Gemma 4 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
Open weights you run and license yourself
Repository edits with a reviewable change boundary
- Free access
- Gemma 4: Free access
- Cursor: Free access
- Paid from
- Gemma 4: No fixed price listed
- Cursor: USD 20 per month
- Plans listed
- Gemma 4: 1
- Cursor: 7
- Public API
- Gemma 4: Yes
- Cursor: Yes
Where Gemma 4 and Cursor differ
- Open sourceOnly Gemma 4 is open source.
- PlansGemma 4 lists 1 plans and Cursor lists 7.
Head to head
Each value from the tool’s profile and the vendor’s own pages
| Gemma 4 | Fact | Cursor |
|---|---|---|
| Access and price | ||
| Free access availableOpen weights (Apache 2.0) · 0 | Free accessSame | Free access availableHobby |
| No fixed price listed | Lowest listed paid plan | USD 20 per monthPro · billed monthly |
| Free open weights (Apache 2.0); you supply the hardware | Pricing model | From USD 20 per month, billed monthly |
| 1 | Plans listedDiffers | 7 |
| Yes | Public APISame | Yes |
| Not confirmed | Card to start | Not required |
| Yes | Open sourceDiffers | No |
| What it is for | ||
| Running an open model locally for code and text work | 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 · Sep 29, 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
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
Gemma 4
Strengths
- Permissive license: Apache 2.0 allows commercial use, modification and redistribution without a separate Gemma agreement.
- Runs offline: Downloaded weights work without an account or network connection once installed.
- Published memory table: Google lists approximate memory for every size at 16-bit, 8-bit and 4-bit precision.
Limits to plan around
- Hardware is your cost: The 31B model needs 17.5 GB even at 4-bit, before context memory.
- No paid hosted tier on the Gemini API: The pricing page lists only a free tier, and free-tier content is used to improve Google products.
- Older training data: The pre-training data has a January 2025 cutoff, so later events need to be supplied in the prompt.
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.
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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.