Compare/Reviewed 14 Nov 2026
Use this, not that: AI editors and assistants
If you want an editor that completes and edits with you, start here. Picks are about fit and official pricing, not invented benchmarks.
First pick
Cursor
Use Cursor when you want a purpose-built AI editor and are comfortable with the current X/Grok-bundled plans. Official cursor.com/pricing on 14 Nov 2026 lists Free, Plus $8/mo (Grok-only), Premium $30/mo, Super $100, Ultra $200, and Teams from $30/user/mo. Do not budget from older “Cursor Pro $20” posts.
Use this, not that
Cursor
Use this when
You want an AI-native editor as the daily driver, including cloud agents on Premium and above.
Not that when
You need a $0 daily driver with your own keys (see Zed), you must stay inside JetBrains, or you only want GitHub-native PR features.
Zed
Use this when
You want a fast, open-source, multiplayer editor and will bring your own model keys. Official Personal plan is $0 forever.
Not that when
You want a fully managed model bundle with no key wrangling, or you are standardized on VS Code/JetBrains extensions only.
GitHub Copilot
Use this when
You already live in VS Code or JetBrains and GitHub, and you want one official $10 Pro plan that also covers CLI and PR surfaces.
Not that when
You want a standalone AI-first editor (Cursor/Zed/Windsurf) rather than an add-on to an existing IDE.
Claude Code
Use this when
You prefer a terminal or desktop agent and already pay for Claude Pro, Max, Ultra, or Team. Officially not included on Claude Free.
Not that when
You want tab-complete-in-the-buffer as the main loop, or you are not willing to pay for a Claude plan or API usage.
Related use case: Pair-program in an AI editor