Claude Code vs Cursor: the editor agent and the terminal agent, from the docs
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Claude Code vs Cursor is a choice between a terminal-first coding agent and an AI editor. This page compares them from Anthropic's and Cursor's own docs: where each one runs, which models it uses, how plans and usage work, how they handle background work and code review, and how to use them together.
Status: Not tested yet. We have not run Claude Code and Cursor on the same job, so this page has no winner and no scores of our own. Sources were checked on 2026-10-31, and both companies change these pages often.
The short version
Claude Code is Anthropic's coding agent. It started in the terminal and now also runs as IDE extensions, in the Claude desktop app, on the web and in Slack. It reads your codebase, edits files, runs commands, and can commit and open pull requests. It runs Claude models and comes with paid Claude plans.
Cursor is an AI editor and coding agent. Its Agent plans and builds features, fixes bugs and reviews changes inside the editor. It also has a terminal CLI and Cloud Agents that run in isolated cloud VMs. Cursor is now sold as part of The X Subscription, one subscription for Grok, Cursor and X. Its included usage covers Cursor's own models (Grok 4.7, 4.6, 4.5 and Composer 2.5); Claude and other third-party models cost extra.
So the real split is where you want to work and which models you want to pay for: a terminal-first agent tied to Claude, or an editor-first agent with its own models and others on top.
Side by side
| Claude Code (Anthropic) | Cursor | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An AI-powered coding assistant that understands your codebase. The terminal CLI edits files and runs commands. The overview also describes commits, pull requests, and scheduled tasks. | A coding agent for understanding a repo, planning and building features, fixing bugs, and reviewing changes. Agent edits files and runs terminal commands. The CLI uses the same modes, and Cloud Agents run in isolated VMs. |
| Where you use it | Terminal CLI, VS Code (with an Install for Cursor link), JetBrains, the desktop app, the browser at claude.ai/code, and the Claude iOS and Android apps. Slack is listed too. | The desktop editor, the CLI, cursor.com/agents, the Cursor iOS app, and an Android path through Chrome. Cloud Agents can also start from Slack, GitHub, Bitbucket, Linear, or the API. |
| Models | Claude models only. The default on Pro, Max, Ultra, Team, Enterprise and the Anthropic API is Opus 5.5; Sonnet 5.5, Haiku 5.5 and Fable 5.1 can be selected. | The included weekly pool covers Grok 4.7, Grok 4.6, Grok 4.5, and Composer 2.5. Claude, GPT, and Gemini are third-party models. On Premium and above they bill at API list price from prepaid credit. Free and Plus do not include them. |
| How billing works | Included in paid Claude plans (Pro, Max, Ultra, Team, Enterprise) and shares their usage limits with chat: a rolling five-hour window plus weekly limits. A Console account pays per API token instead. | New customers buy The X Subscription (Free, Plus, Premium, Super, Ultra, Teams, Enterprise). Paid plans include a weekly pool for Cursor's own models, shared with Grok. Plus leaves out Cloud Agents, Bugbot and third-party models. Legacy Cursor plans continue for existing subscribers. |
| Background and cloud agents | Cloud sessions run on Anthropic's infrastructure and keep going after you close the laptop. Pro, Max, Ultra, Team and some Enterprise seats can start them, and the docs say the cloud VM has no separate charge. A self-hosted option is in public beta on Team and Enterprise. | Cloud Agents run in isolated VMs, in parallel, without your machine online. They are not on Free or Plus. Premium and higher, Teams, Enterprise, or a legacy paid plan include them. The docs say Cloud Agents were formerly called Background Agents. |
| Rules, skills, MCP, and hooks | CLAUDE.md for standing instructions, skills (Agent Skills standard), hooks at lifecycle events, MCP servers for outside tools, and subagents with their own context. | Rules in .cursor/rules (plus user and team rules) and AGENTS.md, skills, MCP servers, hooks in hooks.json, and subagents. Cursor also reads Claude skill folders and Claude Code hook files. |
| Code review | /code-review inside a session on any plan. A GitHub Code Review service on Team and Enterprise posts inline comments on pull requests. | Agent Review checks local changes in the editor. Bugbot reviews pull requests; Cursor's plan page lists it on Premium and above. |
Prices are left out on purpose. Current numbers are on Anthropic's plans page and Cursor's models and pricing page; legacy Cursor plans are on Cursor's plan help.
How the two feel different
Where the session lives. Anthropic's platforms page calls the terminal CLI the most complete Claude Code surface for terminal-native work; the desktop app and IDE extensions trade some CLI-only features for visual review. Cursor starts from the editor: Agent sits in a side pane next to your code, and the CLI and Cloud Agents use the same modes.
How it asks for permission. In the terminal, Claude Code asks before it edits files or runs commands, and Anthropic says auto mode is now the default on Pro, Max and Team, designed to still catch risky commands. Cursor's Agent edits files and runs terminal commands from the editor, and the CLI can hand a turn to a Cloud Agent.
Models and billing. Claude Code always uses Claude, inside your Claude plan's limits. In Cursor, the weekly pool covers Cursor's own models; picking Claude in Cursor is third-party usage at API list price from prepaid credit, on Premium and above.
Working in the background. Both can keep working with your laptop closed. Claude Code cloud sessions start at Pro; Cursor Cloud Agents start at Premium (or a legacy paid plan) and can be started from Slack, GitHub, Linear or the API.
Using Claude Code inside Cursor
You don't have to pick one. Anthropic's VS Code page has an "Install for Cursor" link for the Claude Code extension, and the product page lists native extensions for VS Code and Cursor. The extension signs in with a paid Claude plan or a Claude Console account, so its usage comes from Anthropic, not from your Cursor pool.
That is different from choosing a Claude model in Cursor's own Agent, which bills through Cursor as third-party usage. The docs don't say the Claude Code panel and Cursor's Agent share a conversation.
Some project files do carry across. Cursor's docs say it also loads skills from .claude/skills/ and ~/.claude/skills/, and, with third-party import on (the default), reads Claude Code hooks from .claude/settings.json. So one repository can serve both tools. Where Claude Code keeps skills is in Claude skills in Claude Code.
How to choose
These questions follow the docs. They are not a ranking.
- Do you live in the terminal or in an editor? Claude Code leads with the terminal; Cursor leads with the editor.
- Which models do you want? Claude Code is Claude only. Cursor includes its own models and charges extra for Claude, GPT and Gemini.
- What are you already paying for? A paid Claude plan already covers Claude Code. A paid X Subscription already covers Cursor's own models, shared with Grok.
- Who reviews the pull request? Claude Code has /code-review in a session and a GitHub review service on Team and Enterprise. Cursor has Agent Review in the editor and Bugbot on Premium and above.
- Do you want both? Install the Claude Code extension in Cursor and keep shared skills in
.claude/skills/.
For the model families behind these tools, see Grok vs Claude.
Where Grok Bot fits
Grok Bot is a third kind of product: you message a Bot, and it works on a persistent cloud computer with a browser, a filesystem and a terminal, including while your laptop is closed. On The X Subscription it is included with Premium, Super and Ultra and draws from the same weekly pool as Cursor. It is not an editor. How it compares with Claude Code is on Grok Bot vs Claude Code.
Limits of this page
- Everything here comes from Anthropic's, Cursor's and xAI's own pages, checked on 2026-10-31. Default models, plan gates and pricing change often.
- We have not run Claude Code and Cursor on the same task, so nothing here says how well either one writes code. If we do, the results will go on this page with a test date, following how we test.
FAQ
Is Claude Code or Cursor better?
We don't know. We have not run the two on the same job, so this page does not name one. The questions under How to choose are a better guide, and so is a run on your own repository.
Can I install Claude Code in Cursor?
Anthropic's VS Code docs include an Install for Cursor link for the Claude Code extension, and the product page lists a native extension for VS Code and Cursor. The extension signs you into a paid Claude plan or a Claude Console account. That is separate from picking a Claude model inside Cursor's own Agent.
Can Cursor use Claude models without Claude Code?
Yes, on Premium and above. Cursor lists Claude models as third-party models. They are not in the included weekly pool. You pay the model's API list price from prepaid credit. Free and Plus do not include third-party models. This is Cursor's agent calling that model, not the Claude Code extension.
How much do Claude Code and Cursor cost?
We don't list prices because they change. Claude Code is included in paid Claude plans and shares their usage limits. A Console account uses API pricing. New Cursor customers use The X Subscription. Paid plans include a weekly pool for Cursor's own models. Third-party models such as Claude are on Premium and above, from prepaid credit. The pricing pages have current numbers. Existing Cursor subscribers can keep a legacy plan.
Does Claude Code run only in the terminal?
No. The docs also describe a VS Code extension, a JetBrains plugin, a desktop app, the browser at claude.ai/code, and the Claude iOS and Android apps. The platforms page calls the terminal CLI the most complete surface for terminal-native work. The web runs cloud sessions. Most surfaces need a Claude subscription or an Anthropic Console account.
Are Cursor Cloud Agents and Claude Code cloud sessions the same?
No. Both keep working when your computer is offline, and both can open pull requests, but the plans and the setup differ. Cursor Cloud Agents are not on Free or Plus. They need Premium or higher, Teams, Enterprise, or a legacy paid plan. Claude Code cloud sessions are on Pro, Max, Ultra, and Team, and on some Enterprise seats. Claude Code says the cloud VM has no separate charge and draws on the same plan usage.
Related on bests.one
- Grok vs Claude — the model families, apps, and plans behind these tools.
- Claude skills in Claude Code — where a SKILL.md folder lives and how Claude Code loads it.
- Grok Bot vs Claude Code
- How we test
- Claude Code updates
Sources: Claude Code overview, Platforms and integrations (Claude Code docs), Use Claude Code in VS Code, Model configuration (Claude Code docs), Use Claude Code in the cloud, Self-hosted environments (Claude Code docs), Code Review (Claude Code docs), Extend Claude Code, Extend Claude with skills, Hooks reference (Claude Code docs), Create custom subagents (Claude Code docs), Claude Code product page, Claude plans (Anthropic), Cursor documentation, Cursor Agent overview, Cursor CLI, Cloud Agents (Cursor docs), Models and pricing (Cursor docs), Pricing and plans (Cursor help), Rules (Cursor docs), Agent Skills (Cursor docs), MCP (Cursor docs), Hooks (Cursor docs), Third-party hooks (Cursor docs), Bugbot (Cursor docs), Agent Review (Cursor docs), Subagents (Cursor docs), Grok Bot (xAI docs). Checked on 2026-10-31.