If you want Claude models, Claude Code is the cheaper way in: Claude Pro costs $20 a month ($17 billed annually) and includes Claude Code, while Cursor's comparable Premium tier costs $30 and bills third-party models such as Claude at API list price. Cursor's $8 Plus tier is the cheapest paid option of the two, but it runs Grok models only.
Prices were read on cursor.com/pricing, the X Subscription docs, and claude.com/pricing on October 23, 2026. Our June 11, 2026 version cited third-party benchmarks claiming a 5.5x token-efficiency gap between the two tools; we could not verify those numbers against a primary source and removed them. Token efficiency depends on your tasks, so measure it on your own work.
Fast answer
- Cursor, sold through X Subscription since October 12, 2026: Plus $8 (Grok models only), Premium $30 (4x), Super $100 (15x), Ultra $200 (50x), Teams from $30 per user.
- Claude Code: included in Claude Pro ($20, or $17 billed annually), Max 5x ($100), Max 20x ($200), Team, and Enterprise. Not on Free.
- Cursor bills third-party models, including Claude and GPT, at API list price. Claude Code draws on your Claude plan's 5-hour and weekly limits, shared with Claude chat.
- Cursor Premium also bundles SuperGrok and X Premium+, which X says previously cost $90 a month combined.
| Monthly price | Cursor (X Subscription) | Claude (Claude Code included) |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | Free | Claude Free, without Claude Code |
| $8 | Plus: Grok models only | No plan at this price |
| $17 to $20 | No plan at this price | Pro: $17/month billed annually, $20 monthly |
| $30 | Premium: 4x, includes SuperGrok and X Premium+ | No plan at this price |
| $100 | Super: 15x | Max 5x: 5x Pro per session, plus $100 of API credits that cannot be used in Claude Code |
| $200 | Ultra: 50x | Max 20x: 20x Pro per session, plus $200 of API credits that cannot be used in Claude Code |
| Teams | From $30 per user | Team Standard $25/seat monthly ($20 annual); Premium $125 ($100 annual) |
Usage multiples are each vendor's own label and are not comparable across vendors. Cursor, X, and Anthropic list prices exclude tax.
Where the token math matters
On Cursor, choosing Claude or GPT models means those tokens are billed at API list price. As of October 23, 2026, that is $4 / $20 per million input and output tokens for Claude Opus 5.5, $2 / $10 for Claude Sonnet 5.5, and $2 / $10 for OpenAI's GPT-6.1 Sol.
Example: a month with 20 million input and 4 million output tokens on Claude Sonnet 5.5 comes to $40 plus $40, so $80 at list price. On Opus 5.5 the same tokens cost $80 plus $80, so $160. In Claude Code on a Pro or Max plan the same work costs no extra money, but it draws down the plan's 5-hour and weekly limits; past them you wait for the reset or pay for usage credits.
That is the real trade: Cursor turns heavy third-party model use into a per-token bill on top of a cheap or mid-priced subscription, while Claude Code turns it into limit pressure inside a fixed price. Light users of Claude models usually come out ahead on Claude Pro; heavy Grok users come out ahead on Cursor.
Which is cheaper for you?
- Choose Claude Code on Claude Pro if you mainly want Claude models and work in a terminal or repository: $17 to $20 a month is the lowest price for Claude-model coding in this comparison.
- Choose Cursor Plus ($8) if Grok models are enough for your work and you want the cheapest paid tier in this comparison.
- Choose Cursor Premium ($30) if you want Cursor's editor plus SuperGrok and X Premium+, and budget API list price for any Claude or GPT tokens.
- Choose Claude Max ($100 or $200) if a lean workflow still hits Pro limits; compare it with Cursor Super ($100) or Ultra ($200) only if you also use Grok.
- Choose both only if they do different jobs, for example Cursor for quick in-editor edits and Claude Code for multi-file changes, and track the two bills together.
A two-tool setup worth testing
If you run both, start each at its entry tier for a month: Cursor Plus at $8 or Premium at $30, and Claude Pro at $17 to $20. Route fast in-editor edits to Cursor and deep, multi-file work to Claude Code, then check which tool hit its limit or produced per-token charges. Upgrade the one that blocked you, not both. The catch is keeping track of what each one costs you.
FAQ
Is Claude Code cheaper than Cursor?
For Claude-model coding, usually yes at the entry level: Claude Pro ($20, or $17 billed annually) includes Claude Code, while Cursor needs Premium ($30) for third-party models and bills them at API list price. For Grok-only work, Cursor Plus at $8 is cheaper. Above $100, the answer depends on which limit you hit first.
Does Cursor still have a $20 Pro plan?
Cursor's pricing page no longer lists it. As of October 23, 2026, Cursor lists Free, Plus ($8), Premium ($30), Super ($100), and Ultra ($200), sold through X Subscription Corp. X says existing Cursor plans continue unless you change or cancel them, and switching gives a prorated refund.
Should I use both Cursor and Claude Code?
Only if they do different jobs for you. Start both at entry tier ($8 or $30 for Cursor, $17 to $20 for Claude Pro), route fast edits to Cursor and multi-file work to Claude Code, and drop whichever one you stop opening.
How do I track Cursor and Claude Code costs together?
Provider dashboards only show one tool at a time. A menu bar tracker like Tokens 4 Breakfast consolidates both (plus other providers) into one live view with spend forecasting.
Want the full coding-agent comparison?
See Cursor, Claude Code, and GitHub Copilot ranked by workflow fit in the AI Picks hub.