# Claude Code vs Cursor: terminal agent or AI editor, plans, models and MCP compared

> Claude Code vs Cursor, from each vendor's docs and pricing on 2026-11-07: editor vs terminal, models, prices, rules files and MCP, and when to use both.

Published 2026-11-07 · https://shareglint.com/en/guides/claude-code-vs-cursor

Claude Code and Cursor are the two AI coding tools people compare most, and they start from opposite ends. **Cursor** is an editor — a VS Code-based IDE with an agent built in — that has added a terminal agent. **Claude Code** is a terminal agent that has added editor extensions. Both now read your project, edit files, run commands and call tools through MCP, so the choice is less about capability than about where you like to work, which models you want and how you pay.

This comparison uses only each vendor's own documentation and pricing pages, read on **2026-11-07**. Both change often; follow the links before you decide.

## At a glance

| | Claude Code | Cursor |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Coding agent "in your terminal, IDE, desktop app, and browser" | Editor "based upon the VS Code codebase", plus the `agent` CLI |
| Where you work | Terminal first; VS Code and JetBrains extensions | The editor; CLI and cloud agents on the side |
| Models | Claude only | Cursor's own (Composer, Grok on lower plans); Claude, GPT, Gemini on Premium and above |
| Cheapest paid plan | Claude Pro, $20 a month ($17 billed yearly) | Plus, $8 a month (Grok and Composer only) |
| Cheapest plan with Claude models | Pro | Premium, $30 a month + API-priced usage |
| Free plan | None for Claude Code | Free, with limited requests |
| Project rules | `CLAUDE.md` (reads `AGENTS.md` if no `CLAUDE.md`) | `.cursor/rules/*.mdc` or `AGENTS.md` |
| MCP | `claude mcp add`, `.mcp.json` | `.cursor/mcp.json`, `~/.cursor/mcp.json` |

## Where you work

**Cursor** is a full editor: your files, a diff view, extensions, the debugger, with the agent in a side panel. You watch changes arrive and accept or reject them in place. It imports your VS Code extensions, themes, settings and keybindings in one step ([setup guide](https://shareglint.com/en/guides/cursor-ide-setup-with-mcp)). Its CLI, started with `agent`, and cloud agents cover work outside the editor.

**Claude Code** lives in the terminal: you describe a task, it plans, edits across files and runs commands, and you review the result — in git, or in the VS Code or JetBrains extension, which shows the same session in a graphical panel ([install guide](https://shareglint.com/en/guides/install-claude-code-with-mcp)). Because it is a command-line tool, it also runs in scripts, CI and remote shells.

If you think in files and want to steer line by line, Cursor feels natural. If you hand off whole tasks and review the outcome, Claude Code does. Many teams use both.

## Models

Cursor's docs say it "supports frontier models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, SpaceXAI, and more" — but on 2026-11-07 only on **Premium and above**, where third-party models are paid from prepaid credit at API list price. Free and Plus get Grok and Cursor's Composer models only.

Claude Code runs **Claude models only**; Anthropic's docs say it does not support routing Claude Code to non-Claude models. Through Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud's Agent Platform or Microsoft Foundry it still uses Claude, billed by that cloud.

So: if you want to switch between vendors' models in one tool, Cursor (Premium+) does that. If Claude is the model you want, Claude Code is built around it, and a Claude subscription covers it without per-token billing.

## Pricing

**Cursor** ([pricing](https://cursor.com/pricing)) is now "sold as part of The X Subscription, one subscription for Grok, Cursor, and X": Free; Plus $8; Premium $30 (4× Plus usage); Super $100 (15×); Ultra $200 (50×); Teams from $30 per seat. Included usage "refreshes weekly". Earlier plans — Pro, Pro+, old Teams seats — are legacy.

**Claude Code** ([pricing](https://claude.com/pricing)) comes with Claude plans: Pro $20 a month ($17 billed yearly); Max $100 (5× Pro usage); Ultra $200 (10× Pro a week, no 5-hour limit); Team per seat (its US-dollar seat price we could not confirm on that date); Enterprise $20 per seat plus usage at API rates. The free plan does not include it. A Console account pays per token instead.

For light use with Claude models, Claude Pro ($20) costs less than Cursor Premium ($30 plus usage). Cursor Plus ($8) is the cheapest way into an AI editor if Grok and Composer are enough for you. At the heavy end, both vendors have $100 and $200 tiers; compare the usage they include rather than the sticker price.

## Rules and memory

Both read a Markdown file of project rules. Claude Code uses `CLAUDE.md` (project, user and local variants), and from version 2.1.277 reads `AGENTS.md` when there is no `CLAUDE.md`. Cursor uses `.mdc` files in `.cursor/rules/` — a plain `.md` file there is ignored — or `AGENTS.md` in the project root. A team that uses both tools can keep its rules in `AGENTS.md` and have each tool read it.

## MCP: the same servers in both

Both connect to [MCP servers](https://shareglint.com/en/guides/what-is-an-mcp-server), local or remote, with OAuth or headers. A remote server is a URL and an `Authorization` header in either tool; only the place you write it differs:

- **Cursor:** an `mcpServers` entry in `.cursor/mcp.json`, with `${env:NAME}` for the key.
- **Claude Code:** `claude mcp add --transport http <name> <url> --header "Authorization: Bearer …"`, or the same entry in `.mcp.json`.

Our own MCP server is an example: its tools (`render_image`, `get_image`, `list_templates`, `get_template`, `create_signed_url`, `get_usage`, `generate_template`, `take_screenshot`, `auto_og_url`, `create_batch`, `get_batch`) render images from templates and take screenshots of public pages, and the setup is one entry in either tool — see [Cursor](https://shareglint.com/en/mcp/cursor) and [Claude Code](https://shareglint.com/en/mcp/claude-code). Whichever tool you pick, the servers you set up carry over.

## Which to choose

**Pick Cursor** if you want an editor you live in, like seeing every change appear in place, want models from several vendors in one place (Premium and up), or want the cheapest paid entry (Plus) and are happy with Grok and Composer.

**Pick Claude Code** if you prefer handing over whole tasks, work in terminals, scripts or CI, want Claude specifically, or already pay for a Claude plan — Pro includes it.

**Use both** if you edit in Cursor and want a strong terminal agent for bigger jobs: Claude Code runs in Cursor's terminal, its extension installs in Cursor, and both can read the same `AGENTS.md` and connect to the same MCP servers.

## FAQ

### What is the difference between Claude Code and Cursor?

Cursor is an AI code editor built on VS Code, with a terminal agent added. Claude Code is a terminal-first coding agent with VS Code and JetBrains extensions. Cursor offers models from several vendors; Claude Code runs Claude models only.

### Which is cheaper, Claude Code or Cursor?

On 2026-11-07, Cursor Plus was $8 a month but with Grok and Cursor's own models only; Claude or GPT in Cursor starts at Premium, $30 plus API-priced usage. Claude Code starts with Claude Pro at $20 a month ($17 billed yearly). Heavy users compare Cursor Super or Ultra ($100/$200) with Claude Max or Ultra ($100/$200).

### Can I use Claude Code inside Cursor?

Yes. Claude Code's VS Code extension page offers an install for Cursor, and the CLI runs in Cursor's terminal like in any other. Many developers edit in Cursor and hand larger tasks to Claude Code.

### Do both support MCP servers?

Yes. Cursor reads .cursor/mcp.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json; Claude Code adds servers with claude mcp add and shares them through .mcp.json. The same remote MCP server, with a URL and an Authorization header, works in both.