2 Best Cursor Alternatives in 2025
Last updated: February 2026 • 7 min read
Cursor is a popular tool for developers wanting ai-native coding. While it offers a free tier (2,000 completions/mo), its paid plans start at $20/mo. Whether you're looking for a cheaper option, better features, or an open-source solution, we've compiled the 2 best Cursor alternatives to help you find the right fit.
📋 Quick Summary
- Total alternatives: 2
- Free alternatives: 2 (GitHub Copilot, Codeium)
- Best overall: GitHub Copilot
- Best free: GitHub Copilot
Why Look for Cursor Alternatives?
People commonly look for Cursor alternatives for several reasons:
- Cost: While Cursor has a free tier, its paid plans starting at $20/mo can add up quickly for growing teams.
- Feature gaps: Subscription model and resource heavy are common complaints.
- Simplicity: Some users find Cursor overly complex for their needs and prefer simpler solutions.
- Data ownership: Organizations wanting data sovereignty prefer open-source, self-hosted alternatives.
- Better fit: Different tools excel at different use cases — you may find a tool that's specifically built for your workflow.
📊 Quick Comparison Table
| Tool | Free Tier | Starting Price | Rating | Open Source | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cursor | ✓ 2,000 completions/mo | $20/mo | ⭐ 4.5 | No | Developers wanting AI-native coding |
| GitHub Copilot | ✓ Free for OSS/students | $10/mo | ⭐ 4.4 | No | Developers wanting AI code assistance |
| Codeium | ✓ Free for individuals | Free | ⭐ 4.2 | No | Developers wanting free AI code completion |
Detailed Reviews of Each Alternative
GitHub Copilot
AI pair programmer that helps you write code faster.
GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered coding assistant that suggests code completions, writes functions, and helps debug code directly in your editor. Powered by OpenAI Codex, it works with popular IDEs like VS Code, JetBrains, and Neovim, and has become an essential productivity tool for developers.
Pros
- ✓ Great code suggestions
- ✓ Wide IDE support
- ✓ Improving rapidly
- ✓ Free for OSS
Cons
- ✗ Subscription required
- ✗ Can suggest wrong code
- ✗ Privacy concerns
- ✗ Resource usage
Codeium
Free AI code completion and chat for developers.
Codeium offers free AI-powered code completion, chat, and search for developers. It supports 70+ languages and works with most popular IDEs. Codeium's free tier is very generous, making it a popular alternative to GitHub Copilot for developers who don't want to pay for AI coding assistance.
Pros
- ✓ Free for individuals
- ✓ Wide language support
- ✓ Good IDE support
- ✓ Fast
Cons
- ✗ Less accurate than Copilot
- ✗ Newer product
- ✗ Enterprise features limited
- ✗ Smaller community
🏆 Our Recommendations
Best Overall Alternative:
GitHub Copilot — Developers wanting AI code assistance
Best Free Alternative:
GitHub Copilot — Free for OSS/students
❓ FAQ
What is the best free alternative to Cursor?
The best free alternative to Cursor is GitHub Copilot, which offers Free for OSS/students.
Is there an open-source alternative to Cursor?
There are no widely-used open-source alternatives to Cursor at this time, but several affordable options exist.
What is the cheapest alternative to Cursor?
The cheapest alternatives are the free options: GitHub Copilot, Codeium. For paid alternatives, prices start from as low as $10/mo.
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