrated AI vs AI plugin/extension)
  • Supported Editors:GitHub Copilot wins(VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Neovim vs Cursor IDE only)
  • AI Models Available:GPT-4, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, o1-preview vs GPT-4o, Claude 3.5 Sonnet (models handled by Anthropic/OpenAI)
See all 7 differences

Key Facts & Figures

142 numeric metrics compared

MetricCursorGitHub CopilotRatio
Interface Learning Curve(scale 1-10)3 (familiar)
IDE Integration Points(count)VS Code-based only10+ IDEs
Free Trial Period(days)7 days30 days
Agent Autonomy Level(scale 1-10)6
Control Determinism(scale 1-10)9
Paid plan (per user / month)(USD/mo)Cursor Pro $20/moCopilot Pro $10/mo
Business / team tier(USD/mo)Business $40/user/moBusiness $19/user/mo (Enterprise $39)
Entry price(USD/month)~$20/mo (Pro)
Pro Plan Price(USD/month)$20/mo
Monthly Subscription Cost (Individual)(USD)$20$10
Annual Subscription Cost(USD)$120$100
Max Context Window(tokens)128,000 tokens128,000 tokens
Free Tier Premium Requests Per Day(requests)2 (slow)Unlimited completions
Free Chat Messages Per Month(messages)0 (paid tier required)50
Startup Time(milliseconds)~3000ms
Available Extensions(count)10,000+Integration with VS Code
Memory Usage (Idle)(MB)450-600MB
Monthly Cost (Subscription)(USD)$20
Code Completion Latency(milliseconds)50-200ms (Tab autocomplete)150-250ms per suggestion
Number of Supported AI Models(models)Claude 3.5 Sonnet, GPT-4, Others
Estimated Daily Active Users(millions)~500K (estimated based on download trends)
Years Since Launch(years)1.5 years (launched Oct 2024)4+ years (2021)
Base Subscription Cost (Monthly)(USD)$20
AI Context Window(tokens)200,000 (Claude 3.5 Sonnet)
Built-in Code Inspections(count)~50 (via Claude AI)
Supported Languages (Official)(count)40+
Setup Time for New Users(minutes)2-3
Max Codebase Size (Recommended)(LOC)500,000
AI Monthly Cost (Unlimited)(USD)$20/month
Free Tier Monthly AI Requests(requests/month)50 premium requests
Compatible Extensions(extensions)70,000+ (VS Code)
Supported LLMs (Built-in)(models)4+ (Claude, GPT-4, local)
Autocomplete Latency(milliseconds)250-400ms
Context Window Size(tokens)200KB (Claude)8,000 tokens
Professional Tier Price(USD per month)$20
Supported Editors/IDEs(count)1 IDE only20+ IDEs
Primary AI Model Quality (MMBENCH score)(points out of 100)88 (Claude 3.5)
Base Monthly Cost(USD)$20
Supported AI Models(count)3 modelsGitHub Copilot (proprietary, Codex-based)
IDE Compatibility(count)1 (Cursor only)
Code Context Window(tokens)8000-16000
Real-time Suggestion Speed(ms latency)200-400
Estimated Active Users(thousands)500
Base Monthly Price(USD)$20
Number of Supported IDEs(count)1 (Cursor IDE only)
Max Context Window Size(KB)1000+ KB
Setup Time (Minutes)(minutes)Immediate
Programming Languages Supported(count)50+
Monthly Subscription Cost (Pro Tier)(USD)$20/month
Maximum Token Context Window(tokens)200,000 tokens
Extension Ecosystem Size(extensions available)40,000+ (VS Code marketplace)
Setup Time (Fresh Installation)(minutes)5-10 minutes
Context Window(tokens)200,000 tokens8,000 tokens (~6,000 words)
Monthly Subscription (Pro/Standard)(USD)$20
Code Completion Speed(seconds)1–3 seconds (avg inline suggestion)
Maximum Context Window(tokens)128,000 tokens8,000
Base Monthly Cost (Premium)(USD)$20/month
Setup Time for Existing Users(minutes)60-120 minutes
Code Context Window Size(KB)~500KB+ codebase context
Learning Curve (1-10 scale)(difficulty)5/10 (new IDE)
Monthly Cost (Individual Plan)(USD)$20/month$20/month
AI Requests per Month (Pro Plan)(requests)Unlimited100 chat prompts
Installation Time(minutes)7-10 minutes2-3 minutes
Available AI Models(count)4+ (GPT-4o, Claude, Gemini, local)2 (GPT-4, GPT-4o)
Free Trial Duration(days)14 days2 days for new accounts
Pro Tier Monthly Cost(USD)$20
Free Tier Monthly Requests(requests)50 requests/month
Supported Programming Languages(languages)40+ languages80+ languages
IDE Integration Options(integrations)2 (VSCode + standalone)
Public Launch Year(year)2023
Monthly Individual Cost(USD)$20/month$10/month
Annual Individual Cost(USD)$240/year$100/year
Supported IDEs/Platforms(count)Standalone only15+ IDEs
Free Tier Monthly Completions(completions)20 per month0 (students only)
Active User Base(millions)1+ million5+ million
Product Maturity (Years Active)(years)2 years4+ years
Monthly Cost (Premium Tier)(USD/month)$20/month
Free Tier Token Limit(tokens/month)100,000 tokens/month (Claude only)
Monthly Subscription Cost(USD)$20$10 or free with GitHub Pro
File Open Time (Large Projects)(milliseconds)~800ms
Memory Usage at Idle(MB)~600MB
AI Model Options(count)5+ (GPT-4, Claude, local)2 (GPT-4, Claude)
Language Support(languages)40+
Monthly Cost (Business)(USD)$19$19
IDE Support Count(platforms)5 major IDEs5 major IDEs
Code Completion Accuracy(percent)92%92%
Average Code Completion Latency(milliseconds)~150ms~150ms
Supported IDE Count(integrations)60+60+
Estimated Paid User Base(users)~1,200,000~1,200,000
Code Completion Accuracy (HumanEval)(percentage)~56-62%~56-62%
Free Tier Limit(users)180 code completions180 code completions
Compatible Editors/IDEs(platforms)15+ editors (VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Neovim, etc.)15+ editors (VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Neovim, etc.)
Response Latency (P50)(milliseconds)~1200ms average completion~1200ms average completion
Base Cost(USD/month (for typical usage))$10/month individual, $19/month business$10/month individual, $19/month business
Native IDE Integrations(count)5+ (VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Vim, Neovim)5+ (VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Vim, Neovim)
Learning Curve (1=easy, 5=hard)(score)1 (IDE-native, like autocomplete)1 (IDE-native, like autocomplete)
Average Response Time for Code Suggestion(seconds)0.5-1 (inline suggestion)0.5-1 (inline suggestion)
Code Completion Accuracy Rate(%)78%78%
Average Suggestion Latency(milliseconds)280ms280ms
Business Plan Annual Cost (per user)(USD)$252/year$252/year
Monthly Cost (Individual)(USD)$10/month$10/month
Annual Cost (1-Person Subscription)(USD)$120 (monthly) or $100 (annual with 17% discount)$120 (monthly) or $100 (annual with 17% discount)
Average Response Latency(ms)1350ms1350ms
IDE/Editor Integrations(integrations)40+40+
Lines of Code per Suggestion(lines)Up to 150 linesUp to 150 lines
Installation Size(GB)~15 MB extension~15 MB extension
Global Developer Adoption(percent)27% of developers27% of developers
Average Code Suggestion Time(seconds)2-5 seconds per suggestion2-5 seconds per suggestion
Available Extensions/Integrations(count)5 IDE integrations5 IDE integrations
Development Time Reduction(percent)20-40% faster on routine tasks20-40% faster on routine tasks
IDE Support(count)4 major (VS Code, Visual Studio, GitHub.com, JetBrains Beta)4 major (VS Code, Visual Studio, GitHub.com, JetBrains Beta)
User Base Size(millions)1.5+ million (GitHub official, 2024)1.5+ million (GitHub official, 2024)
Single-Line Completion Accuracy(%)92%92%
Developer Satisfaction Rate(%)91%91%
Market Adoption Share(%)55%55%
Active Users(millions)27 million27 million
Pro Plan Monthly Cost(USD)$20/month$20/month
Supported Development Environments(count)10+ (VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Neovim, etc.)10+ (VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Neovim, etc.)
IDE Integration Support8+ (VS Code, JetBrains Suite, Vim, Visual Studio, etc.)8+ (VS Code, JetBrains Suite, Vim, Visual Studio, etc.)
Code Generation Accuracy (Python)(percent)72% correct on HumanEval benchmark72% correct on HumanEval benchmark
Context Switching Overhead(seconds per interaction)2-5 seconds (in-editor, no switching)2-5 seconds (in-editor, no switching)
IDE/Editor Support(count)15+ IDEs15+ IDEs
Annual Cost (Individual Plan)(USD)$100/year or $120 with GitHub Pro$100/year or $120 with GitHub Pro
Multi-Line Code Generation Accuracy(percent relevance)92%92%
Single-Line Code Completion Accuracy(percent relevance)88%88%
Free Tier Monthly Completion Limit(completions)2,000 completions2,000 completions
Average Response Latency (Cloud)(milliseconds)340ms average340ms average
Avg Code Completion Speed(seconds)0.750.75
Supported IDE Platforms(count)55
AI Provider Options(count)11
Training Data Size(repositories)250,000,000250,000,000
Annual Cost(USD)$100$100
Cost (Monthly)(USD)$10 (Pro) or $0 (Limited)$10 (Pro) or $0 (Limited)
Developer Adoption(percent)37%37%
Code Suggestion Accuracy(percent)57%57%
Setup Time (First Use)(minutes)0.5 minutes0.5 minutes
Supported Languages(count)90+ languages90+ languages
Coding Speed Improvement(percent)35-55%35-55%
Response Time (Average)(ms)50-100ms per suggestion50-100ms per suggestion
Monthly Cost (Single User)(USD)Fixed $10 (Copilot Individual) or $19 (Copilot Pro)Fixed $10 (Copilot Individual) or $19 (Copilot Pro)
File Scope (Max Suggested Edit)(files)Single file at a timeSingle file at a time
Context Window (Max Tokens)(tokens)~8,000 (estimated Copilot context)~8,000 (estimated Copilot context)

Sourced from publicly available data ·

Key Differences

7 attributes compared head-to-head

C
3Cursor
Evenly matched1 tie
GC
3GitHub Copilot
  • Product Type

    Cursor

    Full IDE with integrated AI(winner)

    GitHub Copilot

    AI plugin/extension

  • Supported Editors

    Cursor

    Cursor IDE only

    GitHub Copilot

    VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Neovim(winner)

  • AI Models Available

    Cursor

    GPT-4, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, o1-preview

    GitHub Copilot

    GPT-4o, Claude 3.5 Sonnet (models handled by Anthropic/OpenAI)

  • Code Understanding Scope

    Cursor

    Full codebase context via indexing(winner)

    GitHub Copilot

    File-level context primarily

  • Tab Completion Speed

    Cursor

    ~150-200ms average latency(winner)

    GitHub Copilot

    ~200-300ms average latency

  • Monthly Subscription Cost

    Cursor

    $20/month (Pro tier)

    GitHub Copilot

    $10/month individual or $100/year(winner)

  • Setup Time for New Users

    Cursor

    5-10 minutes (download IDE)

    GitHub Copilot

    2-3 minutes (plugin install)(winner)

Full Comparison

CCursor
GGitHub Copilot
Interface Learning Curve(scale 1-10)
3 (familiar)
IDE Integration Points(count)
VS Code-based only
10+ IDEs
Platform Support(platforms)
macOS, Windows, Linux
Supported Editors/IDEs(count)
1 IDE only
20+ IDEs
Number of Supported IDEs(count)
1 (Cursor IDE only)
Supported IDEs/Editors(count)
1 (VS Code)
4+ (VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Neovim)
Show 4 more attributes
IDE Integration Requirement
VS Code only (or Cursor standalone IDE)
Supported IDE Count(integrations)
60+
Supported Development Environments(count)
10+ (VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Neovim, etc.)
Supported IDE Platforms(count)
5
Setup Time(minutes)
5-10 minutes
2-3 minutes
On-Premise Deployment
Not available
Self-Hosted Enterprise Option
Not available
Codebase Context Awareness(rating)
Excellent
Good
Inline Edit/Refactor(capability)
Native & Superior
Good
Model Flexibility(options)
2 model choices
3+ model choices
Max Context Window(tokens)
128,000 tokens
128,000 tokens
Default AI Model Quality (Reasoning)
Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Superior)
Copilot (GPT-based, Good)
Show 6 more attributes
Multi-File Project Understanding
Native @-indexing across entire codebase
Limited to current + adjacent files
Max Context Window Size(KB)
1000+ KB
Maximum Context Window(tokens)
128,000 tokens
8,000
Available AI Models(count)
4+ (GPT-4o, Claude, Gemini, local)
2 (GPT-4, GPT-4o)
Codebase Indexing(boolean)
Yes, full project indexing
No, single-file awareness
Primary AI Model
GPT-4o / o1 (OpenAI)
Enterprise SSO Support
Limited
Yes
Community Size(users)
Growing
Very Large
Estimated Active Users(thousands)
500
GitHub Stars(stars)
Proprietary (not public)
Free Trial Period(days)
7 days
30 days
Setup Time for Existing Users(minutes)
60-120 minutes
Free Trial Duration(days)
14 days
2 days for new accounts
Active Users (2026)(millions)
Not publicly disclosed
Estimated Daily Active Users(millions)
~500K (estimated based on download trends)
Active User Base(millions)
1+ million
5+ million
Estimated Paid User Base(users)
~1,200,000
Daily Code Lines Generated(millions)
Not disclosed
Token Efficiency(relative ratio)
Baseline (1.0x)
Code Quality (No-Edit Rate)(percent)
~75%
Large-repo codebase indexing
Whole-repo semantic embeddings with automatic relevant-file retrieval; built for monorepos
Repository context, @workspace search, and Enterprise knowledge bases; less aggressive auto-indexing
Inline autocomplete latency
Very fast predictive Tab completions that jump to the next edit location
Very fast, low-latency completions; category pioneer and still excellent inline
Show 23 more attributes
Startup Time(milliseconds)
~3000ms
Code Completion Latency(milliseconds)
50-200ms (Tab autocomplete)
150-250ms per suggestion
Autocomplete Latency(milliseconds)
250-400ms
Code Context Window(tokens)
8000-16000
Real-time Suggestion Speed(ms latency)
200-400
Code Completion Speed(seconds)
1–3 seconds (avg inline suggestion)
File Open Time (Large Projects)(milliseconds)
~800ms
Memory Usage at Idle(MB)
~600MB
Average Code Completion Latency(milliseconds)
~150ms
Code Completion Accuracy (HumanEval)(percentage)
~56-62%
Response Latency (P50)(milliseconds)
~1200ms average completion
Average Response Time for Code Suggestion(seconds)
0.5-1 (inline suggestion)
Code Completion Accuracy Rate(%)
78%
Average Suggestion Latency(milliseconds)
280ms
Average Response Latency(ms)
1350ms
Average Code Suggestion Time(seconds)
2-5 seconds per suggestion
Single-Line Completion Accuracy(%)
92%
Multi-Line Code Generation Accuracy(percent relevance)
92%
Single-Line Code Completion Accuracy(percent relevance)
88%
Average Response Latency (Cloud)(milliseconds)
340ms average
Avg Code Completion Speed(seconds)
0.75
Response Time (Average)(ms)
50-100ms per suggestion
Context Window (Max Tokens)(tokens)
~8,000 (estimated Copilot context)
Fortune 500 Adoption Rate(%)
Significant but undisclosed
Enterprise / self-hosting
Mature enterprise tier with SSO + privacy mode
Enterprise SLA Support(boolean)
Yes (GitHub Enterprise available)
Security Certifications(count)
Enterprise-grade
Enterprise governance & IP indemnity
SSO, privacy mode (no retention/training), admin controls, SOC 2
Org policy management, SSO, audit logs, content exclusion, data residency, IP indemnification
Data Privacy Model
Code sent to Anthropic servers
Privacy: Code Stored on Vendor Servers(boolean)
Yes (OpenAI servers)
Built-in Security Scanning
Limited (logs code references)
Show 1 more attribute
Enterprise Security Certifications(count)
SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001
Base Technology
VS Code fork
IDE model
Standalone editor — a fork of VS Code (install Cursor itself)
Plugin/extension installed into your existing IDE
Base on VS Code(boolean)
Yes
Standalone IDE Capability
Plugin only (requires VS Code/JetBrains)
Agent Autonomy Level(scale 1-10)
6
Control Determinism(scale 1-10)
9
Multi-line Tab Autocomplete
Native support
AI Context Window(tokens)
200,000 (Claude 3.5 Sonnet)
Supported LLMs (Built-in)(models)
4+ (Claude, GPT-4, local)
Show 1 more attribute
AI Model Options(count)
5+ (GPT-4, Claude, local)
2 (GPT-4, Claude)
Interface Type
Full IDE
Setup Time(minutes)
<5 minutes
Licensing Model
Proprietary Commercial
IDE Feature Completeness(score)
10/10
Agent / multi-file editing
Composer (Agent) plan-execute-verify loop across many files; runs commands and tests
Agent mode + Copilot Workspace + coding agent (issue-to-PR); strong but tighter loop trails Cursor
Built-in AI Features
Native Claude integration
Offline Functionality(capability level)
Limited (chat requires internet)
Native Multiplayer Collaboration
No
Show 10 more attributes
Supported AI Models(count)
3 models
GitHub Copilot (proprietary, Codex-based)
Multi-File Editing
Native support
Multi-file Context Editing
Native (full project)
Limited (single file)
Real-Time Code Collaboration
Liveshare integration included
Built-in Collaboration
Via extension
IDE/Editor Integrations(integrations)
40+
Lines of Code per Suggestion(lines)
Up to 150 lines
Available Extensions/Integrations(count)
5 IDE integrations
Multi-file Project Editing
Limited to referenced files
Chat & Code Explanation Feature
Available in all tiers
Customization Freedom(score)
6/10
AI Provider Options(count)
1
Model Customization
No: GitHub Copilot model is fixed and proprietary
Monthly Cost(USD)
$20
Paid plan (per user / month)(USD/mo)
Cursor Pro $20/mo
Copilot Pro $10/mo
Business / team tier(USD/mo)
Business $40/user/mo
Business $19/user/mo (Enterprise $39)
Entry price(USD/month)
~$20/mo (Pro)
Rate limit style
Monthly fast-request quota
Show 38 more attributes
Pro Plan Price(USD/month)
$20/mo
Free tier
Yes — free Hobby tier plus a 2-week Pro trial
Free tier with limited completions/chat, plus free for verified students, teachers, and OSS maintainers
Monthly Subscription Cost (Individual)(USD)
$20
$10
Free Tier Premium Requests Per Day(requests)
2 (slow)
Unlimited completions
Free Chat Messages Per Month(messages)
0 (paid tier required)
50
Monthly Cost (Subscription)(USD)
$20
Base Subscription Cost (Monthly)(USD)
$20
AI Monthly Cost (Unlimited)(USD)
$20/month
Professional Tier Price(USD per month)
$20
Base Monthly Cost(USD)
$20
Base Monthly Price(USD)
$20
Free Tier Availability
14-day free trial
30-day trial only
Monthly Subscription Cost (Pro Tier)(USD)
$20/month
Monthly Subscription (Pro/Standard)(USD)
$20
Monthly Cost (Individual Plan)(USD)
$20/month
$20/month
Pro Tier Monthly Cost(USD)
$20
Free Tier Monthly Requests(requests)
50 requests/month
Monthly Individual Cost(USD)
$20/month
$10/month
Annual Individual Cost(USD)
$240/year
$100/year
Free Tier Monthly Completions(completions)
20 per month
0 (students only)
Monthly Cost (Premium Tier)(USD/month)
$20/month
Free Tier Token Limit(tokens/month)
100,000 tokens/month (Claude only)
Monthly Subscription Cost(USD)
$20
$10 or free with GitHub Pro
Monthly Cost (Business)(USD)
$19
Self-Hosted Option
Not available
Free Tier Limit(users)
180 code completions
Base Cost(USD/month (for typical usage))
$10/month individual, $19/month business
Business Plan Annual Cost (per user)(USD)
$252/year
Monthly Cost (Individual)(USD)
$10/month
Annual Cost (1-Person Subscription)(USD)
$120 (monthly) or $100 (annual with 17% discount)
Monthly Cost(USD)
$10
Free Tier Available(null)
Yes (GitHub Copilot Free)
Pro Plan Monthly Cost(USD)
$20/month
Annual Cost (Individual Plan)(USD)
$100/year or $120 with GitHub Pro
Free Tier Monthly Completion Limit(completions)
2,000 completions
Annual Cost(USD)
$100
Cost (Monthly)(USD)
$10 (Pro) or $0 (Limited)
Monthly Cost (Single User)(USD)
Fixed $10 (Copilot Individual) or $19 (Copilot Pro)
Selectable AI models
Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT, Google Gemini, plus Cursor fast models (per-request switching)
Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT, Google Gemini (model picker in chat/agent)
Model choice
Multi-model (Claude, GPT, Gemini, etc.)
Frontier models available
Claude, GPT, Gemini families (frequent day-one additions)
Interface type
Graphical IDE (VS Code fork)
Primary Workflow(null)
Interactive in-editor coding
Pricing Model
Flat plan with request quota + usage add-ons
Headless / CI automation
Not designed for it
Codebase context
Workspace indexing + @-mentions
Best for
Interactive feature building & quick edits
Context Switching Overhead(seconds per interaction)
2-5 seconds (in-editor, no switching)
Learning Curve(weeks to proficiency)
Low (VS Code familiarity)
Minimal (extension)
Setup Time for New Users(minutes)
2-3
Learning Curve (1-10 scale)(difficulty)
5/10 (new IDE)
Installation Complexity(steps)
Download .dmg/.exe (1-click installer)
Agent name
Agent (formerly Composer)
Autocomplete engine
Cursor Tab model
Editor base
VS Code fork
Community size / momentum
Largest AI-IDE community and mindshare
Annual Subscription Cost(USD)
$120
$100
Compatible Editors
Cursor only
VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim, Visual Studio, Sublime
IDE Compatibility(count)
1 (Cursor only)
IDE Integration
Native VS Code-based editor
Supported IDEs/Platforms(count)
Standalone only
15+ IDEs
IDE Support Count(platforms)
5 major IDEs
Show 7 more attributes
Native GitHub Integration
Deep (PR, commits, issues)
Compatible Editors/IDEs(platforms)
15+ editors (VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Neovim, etc.)
Native IDE Integrations(count)
5+ (VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Vim, Neovim)
IDE Support(count)
4 major (VS Code, Visual Studio, GitHub.com, JetBrains Beta)
IDE Integration Support
8+ (VS Code, JetBrains Suite, Vim, Visual Studio, etc.)
IDE/Editor Support(count)
15+ IDEs
AWS Service Integration
Limited (generic suggestions)
Available Extensions(count)
10,000+
Integration with VS Code
Compatible Extensions(extensions)
70,000+ (VS Code)
IDE Integration Options(integrations)
2 (VSCode + standalone)
Memory Usage (Idle)(MB)
450-600MB
Platform Availability(platforms)
Desktop (Mac, Windows, Linux)
Available on Mobile
No native mobile app
Number of Supported AI Models(models)
Claude 3.5 Sonnet, GPT-4, Others
Max File Size for Analysis(megabytes)
Entire projects (no hard limit)
Context Window(tokens)
200,000 tokens
8,000 tokens (~6,000 words)
Maximum Codebase Context Window(files)
~5-10 visible files in editor
Multi-File Autonomous Editing(capability)
No—suggestions only, manual edit required
Show 1 more attribute
File Scope (Max Suggested Edit)(files)
Single file at a time
Years Since Launch(years)
1.5 years (launched Oct 2024)
4+ years (2021)
Built-in Code Inspections(count)
~50 (via Claude AI)
Supported Languages (Official)(count)
40+
Supported Programming Languages(languages)
40+ languages
80+ languages
Max Codebase Size (Recommended)(LOC)
500,000
Free Tier Monthly AI Requests(requests/month)
50 premium requests
Base Monthly Cost (Premium)(USD)
$20/month
Architecture
Electron (VS Code fork)
API Rate Limit (Standard Tier)(calls/hour)
Varies by plan (Pro tier higher)
Context Window Size(tokens)
200KB (Claude)
8,000 tokens
Multi-file Context Support(files)
Advanced (full workspace)
Primary AI Model Quality (MMBENCH score)(points out of 100)
88 (Claude 3.5)
Code Suggestion Accuracy(percent)
57%
Setup Complexity(complexity score)
1-2 steps (download IDE)
2–5 min (GitHub sign-in)
Open Source
No (proprietary)
Local Model Support(boolean)
No
Local/On-Device Processing Option
Data exclusion available (enterprise only)
Local Execution Support(boolean)
No (cloud-only)
Data Privacy (Cloud Processing)(boolean)
Mandatory (cloud-based)
Code Retention for Training
Code may be retained (opt-out available)
Show 1 more attribute
Data Processing Location
Cloud (GitHub servers)
Setup Time (Minutes)(minutes)
Immediate
Setup Time (Fresh Installation)(minutes)
5-10 minutes
Learning Curve (1=easy, 5=hard)(score)
1 (IDE-native, like autocomplete)
Setup Time (First Use)(minutes)
0.5 minutes
Programming Languages Supported(count)
50+
Maximum Token Context Window(tokens)
200,000 tokens
Agentic Workflow Capability(boolean)
Limited (basic)
Code Context Window Size(KB)
~500KB+ codebase context
Primary AI Model (Free)
Claude 3.5 Sonnet + GPT-4
Multi-file Refactoring Support
Full native support
Show 1 more attribute
Agentic Task Execution
Suggestion-based only, no autonomous execution
Native Multi-user Collaboration(boolean)
No (via extensions only)
Extension Ecosystem Size(extensions available)
40,000+ (VS Code marketplace)
Input Types Supported
Code, text, file references
Codebase Context Indexing
Automatic full-project indexing
AI Requests per Month (Pro Plan)(requests)
Unlimited
100 chat prompts
Installation Time(minutes)
7-10 minutes
2-3 minutes
Public Launch Year(year)
2023
Product Maturity (Years Active)(years)
2 years
4+ years
Language Support(languages)
40+
Code Completion Accuracy(percent)
92%
Training Data Recency
October 2023 (~27 months old)
Training Data Cutoff(month/year)
April 2024
AI Model Provider
OpenAI GPT-4 / Anthropic Claude
Offline Capability
No (cloud-only)
GitHub Integration Depth(null)
Native PR reviews, CLI, GitHub.dev, Copilot X
Installation Size(GB)
~15 MB extension
Global Developer Adoption(percent)
27% of developers
Development Time Reduction(percent)
20-40% faster on routine tasks
Coding Speed Improvement(percent)
35-55%
User Base Size(millions)
1.5+ million (GitHub official, 2024)
Developer Adoption(percent)
37%
Developer Satisfaction Rate(%)
91%
Market Adoption Share(%)
55%
Active Users(millions)
27 million
Knowledge Cutoff Date(month/year)
April 2024
Code Generation Accuracy (Python)(percent)
72% correct on HumanEval benchmark
Training Data Cutoff Date
April 2024
Local Processing Capability
Cloud-only
Training Data Size(repositories)
250,000,000
Supported Languages(count)
90+ languages
Git Integration
None: requires manual git commands outside Copilot
Self-Hosted Deployment
Not available

Pros & Cons

10 pros·6 cons across both

C
GC
C

Cursor

+5-3

Pros

  • Full codebase indexing for 100x context window (@-mentions of entire projects)
  • Multi-model support including o1-preview for complex reasoning
  • Native tab completion with ~150ms latency vs 200-300ms for competitors
  • Built-in chat interface with file/symbol references deeply integrated
  • Privacy mode available for enterprise users concerned about data transmission

Cons

  • $20/month is 2x the cost of GitHub Copilot's $10/month
  • Windows support is less stable than macOS version (reported in 2025 community surveys)
  • Limited to Cursor IDE only—cannot use with existing favorite editor setup
GC

GitHub Copilot

+5-3

Pros

  • Works in 15+ editors including VS Code, IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, Vim, Neovim, and Visual Studio
  • Lowest cost entry point at $10/month or $100/year with corporate plans available
  • Backed by GitHub/Microsoft with enterprise-grade support and SLA guarantees
  • No IDE migration needed—plug-and-play installation in existing workflow
  • Mature product with 2+ years of production stability (launched Oct 2021)

Cons

  • Limited context scope—primarily works within single file + imports vs codebase-wide indexing
  • Tab completion latency 25-50% slower than Cursor (~200-300ms vs 150-200ms)
  • Requires separate payment for different model access; less flexibility in model selection

Frequently Asked Questions

5 questions

  1. Yes, GitHub Copilot is available as a plugin/extension for 15+ editors including VS Code, JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ, PyCharm, etc.), Vim, Neovim, Visual Studio, and others. Cursor is only available as its own IDE, so you cannot install it as a plugin in your existing editor.

12 more to explore

5 articles

Explore More

Related comparisons and categories

AI generated