This calculator helps you estimate costs and choose the right subscription tier for your AI coding needs. All prices are in USD unless otherwise noted.
Monthly Subscription Costs
| Tool | Free | Basic | Pro | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cursor | Limited | - | $20 | $200 (Ultra) |
| Claude Code | Basic access | - | $20 | $100/$200 (Max) |
| GitHub Copilot | Students only | - | $10 | $39 (Pro+) |
| Tool | Small Team | Medium Team | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cursor | $40 | $32 (annual) | Custom |
| Claude Code | $25-30 | Same | $60+ |
| GitHub Copilot | $19 | Same | Custom |
Usage Pattern Assessment
Answer these questions to estimate your needs:
Daily Coding Hours:
AI Interaction Frequency:
Task Complexity:
| Usage Pattern | Requests/Month | Cursor Pro | Claude Code Pro | Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light Developer | ~300 | ✓ Sufficient | ✓ Sufficient | Either Pro |
| Regular Developer | ~1,000 | ⚠️ May hit limits | ✓ Sufficient | Claude Code Pro |
| Heavy Developer | ~2,500 | ❌ Need Ultra | ⚠️ Consider Max | Cursor Ultra or Claude Max |
| Power User | 5,000+ | ❌ Need Ultra | ❌ Need Max 20x | Both Premium |
Free Tier
Pro ($20/month or $16/month annual)
Pro+ ($60/month)
Ultra ($200/month)
Teams ($40/user/month or $32 annual)
Enterprise (Custom)
Free Tier
Pro ($20/month)
Max 5x ($100/month)
Max 20x ($200/month)
Team ($25-30/user/month)
Enterprise (~$60/user)
Profile:- 6 hours coding/day- 50 AI requests/day- Mix of simple and complex tasks- Working 22 days/month
Monthly Usage: ~1,100 requests
Cursor Pro: $20 ❌ (Would exceed 500 request limit)Cursor Ultra: $200 ✓ (Plenty of headroom)Claude Code Pro: $20 ✓ (Within limits)Claude Code Max: $100 ✓ (Comfortable buffer)
Recommendation: Claude Code Pro ($20)Annual Savings vs Cursor Ultra: $2,160Profile:- Mixed usage patterns- Need collaboration features- Budget conscious- Some power users
Option A - Cursor Teams:5 users × $40 = $200/monthEach gets 500 requestsTotal: 2,500 requests/month
Option B - Mixed Approach:3 × Claude Code Pro = $602 × Cursor Pro = $40Total: $100/month
Recommendation: Mixed approachAnnual Savings: $1,200Profile:- Compliance requirements- Centralized management- Mixed usage levels- Need support
Cursor Enterprise:~$40-60/user = $2,500/monthIncludes SSO, admin tools
Claude Code + API:Individual accounts + API poolMore complex but flexible
Recommendation: Cursor EnterpriseFor simplicity and compliance| Model | Input ($/1M tokens) | Output ($/1M tokens) | Avg Request Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Sonnet 4.5 | $3 | $15 | ~$0.09 |
| Claude Opus 4 | $15 | $75 | ~$0.45 |
| gpt-5-codex | Premium | Premium | ~$0.15 |
| Gemini 2.5 Pro | $2 | $10 | ~$0.05 |
Average Request Costs
Simple completion (1k tokens):
Complex refactor (10k tokens):
Large analysis (50k tokens):
Time Savings Estimate
Conservative (10% faster):
Moderate (25% faster):
Aggressive (50% faster):
| Hourly Rate | Tool Cost | Hours Saved Needed | Days to Break-Even |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50/hour | $20/month | 0.4 hours/month | 0.5 days |
| $75/hour | $100/month | 1.3 hours/month | 1.5 days |
| $100/hour | $200/month | 2 hours/month | 2 days |
| $150/hour | $200/month | 1.3 hours/month | 1 day |
Start with Pro
Optimize Model Selection
Leverage Free Features
Team Discounts
Session Management
/clear frequentlyModel Efficiency
API Alternative
Prompt Optimization
Additional Expenses
Learning Curve
Integration Costs
Switching Costs
Opportunity Costs
| Usage Level | Cursor | Claude Code | Copilot | Best Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimal | $0 | $0 | $0 | Any free tier |
| Light | $20 | $20 | $10 | Copilot |
| Moderate | $20 | $20 | $10 | Claude Code |
| Heavy | $200 | $100 | $39 | Claude Max 5x |
| Extreme | $200 | $200 | $39+ | Depends on needs |
| Plan Type | Cursor | Claude Code | Copilot | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $400 | $200* | $190 | *Individual accounts |
| Managed | $320 | N/A | $190 | Annual pricing |
| Premium | $2000 | $1000 | $390 | Power user tiers |
Choose Cursor If You:
Choose Claude Code If You:
Based on your profile, here’s what we recommend:
| Your Profile | Recommendation | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Student/Hobbyist | Cursor Free or Copilot | $0-10 |
| Junior Developer | Cursor Pro | $20 |
| Senior Developer | Claude Code Pro | $20 |
| Tech Lead | Claude Code Max 5x | $100 |
| Architect | Cursor Ultra | $200 |
| Startup Team | Mixed approach | Varies |
| Enterprise | Cursor Teams | $40/user |
Monitor Your Usage
For Cursor:
For Claude Code:
/cost commandGeneral:
Remember: The best tool is the one that makes you most productive. Even expensive plans often pay for themselves through time savings.