Kiro vs Cursor
Plans, free access, limits and intended use side by side, taken from each vendor’s own pages. No score and no winner: the facts show where the two differ.
Change tools
AWS agentic IDE and CLI built around specs, steering files and hooks, metered in monthly credits
Repository edits with a reviewable change boundary
- Free access
- Kiro: Free access
- Cursor: Free access
- Paid from
- Kiro: USD 20 per user per month
- Cursor: USD 20 per month
- Plans listed
- Kiro: 6
- Cursor: 7
- Public API
- Kiro: Not confirmed
- Cursor: Yes
Where Kiro and Cursor differ
- PlansKiro lists 6 plans and Cursor lists 7.
Head to head
Each value from the tool’s profile and the vendor’s own pages
| Kiro | Fact | Cursor |
|---|---|---|
| Access and price | ||
| Free access availableFree · USD 0 | Free accessSame | Free access availableHobby |
| USD 20 per user per monthPro | Lowest listed paid plan | USD 20 per monthPro · billed monthly |
| Free (50 credits/month); Pro $20, Pro+ $40, Pro Max $100, Power $200 per user per month; add-on credits $0.04 | Pricing model | From USD 20 per month, billed monthly |
| 6 | Plans listedDiffers | 7 |
| Not confirmed | Public API | Yes |
| Not confirmed | Card to start | Not required |
| No | Open sourceSame | No |
| What it is for | ||
| Developers who want spec-driven agent work in a VS Code-style IDE with a fixed monthly credit cap | Built for | Developers evaluating controlled repository edits with their own test suite |
| Coding | CategorySame | Coding |
| Platforms |
|
| Works with |
|
| How current | ||
| Profile sources checked | ||
| Prices confirmed · Oct 24, 2026 | Pricing checkSame | Prices confirmed · Oct 17, 2026 |
Official source check for both tools. No hands-on testing and no score: “Differs” marks a documented difference, not a better tool.
Plans and prices
Kiro
Prices confirmed · Oct 24, 2026- FreeUSD 0
- ProUSD 20 per user per month
- Pro+USD 40 per user per month
- Pro MaxUSD 100 per user per month
- PowerUSD 200 per user per month
Show 1 more plan
- EnterpriseContact sales
Cursor
Prices confirmed · Oct 17, 2026- HobbyFree
- ProUSD 20 per monthbilled monthly
- Pro PlusUSD 60 per monthbilled monthly
- UltraUSD 200 per monthbilled monthly
- Teams StandardUSD 40 per user per monthbilled monthly
Show 2 more plans
- Teams PremiumUSD 120 per user per monthbilled monthly
- EnterpriseCustom quote
Strengths and limits
Kiro
Strengths
- Published credit sizes: Each plan states its monthly credits, and the docs list a multiplier for every model, so a month can be sized before paying.
- Hard cap by default: If you buy no add-on credits, usage pauses at the plan limit instead of running up an overage bill.
- Structured planning files: Specs leave requirements, design and tasks as files in the repository that you can review and keep.
Limits to plan around
- Content used by default: Free and individual paid users' prompts, code and responses may be used for service improvement unless they opt out.
- Free has no top-up: Free cannot buy add-on credits; when its 50 credits run out, you wait for next month or upgrade.
- Credits do not roll over: Unused plan credits reset at the start of each calendar month; only purchased add-ons last 12 months.
Cursor
Strengths
- Integrated change loop: Inspection, editing and command execution can stay in one workspace.
- Explicit project context: Repository rules make conventions easier to repeat across tasks.
- Reviewable output: A file diff gives the developer a concrete artifact to accept or reject.
Limits to plan around
- Variable consumption: The model and task affect how far an allowance lasts.
- Review remains necessary: A plausible patch can change behavior or weaken tests.
- Workspace permissions: Command execution requires deliberate limits around data and external systems.
See both products
Start from your task, not from a winner.
Run both tools on the same real task, then compare the result, how much editing it needs and how fast it uses your plan’s allowance.
How we reviewChange this pair
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Comparing tools from different categories is fine, and often useful — a writing assistant and a research tool solve different halves of the same job. The table will show you exactly where they diverge.
Questions about comparing tools
How does the comparison work?
Add two tools to the comparison tray from any tool card, then open this page. The table pulls each tool's verified plan details, platforms, strengths and limits from its profile, so both columns carry the same kind of evidence, with a separate source-check date for each tool.
Do you declare a winner?
No. The table sets two tools against each other on documented facts, not on a score. Which one wins depends on your task, your budget and your usage volume — three things we cannot see from here.
Why are some cells empty or marked unverified?
Because we could not confirm that detail on the vendor's own pages. Rather than filling the gap with a figure from elsewhere, we mark it and say why on the tool's profile.
Can I compare more than two tools?
Not at once. Two columns keep the differences readable and force a real decision. Remove either selected tool to replace it, or clear both to start a new pair.
Every figure in the table above comes from the linked profile, where the source and the verification date are listed. Browse all tools or read the editorial policy.