What's the best AI for coding: GitHub Copilot, Cursor or Claude Code?
Short answer: They fit different habits. GitHub Copilot lives in your existing editor and on github.com (from $0; Pro $10/mo). Cursor is a whole AI code editor (Free to Ultra $200/mo). Claude Code runs in your terminal or desktop app on a Claude plan. Try the free or cheapest tier on one real bug before paying.
| GitHub Copilot | Cursor | Claude Code | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, CLI, github.com | Its own editor | Terminal, Desktop app |
| Project rules | .github/copilot-instructions.md | .cursor/rules/*.mdc or AGENTS.md | Project instructions (see Anthropic docs) |
| Pricing model | AI credits ($0.01 each) + budget | Weekly usage pool; third-party models at API list price | Counts toward your Claude plan's limits |
- Commit your code first.
- Give a repro and the expected value.
- Ask for a fix plus a test, and the test output.
- Review the diff before merging.
Related questions
Can I use DeepSeek with these tools?
DeepSeek's docs say tools like Claude Code, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode can use DeepSeek as the backend model.
Where these facts come from
- github.com/features/copilot/plans: plans, AI credits, budgets, alerts
- GitHub docs: custom instructions
- cursor.com/pricing: plans and usage
- cursor.com/docs: rules
- Claude Code quickstart
Checked Oct 29, 2026. Plans change, so confirm on the official page before you pay.
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