On smaller screens, scroll sideways to compare both tools.
| Compare features | Cursor | JetBrains AI Assistant |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | A coding agent for editing, understanding and changing projects through an editor and other developer workflows. Model access depends on the plan. | AI assistance inside JetBrains IDEs. Check the IDE license and AI entitlement separately. |
| Category | AI coding & development | AI coding & development |
| Paid entry price | US$8 / mo+Billed monthly · Plus Monthly Plus subscription; restricted to Cursor models. Third-party models are unavailable on Plus and cost extra on Premium and above. Existing legacy Pro subscriptions follow different terms. | Check official pricingUsage-based or variable · AI Free / Pro / Ultimate Access and allowance depend on individual or organizational terms and Central migration. Check the underlying IDE entitlement too. |
| Free plan | Supported | Supported |
| Japanese support | Unverified | Unverified |
| Deployment | Cloud | Desktop |
| Reasons to choose |
|
|
| Before you subscribe |
|
|
| Pricing checked | 2026-10-26 | 2026-10-28 |
| Official pricing | Check pricing | Check pricing |
Prices exclude tax, currency conversion and introductory discounts. Different currencies and billing periods are not directly comparable. Japanese support can apply to input, output or the interface; check each tool’s scope.
Inventory the existing workflow
List language navigation, tests, debugger and required plugins. Evaluate AI Assistant inside that existing workflow and reproduce the required operations if moving work to Cursor. Count necessary operations rather than every feature on a product page; losing one essential debugging step can matter more than gaining several unused options.
Compare an equivalent patch
Use equivalent repository copies and the same small requirement. Record investigation, explanation and tests separately. Preserve additional clarifications supplied to either tool, since unequal evidence can look like a product difference. Review the accepted patch rather than the confidence of the first explanation.
Align feature and provider assumptions
For JetBrains, distinguish chat, completion and agent configuration. For Cursor, inspect the actual entitlement and selected model. If local inference is mandatory, validate every required feature against that condition. One successful local connection does not make two otherwise different full workflows equivalent.
Compare total operating cost
Include the base IDE entitlement, AI agreement and independent model costs where applicable. Account for setup migration and review time. Consider higher access when a required feature or allowance is missing. The lowest visible fee is not a meaningful comparison if the two setups do not support the same actual work.
Example: pilot an established Java task
For a hypothetical Java validation fix, preserve existing tests, launch configuration and debugger checks. Have the reviewer explain the resulting diff. This pilot exercises the established project rather than a blank-project demo, providing concrete evidence of whether moving the environment improves the task you actually maintain.
Assign ownership after selection
Have a second developer start the project and make a follow-up change using the chosen setup. Preserve code, shared settings and startup procedures before ending another contract. A pleasing model answer and a maintainable team rollout are different acceptance conditions; selection should satisfy both.
Official sources
Pricing, availability and feature limits can change. Check the linked official pages before subscribing.
- Cursor Agent overviewInformation checked: 2026-10-26
- JetBrains AI AssistantInformation checked: 2026-10-28
- JetBrains third-party and local modelsInformation checked: 2026-10-28
- JetBrains AI plans and usageInformation checked: 2026-10-28
- Cursor pricingInformation checked: 2026-10-26
- Cursor models and pricingInformation checked: 2026-10-26
- Install JetBrains AI AssistantInformation checked: 2026-10-28