Cursor Pricing: What Each Plan Actually Costs

Cursor has become the default AI code editor for a lot of developers, but the pricing has gotten more complex as they've added features. Here's what each tier actually includes, what the hidden costs are, and which plan makes sense for your situation.

Free / Hobby

$0 Free forever

✓ 2,000 code completions per month
✓ 50 slow premium requests per month
✓ Access to cursor-small model
✓ Basic chat and editing features

Pro

$20 per month

✓ Unlimited code completions
✓ 500 fast premium requests per month (Claude, GPT-4)
✓ Unlimited slow premium requests
✓ Full Composer (multi-file editing)
✓ Codebase-wide context (@codebase)
✓ Priority support

Business

$40 per user/month

✓ Everything in Pro
✓ Centralized team billing
✓ Admin dashboard and usage analytics
✓ Enforce privacy mode across org
✓ SAML SSO
✓ Priority support and onboarding

Hidden Costs & Gotchas

⚠ The 500 fast premium requests on Pro run out fast if you use Composer heavily. Each Composer session can burn 5-15 requests.
⚠ Slow requests work but add 15-30 seconds of latency per response. If speed matters, you'll hit the upgrade pressure.
⚠ No annual discount currently available. It's $20/mo flat.
⚠ If you want to use your own API keys (bring-your-own-key), that's supported but you pay OpenAI/Anthropic directly on top of the subscription.

Which Plan Do You Need?

Hobby developer or student

Free tier is fine for light use. You'll hit the 50 premium request limit within a few days of heavy coding, but it's enough to evaluate the tool.

Professional developer (individual)

Pro is the sweet spot. $20/mo for unlimited completions and 500 fast requests covers most workflows. You'll only feel limited during intense multi-file refactoring sessions.

Team or company

Business at $40/user/mo makes sense if you need admin controls, SSO, or enforced privacy mode. Otherwise, individual Pro licenses are cheaper.

The Bottom Line

Cursor Pro at $20/mo is good value for what you get. The unlimited completions alone justify the cost if you code daily. The main complaint: 500 fast premium requests feels tight for heavy Composer users. If you're on the fence, the free tier gives you enough to decide.

Disclosure: Pricing information is sourced from official websites and may change. We update this page regularly but always verify current pricing on the vendor's site before purchasing.

Related Resources

Cursor vs Windsurf comparison → Cursor vs Claude Code → Best Cursor Alternatives → Best AI Coding Assistants →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Cursor free?

Cursor has a free tier with 2,000 completions and 50 slow premium requests per month. It's enough to try the tool but not enough for daily professional use. Most developers upgrade to Pro ($20/mo) within a week.

Is Cursor Pro worth $20 a month?

For most professional developers, yes. Unlimited completions and 500 fast premium requests per month cover typical daily coding workflows. If AI-assisted coding saves you even 30 minutes per day, it pays for itself many times over.

What happens when you run out of fast premium requests?

You switch to slow requests, which use the same models but with lower priority. Response times go from 2-5 seconds to 15-30 seconds. You can still use all features, just slower. Requests reset monthly.

Can I use my own API keys with Cursor?

Yes. Cursor supports bring-your-own-key for OpenAI and Anthropic APIs. You still need a Cursor subscription for the editor features, but your API usage goes through your own account. This bypasses the premium request limits.