Cursor vs JetBrains
Cursor scores 8.2 to JetBrains's 7.1 among the AI coding assistants we rate, and is the better pick for 2 of the 4 kinds of buyer below.
Cursor wins, 8.2 to 7.1
JetBrains AI Pro costs $10 a month, a third of Cursor Premium's $30 (Cursor's $8 Plus runs only its own Grok models). Cursor understands your whole codebase and reviews pull requests through Bugbot, neither of which JetBrains offers. JetBrains does not train on your code by default; Cursor trains unless you turn on Privacy Mode. Both let you bring your own API key; JetBrains also runs models locally, which Cursor does not.
Pick Cursor if you want whole codebase understanding and pull request review.
Pick JetBrains if you want the cheaper plan and no training by default.
Best for
Who each one suits, decided on the criteria that matter to that buyer and the checked facts where the two differ.
- Understands your whole codebase: Cursor yes, JetBrains no
- Reviews pull requests: Cursor yes, JetBrains no
- Monthly price, cheapest paid plan: $10 against $30
- Runs models on your own machine: JetBrains yes, Cursor no
- But Cursor leads on aI model families you can choose: Claude, gpt, gemini, grok, own against Claude, gpt, gemini, grok
- Option to keep no copy of your code: Cursor yes, JetBrains no
- Editors and terminals it works in: Cli, jetbrains, xcode, own editor against Cli, jetbrains
- SOC 2: Cursor yes, JetBrains does not say
- But JetBrains leads on does not train AI on your code: Yes against unless you opt out
How they score
Both are scored the same way, against the other AI coding assistants we rate, from facts on each vendor's own pages. Cursor leads on 3 of 5 criteria.
Where they differ
Every point where the two vendors' published facts disagree, with a link to where each fact was read. "Not published" means the vendor does not say either way.
Published by only one of them
Where they match (7)
Pricing, plan by plan
Every plan each vendor publishes, monthly and yearly where both are offered.
Cursor
JetBrains
For everything else about each tool, read the full Cursor review and JetBrains review.
Cursor vs JetBrains: common questions
Which is better, Cursor or JetBrains?
Cursor scores 8.2 and JetBrains 7.1 out of 10 among the AI coding assistants we rate. Cursor is ahead on agents and your codebase, privacy and security and where it works. JetBrains is ahead on pricing and model freedom.
Is Cursor or JetBrains cheaper?
Cursor's cheapest paid plan is $8/mo (Plus) and JetBrains's is $10/mo (AI Pro). Compare what each plan includes below before going on price alone.
Do Cursor and JetBrains have a free plan?
Yes, both do.
What can Cursor do that JetBrains cannot?
On the facts both vendors publish: understands your whole codebase, reviews pull requests and option to keep no copy of your code.
What can JetBrains do that Cursor cannot?
On the facts both vendors publish: runs models on your own machine.
