Cursor Review (2026): Features, Pricing, Who It’s For

Prices checked on October 18, 2026.

The short version

Cursor is an AI code editor with a built-in coding agent, cloud agents that work in parallel, and AI code review for GitHub pull requests. It runs on macOS, Windows and Linux, and it also has a command-line tool.

The big news is pricing. On October 12, 2026, Cursor’s individual plans moved into “The X Subscription,” a bundle from xAI that also includes Grok and X Premium features. Claude, GPT and Gemini models are no longer part of the included usage on the new plans. If those models are why you use Cursor, read the pricing section before you subscribe.

What Cursor is

Cursor is a desktop code editor built around an AI agent. You open your project, describe what you want, and the agent can plan the change, edit files and help you review the result. Cursor’s docs describe it as a “coding agent for building ambitious software” that helps you understand codebases, build features, fix bugs and review changes (Cursor docs).

You can download it for:

• macOS (Apple silicon, Intel, or Universal)
• Windows (x64 and ARM64)
• Linux (.deb, RPM and AppImage, for x64 and ARM64)

There is also a terminal install: curl https://cursor.com/install -fsS | bash (Cursor downloads).

What it can do

These are the features Cursor documents today. They are not results from our own testing.

Agent and Plan mode

The agent is the center of the product. Plan mode helps you scope a larger change before the agent starts building (Cursor docs).

Cloud agents

Cloud agents run on Cursor’s infrastructure instead of your laptop. Cursor says they “use their own computers to build, test, and demo features end to end for you to review” (Cursor features). The docs cover setup, builds, automations and a self-hosted option (Cursor docs).

On the new plans, cloud agents start at the Premium tier, not Plus.

Code review (Bugbot)

Cursor can review pull requests in GitHub. In the docs, Bugbot sits under Cloud Agents (Cursor docs). On the new plans, AI code review is also listed from Premium up (Cursor pricing).

CLI

Cursor also runs in your terminal, including headless and CI use (Cursor docs). That matters if you want the same agent in scripts or pipelines.

Rules, MCP, skills and plugins

You can customize how the agent works with Rules, connect MCP servers, and add skills and plugins. These live in the “Customize” section of the docs (Cursor docs).

Pricing: what changed in October 2026

On October 12, 2026, xAI announced The X Subscription: one plan that combines Grok, Grok Bot, Cursor and X Premium features (xAI announcement). Cursor’s pricing page now shows the bundle’s tiers.

Prices checked on October 18, 2026. Prices exclude taxes and fees.

Plan	Price	What you get	Source
Free	$0/month	“Limited” AI usage, agent requests and chat requests	cursor.com/pricing
Plus	$8/month	Shared usage pool with Grok. “Only Grok models are available on this plan.”	cursor.com/pricing
Premium	$30/month	4x Plus usage, cloud agents and automations, AI code reviews, third-party models at API list price	cursor.com/pricing
Super	$100/month	15x Plus usage, priority model access at peak times	cursor.com/pricing
Ultra	$200/month	50x Plus usage, earliest access to new products and models	cursor.com/pricing
Teams	$30+/user/month	Pooled usage, admin tools, SSO, usage analytics	cursor.com/pricing
Enterprise	Custom	Contact sales	cursor.com/pricing

Annual billing is offered, according to Cursor’s docs. For annual prices, check the pricing page (Cursor docs: pricing).

What to watch

Claude, GPT and Gemini cost extra. Third-party models are not in the included pool. On Premium and above, they are billed at API list price from prepaid credit. Plus and Free don’t include them at all (Cursor docs: pricing).

One pool for Grok and Cursor. Your weekly allowance is “shared across Grok and Cursor.” It refreshes weekly. When it runs out, you can wait, use prepaid credit, or upgrade (Cursor docs: pricing).

Old plans still work. Pro is now listed as a legacy plan. Cursor’s docs say legacy plans “keep working as they are.” For the legacy Pro price, check the pricing page (Cursor docs: pricing).

Switching is permanent. Moving an existing Cursor plan to The X Subscription “can’t be undone.” Your old plan is cancelled with a prorated refund. If you pay through the Apple App Store, you have to cancel there yourself (Cursor help).

Who it’s for

• Developers who want one editor where the agent, cloud agents and PR review live together
• People already paying for Grok or X Premium, who now get Cursor in the same bill
• Teams that want pooled usage, admin controls and SSO

Who should skip it

• Developers who mainly want Claude or GPT models and don’t want to manage prepaid API credit
• Anyone happy on the legacy Pro plan, who should read the switching terms before changing anything
• People who live in JetBrains IDEs or Vim and don’t want a separate editor

Our verdict

Cursor is still the most complete AI-first editor, but the October 2026 move into The X Subscription changes the math. Plus at $8 only includes Grok models, and Claude, GPT and Gemini are billed at API prices from Premium up. If you mainly want Claude or GPT, compare the real monthly cost with GitHub Copilot or Claude Code before you switch editors.

Visit Cursor

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