Claude Code vs Cursor: Comparing AI Coding Agents for Real Projects

TL;DR - 3-4 sentence executive summary covering key differences, pricing, and which tool wins for specific use cases Claude Code and Cursor represent two distinct approaches to AI-assisted development: Claude Code operates as a standalone CLI agent that autonomously executes multi-step coding tasks, while Cursor functions as an AI-enhanced IDE with inline suggestions and chat-based assistance. Claude Code costs $20/month (Claude Pro subscription) and excels at complex refactoring, automated testing workflows, and infrastructure-as-code generation, whereas Cursor offers a free tier with limited completions and $20/month Pro plan optimized for real-time code completion and interactive debugging sessions. ...

February 21, 2026 · 10 min · The AI Dev