Overview
Developer-focused AI editor with its own frontier models (Grok 4.6 jointly trained with xAI, Composer 2.5), agent requests, cloud agents, and Bugbot code review.
Key features
- Cursor Grok 4.6 — jointly trained by Cursor and xAI; flagship coding model in-editor
- Composer 2.5 — price-efficient agentic model ($0.50/$2.50 per 1M tokens standard)
- Agent requests with extended limits; effort levels and Fast mode on Pro and up
- Cloud agents, automations, MCPs, skills, hooks
- Bugbot agentic code reviews (usage-based on Pro, included on Teams)
- Grok Bot access on Teams plans
Trial checklist
Use a real task involving feature prototypes—not a demo prompt. Verify whether tab completion that predicts multi-line edits across files materially reduces editing or setup time. Record output quality, time to a publishable result, and total plan usage. Pay particular attention to requires engineering review so factor that into your monthly budget. Repeat the same task in at least one alternative before deciding.
Terminal-Bench 2.1 · Cursor CLI + Grok 4.5 · high effort
Maintainer-verified configuration snapshot. Agent, model, effort and integrity metadata are inseparable from the score. Reward-hack disqualifications: 9.0%. Source [10] ↗
Pricing
Current official summary: Cursor Free includes limited agent requests and Composer access. Pro $20/mo, Pro Plus $60/mo, Ultra $200/mo, Teams $40/user/mo, Enterprise custom (cursor.com/pricing, checked 2026-08-25). Cursor Models pool: Grok 4.6 $2/$6, Composer 2.5 $0.50/$2.50 per 1M tokens.
Open verification questions
- The pricing UI exposes a Teams Premium option with 5x Standard Agent limits, but its price was not reliably exposed in the official page's static content, so no price is reported.
- The public Terms assign Anysphere's rights in Suggestions but do not provide a blanket warranty that generated code is non-infringing or expressly guarantee commercial suitability.
The official Terms state that Anysphere will not use Content to train, or allow a third party to train, AI models unless the user explicitly agrees. The Privacy Policy identifies limited exceptions for security review, explicitly submitted feedback, or explicit training consent. Privacy Mode is available on free and paid individual plans; Cursor says that when enabled it will not train on the user's data and applies contractual and technical controls to model providers. Users retain their rights in Inputs, and Anysphere assigns to users any right, title, and interest it has in Suggestions. Official documentation describes Cursor as a coding agent for understanding codebases, planning and building features, fixing bugs, reviewing changes, and using integrations, MCP, rules, skills, hooks, cloud agents, and CLI workflows.
Pricing changes often — verify current plans on the official site before buying. Dated snapshots: Pricing Watch.
Use cases
- Feature prototypes
- Refactors
- Debugging
- Test generation
- Scaffolding new features across multiple files
- Writing tests for legacy code before refactoring
Pros
- Own-model stack: Grok 4.6 + Composer 2.5 give generous included usage at low cost
- Full agentic loop: editor agents, cloud agents, Bugbot review, team marketplace
- Frontier third-party models also available in a separate usage pool
Cons
- Best features (effort levels, Fast mode, Bugbot) sit above the free plan
- Third-party models incur a Cursor Token Rate surcharge on team plans
- Usage-based overages can add up for heavy agent users
Who Cursor is for
Cursor is aimed at teams and individuals who need ai-assisted coding in an editor with agent modes, cloud agents, and cursor's own grok/composer models. It is designed for development workflows where output quality, adoption effort, and operating cost all matter. Compare alternatives first if you require self-hosting, unusually deep customization, or tighter policy controls than the official plan provides.
Buying decision
AI-assisted coding in an editor with agent modes, cloud agents, and Cursor's own Grok/Composer models is the repeated job you need to improve.
Best features (effort levels, Fast mode, Bugbot) sit above the free plan.
Run the trial checklist above and verify the current plan limit on the official pricing page.
Verdict
Bottom line: Cursor has an AIToolsEssentials editorial score of 4.6/5. Own-model stack: Grok 4.6 + Composer 2.5 give generous included usage at low cost. The main trade-off to weigh: best features (effort levels, fast mode, bugbot) sit above the free plan.
Test it against one real task from your workflow this week — that tells you more than any review.
How Cursor compares
Within development, Cursor goes up against Bolt.new, GitHub Copilot, Lovable and 2 others. Its edge is own-model stack: grok 4.6 + composer 2.5 give generous included usage at low cost. Weigh that against the cons above — especially: best features (effort levels, fast mode, bugbot) sit above the free plan — then check our side-by-side comparisons for task-level results before you commit.
How we evaluated
The AIToolsEssentials rating is an editorial score—not an external benchmark. It summarizes job fit, likely output quality, ease of adoption, and operational cost using published product information, benchmark context where the exact model is identifiable, and the repeatable trial checklist above. Benchmarks never determine the final product rating by themselves. See our editorial methodology, evidence ledger, and benchmark evidence policy.
Frequently asked questions
What models does Cursor offer?
Cursor's own pool includes Grok 4.6 and Grok 4.5 (jointly trained with xAI) plus Composer 2.5, its price-efficient agentic model. Frontier models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and xAI are available in a separate pool billed near API rates.
How much is Cursor?
Free tier with limited agent requests and Composer access; Pro $20/mo, Pro Plus $60/mo, Ultra $200/mo, Teams $40/user/mo, Enterprise custom.
What is Composer 2.5?
Cursor's own agentic coding model, tuned for long-horizon tasks via reinforcement learning. Standard pricing is $0.50 input / $2.50 output per million tokens; Fast mode is $3 / $15.