TL;DR: I’ve been using AI coding tools since GitHub Copilot’s early days. After months with both Claude Code and Cursor, here’s my verdict: Claude Code builds the house, Cursor paints the walls. But the real magic? Using them together.

My Journey: From Tab Completion to AI Pair Programming

Let me take you back to 2023. I was happily using GitHub Copilot, amazed by how it could complete my code one line at a time. It felt like magic — I’d start typing a function, and Copilot would understand the context and suggest the rest.

Then I heard about Cursor in September 2024.

The game-changer? Multi-tab editing. While Copilot was still doing single-line completions, Cursor could modify multiple files simultaneously. Yes, it cost $20/month compared to Copilot’s $10, but the productivity gains were undeniable. I made the switch.

Fast forward to July 2025. I got Claude Pro subscription, and with it came access to Claude Code. My first reaction? “A terminal tool? I have to use git to undo changes? Pass.”

I was wrong. Very wrong.

What Are These Tools, Actually?

Before diving into comparisons, let’s understand what we’re dealing with:

Cursor: The AI-Powered IDE

Cursor is a fork of VS Code with AI capabilities baked into its DNA. If you’ve ever used VS Code, you’ll feel right at home — same interface, same extensions, same muscle memory. But with superpowers.

Key characteristics:

IDE-first experience
Real-time code completion and suggestions
Visual diffs and inline edits
You drive, AI assists

Claude Code: The Terminal Agent

Claude Code is Anthropic’s command-line AI coding assistant. It doesn’t have buttons or a GUI. Just you, your terminal, and an AI that can see and understand your entire codebase.

Key characteristics:

Terminal-first, agentic approach
Full codebase understanding
Autonomous task execution
AI drives, you supervise

The fundamental difference: Cursor makes you a faster coder. Claude Code handles entire features.

The Numbers: Pricing Breakdown (December 2025)

Let’s talk money. This is where it gets interesting.

Cursor Pricing

Plan	Price	What You Get
Free	$0	Limited agent requests, limited Tab completions
Pro	$20/month	Extended limits on Agent, unlimited Tab, Background Agents
Pro+	$60/month	3x usage on all OpenAI, Claude, Gemini models
Ultra	$200/month	20x usage, priority access to new features
Teams	$40/user/month	Everything in Pro + centralized billing, analytics

Claude Code Pricing

Claude Code is included with your Claude subscription:

Plan	Price	What You Get
Pro	$20/month	~10-40 prompts every 5 hours, Sonnet + Opus access
Max 5x	$100/month	~50-200 prompts every 5 hours, 140-280 hours Sonnet/week
Max 20x	$200/month	~200-800 prompts every 5 hours, 240-480 hours Sonnet/week

The catch with Claude Code: Usage is shared between Claude.ai chat and Claude Code. If you spend the morning chatting about design docs, you have fewer messages for coding in the afternoon.

The Combo Strategy

Here’s what many developers (including myself) do:

Cursor Pro ($20) + Claude Max 5x ($100) = $120/month total

This is actually cheaper than Cursor Ultra alone ($200), and you get:

Cursor for daily coding, quick edits, and Tab completions
Claude Code for complex features, multi-file refactors, and autonomous work

Feature Deep Dive: What Each Tool Does Best

Where Cursor Shines ✨

1. Real-Time Code Completion

Cursor’s Tab completion is still the best in the business. It’s not just autocomplete — it’s a junior developer reading your mind. Start typing a function, hit Tab, and watch the entire implementation appear.

Their new multi-tab model (introduced in 2024) can suggest changes across multiple files simultaneously. When you’re refactoring, this is invaluable.

2. Visual Interface

Everything happens in your editor. You see diffs in real-time, accept or reject changes with a click, and never lose context. For developers who think visually, this is huge.

3. Checkpoints (Game-Changer!)

This is something Claude Code desperately needs. Imagine you’re three hours into a complex refactoring, and the AI takes a wrong turn. With Cursor, you can revert to any previous checkpoint and try a different approach.

With Claude Code? You’re stuck with git, which means reverting often pollutes your context and confuses the AI.

4. Background Agents

Cursor’s background agent mode feels like science fiction. You get a remote sandbox where the AI can work independently, implementing features while you focus on other tasks. Start multiple agents in parallel, let them work on different branches, and come back when they’re done.

Caveat: Background agent mode isn’t private. Your code in the sandbox can be accessed by Cursor and potentially used for training. For personal projects, fine. For company code with strict IP requirements? Deal-breaker.

5. Cursor 2.0 and Composer Model

The November 2025 Cursor 2.0 release introduced their own proprietary model called Composer. It’s specifically trained for coding tasks and feels noticeably faster than before. You can now run up to 8 agents simultaneously.

Where Claude Code Dominates 🚀

1. Codebase Understanding

This is where Claude Code truly separates itself. It doesn’t just see the file you’re working on — it understands your entire project. The architecture, the patterns, the dependencies, everything.

When I first tried Claude Code’s Plan Mode, I was shocked. Before making any changes, it would read through the codebase, understand the structure, and then propose a plan. No other tool does this as thoroughly.

2. Autonomous Execution

With Cursor, you’re still driving. With Claude Code, you describe what you want to accomplish, and it handles the rest. It plans multi-step tasks, executes them, checks results, and fixes problems autonomously.

I went from writing code to supervising code. My role became approving Claude’s changes rather than writing them myself.

3. Context Window

Claude Code offers a true 200K token context window, ideal for large codebases and extended conversations. Cursor’s context can be inconsistent — they may shorten input or drop older context to keep responses fast.

For complex projects with 50,000+ lines of code, this matters enormously.

4. Terminal Power

Claude Code runs in your terminal, which means it can use any CLI tool. Git, Docker, npm, make, custom scripts — whatever your workflow needs. This flexibility is unmatched.

5. Claude Code on the Web (New!)

As of November 2025, you can run Claude Code in the cloud via claude.ai/code. Each session runs in an isolated sandbox with:

No permission prompts (the sandbox contains the blast radius)
Parallel session execution
Automatic PR creation
Real-time progress tracking

This was a game-changer for me. I can now kick off coding tasks from my phone, let them run in the cloud, and come back when they’re done. No need to keep my computer open.

My Actual Workflow: How I Use Both

Here’s my real-world setup that took months to optimize:

Daily Development (Cursor)

Quick edits and bug fixes
Tab completions while coding
Visual diffs for reviewing changes
When I know exactly what I want and just need to type faster

Complex Features (Claude Code)

Building new features from scratch
Multi-file refactoring
Architecture-level changes
When I want to describe the outcome and let AI figure out the implementation

The Handoff Pattern

Start with Claude Code: “Build a user authentication system with JWT tokens, refresh tokens, and rate limiting”
Let it work: Claude reads the codebase, makes a plan, implements the feature
Switch to Cursor: Open the changes in Cursor for final polish
Quick fixes: Use Tab completion for minor tweaks and adjustments
Ship it: Push to production

This pattern — Claude Code builds, Cursor polishes — has doubled my productivity.

The Limit Reality: What Nobody Tells You

Cursor’s Limit Problem

I have to be honest: Cursor’s limits became a serious issue for me. On the Pro plan, I’d consistently run out of requests before the month ended. Some months, I’d hit the limit in two weeks.

The solution? Either upgrade to Pro+ or Ultra, or be very strategic about when you use AI vs. when you code manually.

Claude Code’s Rate Limits

Claude Code introduced new rate limits in August 2025 after some users abused the system (running agents 24/7, account sharing, reselling access).

Current limits:

Pro ($20/month): ~10-40 prompts every 5 hours
Max 5x ($100/month): ~50-200 prompts every 5 hours
Max 20x ($200/month): ~200-800 prompts every 5 hours

The 5-hour rolling window is clever but constraining. Heavy Opus users with large codebases will hit limits faster. Auto-accept mode accelerates usage significantly.

My Solution: Claude Max

After hitting Cursor’s limits repeatedly while Claude Code kept performing, I made the decision to upgrade to Claude Max. At $100-200/month, it’s not cheap, but the math works:

I can do about half my work with Claude Code alone
I supervise and approve rather than write everything
The time savings easily justify the cost

Cloud and Remote Options

Claude Code on the Web

Since November 2025, Claude Code can run entirely in the cloud at claude.ai/code. Benefits:

No local compute needed
Multiple parallel sessions
Automatic GitHub integration
Works from mobile devices

I’ve started using this for routine tasks — bug fixes, small features, code reviews. Start the task, close the browser, come back when it’s done.

Cursor Background Agents

Cursor’s background agents run in remote sandboxes. You can start them from:

The IDE
The web app (launched June 2025)
Slack (@Cursor commands)

Great for long-running tasks while you focus on other work.

Third-Party Solutions

Depot: Run Claude Code in remote sandboxes with team collaboration
Claudebox: Docker-based Claude Code development environment
Claude-Code-Remote: Control Claude Code via email, Discord, or Telegram

Head-to-Head Comparison Table

Feature	Cursor	Claude Code	Winner
Interface	GUI (VS Code-like)	Terminal	Cursor
Learning Curve	Minimal	Moderate	Cursor
Codebase Understanding	Good	Excellent	Claude Code
Context Window	Up to 200K (inconsistent)	True 200K	Claude Code
Autonomous Execution	Limited	Excellent	Claude Code
Real-time Editing	Excellent	Limited	Cursor
Checkpoints/Undo	Built-in	Git only	Cursor
Multi-model Support	OpenAI, Claude, Gemini	Claude only	Cursor
Background Agents	Yes (beta)	Yes (web)	Tie
Enterprise Features	Strong	Growing	Cursor
Pricing Flexibility	Multiple tiers	Bundled with Claude	Tie

Who Should Use What?

Choose Cursor If:

You want an IDE experience with minimal learning curve
You prefer visual diffs and real-time editing
You need multi-model flexibility (GPT-4, Claude, Gemini)
Checkpoint/undo functionality is important to you
You’re working on personal projects (privacy concerns with background agents)

Choose Claude Code If:

You’re comfortable in the terminal
Your projects require deep codebase understanding
You prefer autonomous, hands-off AI assistance
You need maximum context window for large codebases
You’re already paying for Claude Pro/Max

Choose Both If:

You want the best of both worlds
You can budget $120-220/month
You work on complex projects that benefit from different approaches
You want Claude Code for building, Cursor for polishing

The Future: Where This Is Heading

2026 Predictions

Cursor:

Proprietary models optimized for their architecture
Offline/on-premise options for enterprises
Deeper Linear and project management integrations
More autonomous capabilities

Claude Code:

Improved checkpoint/undo functionality
Better IDE integrations (it already works with Zed, VS Code extensions coming)
More cloud features and parallel execution
Potentially 1M token context window

The Industry:

AI coding agents will become standard, not optional
“Vibe coding” will evolve into “context engineering”
The line between coding and describing will continue to blur

Final Verdict

After months of using both tools daily, here’s my honest assessment:

Claude Code wins on capability. It understands code better, handles complexity better, and can execute entire features autonomously.

Cursor wins on experience. It’s more approachable, more visual, and has better undo/checkpoint functionality.

The combination wins overall. Claude Code builds the house, Cursor paints the walls. Together, they’ve transformed how I ship software.

If I had to choose one? Claude Code. The codebase understanding and autonomous execution are simply unmatched.

But I don’t have to choose one. And neither do you.

Getting Started

Cursor

Download from cursor.com
Import your VS Code settings
Start with Free tier, upgrade when you hit limits
Learn the keyboard shortcuts: Cmd+K for inline edit, Cmd+L for chat

Claude Code

Get Claude Pro or Max subscription
Install: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
Authenticate: claude login
Start coding: claude in any project directory
Try the web version at claude.ai/code

The Combo

Start with Cursor Pro ($20) + Claude Pro ($20) = $40/month
Use Cursor for daily coding, Claude Code for complex features
Upgrade Claude to Max when you hit limits consistently
Consider the $120/month sweet spot: Cursor Pro + Claude Max 5x

What’s your experience with these tools? Are you team Cursor, team Claude Code, or team Both? Let me know in the comments.

About the Author: A developer who’s been using AI coding tools since GitHub Copilot’s early days. Currently building with Claude Code (mostly), Cursor (for polish), and way too much coffee.