I Ran Out of Cursor Tokens and Switched to GitHub Copilot (Here’s the Honest Comparison)
I was a Cursor Pro subscriber for 18 months. I burned through the tokens on a large refactor in late 2025. I switched to GitHub Copilot. The total cost savings are real. The trade-offs are also real. This is the honest writeup of what changed, what I lost, and what I gained.
What Cursor Was Doing For Me
Cursor is a VS Code fork (a separate editor built on the same foundation as VS Code, with AI features integrated at the editor level) with deeply integrated AI features. The “Composer” mode lets you ask the AI to edit multiple files at once. The “Agent” mode lets the AI run terminal commands and iterate. The “Codebase indexing” (a feature where the AI reads your entire project to understand context) means the AI knows about your whole project. The “Tab” autocomplete is the best in the industry. The combination made Cursor the most productive AI tool I have used. The Pro tier at $20/month was worth it. The Pro+ tier at $60/month for more tokens was worth it for 3 months. Then the tokens ran out and the cost jumped. The cost was the only reason I switched.
What GitHub Copilot Is
GitHub Copilot is the AI assistant from GitHub. The free tier exists. The Pro tier is $10/month. The Pro+ tier is $39/month. The features include code completion, chat, agent mode, and the recently added “Copilot Workspace” (a multi-file editing interface similar to Cursor’s Composer). The integration with VS Code is native. The model selection includes GPT-4o, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, and others. The right answer for a budget-conscious developer is the free tier. The right answer for a power user is Pro+. The right answer for a Cursor refugee is Pro+ (the feature parity is closer than the Pro tier).
What I Lost
Three things when I switched. First, the Cursor Composer experience. Cursor’s Composer was a single interface for multi-file edits. Copilot’s “Edit” mode is similar but the UX is less refined. The right answer for a Composer-like experience is Copilot Edit. The right answer for the best Composer experience is Cursor. Second, the Cursor codebase indexing. Cursor indexes the whole project. Copilot has “Workspace” indexing that is similar but less comprehensive. The right answer for codebase indexing is Copilot Workspace. The right answer for the best indexing is Cursor. Third, the Cursor tab autocomplete. Cursor’s Tab is faster and more accurate. Copilot’s inline suggestions are good but the latency is slightly higher. The right answer for inline suggestions is either. The right answer for the best inline suggestions is Cursor.
What I Gained
Three things when I switched. First, the cost. $39/month for Copilot Pro+ vs $60/month for Cursor Pro+. The annual savings: $252. Second, the model selection. Copilot Pro+ includes GPT-4o, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, and others. Cursor Pro+ includes a similar selection but the exact model versions differ. The right answer for a model selection is either. The right answer for the best model is the one that fits the use case. Third, the integration with GitHub. Copilot understands pull requests, issues, and GitHub Actions. Cursor does not have this integration. The right answer for a GitHub workflow is Copilot. The right answer for a non-GitHub workflow is Cursor.
The Real Comparison
The honest comparison of Cursor and Copilot for daily work. The autocomplete: Cursor wins (faster, more accurate). The chat: Copilot wins (better model selection, faster response). The agent mode: tie (both have similar capabilities). The codebase indexing: Cursor wins (more comprehensive). The model selection: tie (similar offerings). The cost: Copilot wins ($39 vs $60/month). The integration with GitHub: Copilot wins. The integration with non-GitHub: Cursor wins (works with any git host). The right answer for a GitHub user is Copilot. The right answer for a non-GitHub user is Cursor. The right answer for a power user on a budget is Copilot Pro+. The right answer for a power user with no budget constraint is Cursor Pro+.
What I Actually Use
The current setup: GitHub Copilot Pro+ in VS Code. The autocomplete is used daily. The chat is used several times per day. The agent mode is used for multi-file refactors. The integration with GitHub is used for PR reviews. The total cost: $39/month. The total time saved: about 2-3 hours per day. The right answer for a daily AI assistant is Copilot Pro+. The right answer for a budget-conscious developer is the free tier. The right answer for a Cursor refugee is Pro+.
What This Is Not
A Copilot Pro+ subscription is not a complete AI tool. The best AI workflow is multi-tool: Copilot for autocomplete, ChatGPT for research, Claude for deep analysis, local Ollama for private work. The right answer for the best AI workflow is to use multiple tools. The right answer for a single AI tool is Copilot Pro+. The right answer for a privacy-conscious user is local Ollama. The right answer for a cost-conscious user is the Copilot free tier. The trade-off is the cost vs the capability. The right test is whether the free tier is enough. The right test for most developers is “almost, but not quite.” The right answer is the Pro+ tier.
Final Thoughts
The switch from Cursor to Copilot was driven by cost, not capability. Cursor is the better product. Copilot is the better value. The right answer for a budget-conscious developer is Copilot. The right answer for a power user with no budget constraint is Cursor. The right answer for a GitHub user is Copilot. The right answer for a non-GitHub user is Cursor. The decision is not “Cursor or Copilot.” The decision is “what does my workflow need, and what can I afford.” For most developers, the answer is Copilot Pro+. The right answer for the long term is to use multiple AI tools. The result is a workflow that is both capable and affordable. The result is worth the trade-off.