Editor, or assistant in the editor
Cursor vs GitHub Copilot
Use this page when you are choosing between Cursor and GitHub Copilot. Both are freemium coding products, and mainland China access is not confirmed for either.
Cursor’s listing is a desktop editor for agent-style coding across a repository. GitHub Copilot’s listing is an assistant inside editors and on GitHub, for completions, chat, and agent-style edits.
Microsoft Copilot, the chat assistant in Windows and Microsoft 365, is a different listing. It is named on the coding page so the two Copilots stay apart.
How to choose
- Choose the editor when you want the AI product to be the place you work. That is Cursor’s listing.
- Choose the assistant when you want help inside GitHub and an editor you already use. That is GitHub Copilot’s listing.
- Leave mainland China as not confirmed for both. The index does not upgrade either mark.
- Move to the automation page if the word “agent” meant a workflow across other apps. n8n, Dify, and 扣子 are that job.
The two listings
The two coding listings in the question. Microsoft Copilot is intentionally absent.
CodingFree tierEditor's pick
Cursor
Desktop editor for agent-style coding across a whole repository, with a free tier and paid usage.
Mainland China: not confirmed
View listingA desktop editor for agent-style coding across a repository, with a free tier and paid usage. Mainland China access is not confirmed.
CodingFree tier
GitHub Copilot
Coding assistant inside editors and on GitHub, with a free tier and paid plans for completions, chat, and agent-style edits.
Mainland China: not confirmed
View listingA coding assistant inside editors and on GitHub, with a free tier and paid plans for completions, chat, and agent-style edits. Mainland China access is not confirmed.
Side by side
| What we compared | Cursor | GitHub Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| Product shape | Desktop editor for agent-style coding across a whole repository. | Coding assistant inside editors and on GitHub. |
| What the listing includes | Free tier and paid usage. | Free tier and paid plans for completions, chat, and agent-style edits. |
| Tags in the index | Coding, editor, agents. | Coding, editor, agents. |
| Mainland China | Not confirmed. | Not confirmed. |
| Publisher | Anysphere. | GitHub. Separate from the Microsoft Copilot chat listing. |
When to open which listing
Open Cursor when
- You want the editor itself to be the AI product.
- The work is agent-style changes across a repository.
- You will read Anysphere’s usage pricing yourself. The index stops at freemium.
Open GitHub Copilot when
- You want completions, chat, and agent-style edits in an editor and on GitHub.
- The repository already lives on GitHub and you want the assistant there.
- You will read GitHub’s plan page for the paid tier. This index does not copy it.
Related pages
Questions
Is Cursor an editor or a plugin?
The listing calls Cursor a desktop editor for agent-style coding across a repository. GitHub Copilot’s listing calls it an assistant inside editors and on GitHub. That product-shape difference is the comparison.
Do both have a free tier?
Yes, in this index. Cursor has a free tier and paid usage. GitHub Copilot has a free tier and paid plans. The current limits are on each vendor’s site.
Which one keeps a copy of the repository?
The index does not record a retention or training policy for either product. Read the vendor’s current terms before you point either tool at private code.
Are they offered in mainland China?
Both marks are not confirmed. The index does not guess. DeepSeek is the chat listing on the mainland China page whose summary names coding help.
Where is Microsoft Copilot in this comparison?
It is a separate chat listing for the web, Windows, and Microsoft 365. It is on the coding assistants page with a note, and it is not a column in this table.
Limits
NavBoth is a directory of public products already in the index. These pages help you choose a listing. The product itself runs on the vendor’s site. Mainland China marks come from public offers reviewed with the seed; they are not a live connection test. No listing on these pages has a paid badge. Names belong to their owners.
IDE support lists, agent quotas, and privacy settings move on the vendor’s site. The table stays inside the two summaries already published in the index.