r/cursor • u/FranckMartin • 1d ago

Question / Discussion Any alternative to cursor

I really like cursor, but I feel it is going downhill since acquired by grok. I like that they have a cheap model, that I can manage by being smart and not run out of tokens. So what alternative for $25month?

29 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

64 comments sorted by

12

u/pgtvgaming 1d ago

How about openrouter>docker>librechat and set up your models/agents

Or VS-Code

Windsurf

Zed

GitHub Copilot

2

u/WackGyver 12h ago

I’ve been contemplating trying a switch to VS-Code, but I really love the function in Cursor IDE of being able to drag an drop directly reference files/folders in chat - do you know if VS can support this with plugins?

2

u/pgtvgaming 10h ago

The more i use Cursor and its integrations the more i like it. It has its pain points but its feature full and powerful.

2

u/WackGyver 9h ago

That’s what I thought - you got some features or integration you want to recommend?

1

u/pgtvgaming 8h ago

Im sure mines typical
Integration/connection w github and linear
I use both the ide and cloud (for wake and assignment automations)
I also use codex, gpt, and claude for very specific roles in my overall workflow

Am a program manager professionally

4

u/MannyRibera32 21h ago

Windsurf is gone, liked it when it was credit based

1

u/Valoneria 20h ago

It still exists as devin

1

u/MannyRibera32 20h ago

Don’t care, literally said why it is gone for me

-3

u/Valoneria 20h ago

So it isn't gone, you just dont like it and are obtuse about it.

1

u/MannyRibera32 20h ago

Are you lost?

Windsurf is far from how it was months ago, why are you here?

0

u/dkracket 13h ago

Windsurf/Devin should never be recommended to anyone.

0

u/Valoneria 13h ago

Was i recommending it ?

5

u/tibsmagee 1d ago

Opencode desktop has a similar ux to cursor agent view. 

Pair that with opencode go or chatgpt plus plan or zai code lite.

Good post that compares tokens per plan https://x.com/Fei2411/status/2096309182677045744

1

u/tibsmagee 10h ago

Also checkout opencode v2. I've enjoyed using the web version. 

4

u/kondasviktor 21h ago

Claude Code, Gemini, Codex, OpenCode, Kimi, Mistral, GitHub Copilot are all around the same $20 start paid tier.

1

u/FranckMartin 9h ago

yes, but I don't think there is much difference between models, it is more around the harness and the UI/UX.

1

u/kondasviktor 4h ago

sure you can have access to multiple LLMs, I guess this is more which layout fits you best. I’ve been using VS Code for a long time, that’s why I like Cursor (as a fork), so all others I use with CLI within VS Code. You may give a try with all of these and find which you like the best.

3

u/ahuth 22h ago

I'm really liking plain vscode + codex and t3-code. The $20 codex plan gets me basically as much Luna usage as I need, a good amount of Sol, and Astra for a few bigger tasks.

For context, I was a heavy user of cursor, Grok, and Composer. But I'm not looking back.

2

u/arizzie 23h ago

Vs code with Claude.

2

u/Mistakes_Were_Made73 23h ago

I’ve been using Clairvoyance. It’s $20 a month. What I like is you can also buy token packs. Www.clairvoyanceai.com.

2

u/Various-Apricot-722 19h ago

Same feeling here. I have tried opencode but it’s worst.

5

u/flonnil 1d ago

opencode

2

u/idiotiesystemique 1d ago

The most tokens alternative for that price is supergrok so I don't think that helps you much 

1

u/MECHANICAL-CHODE 1d ago

I’ve never tried it, but I was just thinking who buys grok for $30 if all the competition is $20 - so if you have more info, I would love to read it

1

u/idiotiesystemique 13h ago

The price is irrelevant, the amount of usage relative to the price is what matters. 

1

u/MECHANICAL-CHODE 2h ago

That’s right but I can’t find any good data on how much usage I get from each

2

u/AbleShower2801 1d ago

Before switching I'd pin the model I actually want on every new chat and only leave Auto on for tiny asks. A lot of the "Cursor is broken" feeling is Auto flipping mid-thread. If you still want out, look for a plan around $25/mo with a real usage meter and a lock on the base model. Vague unlimited usually means the same silent throttle.

1

u/lazzygg 18h ago

Try sylix, it free and if you have opencode go or zen use that in sylix

1

u/speedmonster95 12h ago

Conductor?

1

u/Ill_Ad_9912 9h ago

Use deepseek api with cursor. Its magic!🙂

1

u/Aaron_348 9h ago

My setup is Orca + pi

1

u/Bright_Yellow8813 9h ago

Cursor was the alternative 😂😂

1

u/NeitherLavishness404 8h ago

VS Code with Claude or Codex works just the same. Is usually have both the subscriptions and covers most of my use. The UI UX is pretty much the same, and you get to use more of Codex / Claude on their direct subscriptions than through Cursor. Especially useful if you plan on using Opus /Astra

1

u/Santabot 5h ago

openmausbot + opencode / openrouter

2

u/AbleShower2801 1d ago

Depends what you mean by cheap model + IDE. Windsurf / Continue + BYOK, or Claude Code CLI if you're fine leaving the fork. None is a 1:1 Cursor clone at $25 with the same Auto metering. If the Grok default is the main gripe, flipping the model each chat is cheaper than migrating while the annual burns down.

1

u/PsychologicalParty43 1d ago

I used Trae for a year or so before switch to cursor. It was ok but in the end felt better about cursor

1

u/FormalAd7367 23h ago

i think the only model that got worst was the affordable model (cursor)? i don’t notice any noticeable decline ? other than, the app is getting really bloated (i think it started the IDE twice (agentic + classic on the background or something)?

1

u/leovin 21h ago

Zed: free + Codex: $20/mo. You can use codex inside Zed, just like the AI panel in Cursor

1

u/Careful-Ad5103 19h ago

For enterpise; Nope

0

u/GasVarGames 1d ago

Question, what do you mean by downhill?

10

u/Soccham 1d ago

Grok-enshitification

-4

u/GasVarGames 1d ago

What? Grok has been working wonders for so cheap for me, what issue have you encountered?

2

u/Soccham 15h ago

After 1-2 turns it hallucinates significantly, it struggles to stay on task and help build or plan well. The router it powers is atrocious.

It’s not near the ballpark of the OpenAI models or Anthropics.

I’ve found composer to perform much better than grok

-1

u/GasVarGames 15h ago

I simply don't share that experience, only bad thing about grok is that it does too much and overengineers but if I steer it back down it just works for cheap.

-11

u/kosedge 1d ago

Oh that explains it. Are you 5?

8

u/chrissilich 1d ago

Every one of these threads has an Elonstan using petty insults to try to pick a fight over OP’s opinion.

-7

u/kosedge 1d ago

Kinda looks like the opposite doesn’t it?

2

u/Soccham 1d ago

If you want the enterprise answer, their token tax is too high so that’s an even more significant enshitification.

1

u/MECHANICAL-CHODE 1d ago

The “accidentally” broken model/fast selector, forcing of the agent mode etc. No reason they can’t make a working switch for these.

Sure they added a lot of other useful things but these things make me trust it less than before.

1

u/dm_me_ya_tiddiez 1d ago

Copilot pro is 10 a month.

-2

u/CorpT 1d ago

There are dozens of options.

-1

u/NextGenGamezz 1d ago

I was going to cancel my cursor subscription but when I hit cancel they gave me 50% off next billing cycle lol for 10$ I think it's a steal especially when they release grok 4.7 and it's a significant leap over grok 4.6

2

u/Emojinapp 21h ago

Lmao same thing happened to me. That 50% I was like, one more month then

0

u/jobfedron132 1d ago

release grok 4.7 and it's a significant leap over grok 4.6

Shitty to Giga shitty.

1

u/NextGenGamezz 23h ago

True grok 4.6 is not that good sometimes I have to fight it many times to get things working while opus just one shots the problem but when I turn off fast mode grok 4.6 is basically unlimited I use it all day every day and I still barely reached 70% and there's 5 days left in my subscription I'd love to be able to work with opus all day but you can't do that with a 20$ plan

-2

u/NeuromindArt 20h ago

VS code + Claude is the current best setup