Two code & development tools, one decision. Here is the honest split.
| Cursor | GitHub Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Best at | Multi-file changes, refactors, and "build me this feature" prompts that touch many files. | In-flow code completion and boilerplate elimination while you type. |
| In short | An AI-first code editor that can edit across your whole codebase, not just autocomplete a line. | The original AI pair programmer, living inside your editor. Completes code, writes tests, and answers in chat. |
| On Atlas | 3 starter prompts | 3 starter prompts |
Pick Cursor when the job is Multi-file changes, refactors, and "build me this feature" prompts that touch many files.. Pick GitHub Copilot when the job is In-flow code completion and boilerplate elimination while you type.. Still torn? Run one real task through both free tiers. An hour of testing beats a week of reviews.
Here is my code: [paste code]. Find the three most likely bugs or edge cases, explain each in one sentence, then show the fixed code with tests.