Claude Code is a CLI tool developed by Anthropic, launched in February 2025. It runs in your terminal and works alongside your preferred IDE and development tools without requiring you to change your workflow. Claude Code can also use command line tools (like git) and MCP servers (like GitHub) to extend its own capabilities.
Cursor is an IDE that’s a fork of VS Code with integrated AI features. Cursor represents a revolutionary AI-enhanced code editor aimed at expediting the software development process through robust, real-time coding support.
Key Differences
Claude Code: Command-line interface that works with your existing IDE
Cursor: Full IDE replacement with AI features built in
Pricing
Claude Code:
- Pro plan: $20/month for light coding work on small repositories
- Max 5x Pro ($100/month) and Max 20x Pro ($200/month) for large tasks
Cursor:
- $20/month for the Pro plan with usage based Max mode
Which Is Better?
It all depends! I’ve been using lots of AI tools these days includes Cursor and Claude Code. They all have pros and cons.
Cursor
- Support all popular models
- Seamless IDE integration
- Clean check points for restoring code
Claude Code
- CLI is cool
- The to-do list while progressing the task is nice
- Context management is cleaner
- Can run in cloud for specific tasks
Overall I found both are good options and we should have both installed for dev environment. However if you have to pick one, I’d choose Cursor for coding since IDE features are really crucial.