Vibe Answers · Last updated 2026-10-17
Claude Code vs Cursor
Claude Code vs Cursor: which should I use to build an app?
Short answer: Cursor is an AI code editor (IDE); Claude Code is Anthropic's agent for the terminal, IDE and desktop. On Vibe Shipped, 28 sourced apps were built with Cursor and 22 with Claude Code, and 6 used both.
| Claude Code | Cursor | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Anthropic's terminal-based coding agent. | AI code editor with an agent that writes and edits code across your repo. |
| Best for | Developers comfortable in the terminal handing off multi-step coding tasks. | Developers who want AI inside a full IDE on an existing codebase. |
| Apps on Vibe Shipped | 22 | 28 |
| Apps with a stated monthly USD revenue | 16 | 25 |
| Processor-verified revenue apps (tier A) | 2 | 3 |
| Pricing (official) | Included in paid Claude plans: Pro $17/mo billed annually ($20 monthly); Max from $100/mo. Not in Free. (2026-10-16) | Free $0/mo (limited); Plus $8/mo; Premium $30/mo; Super $100/mo; Ultra $200/mo; Teams from $30/user/mo; Enterprise custom. (2026-10-16) |
| MCP | Yes | Yes (Cursor CLI) |
| Subagents | Yes | Not verified (Cursor CLI) |
| Headless / scripted | Yes | Yes (Cursor CLI) |
| Sandboxing | Yes | Yes (Cursor CLI) |
| Features checked | 2026-10-17 | 2026-10-17 |
Key sources: claude.com/pricing · cursor.com/pricing · code.claude.com/docs/en/mcp · code.claude.com/docs/en/sub-agents · code.claude.com/docs/en/headless · all 9 sources
Full answer
Cursor is an AI code editor (IDE); Claude Code is Anthropic's agent for the terminal, IDE and desktop. On Vibe Shipped, 28 sourced apps were built with Cursor and 22 with Claude Code, and 6 used both. Pricing, Cursor: Free $0/mo (limited); Plus $8/mo; Premium $30/mo; Super $100/mo; Ultra $200/mo; Teams from $30/user/mo; Enterprise custom. Claude Code: Included in paid Claude plans: Pro $17/mo billed annually ($20 monthly); Max from $100/mo. Not in Free. Both have MCP, headless mode and sandboxing documented; subagents are documented for Claude Code but not verified for the Cursor CLI.
Apps built with both
- Vectal: AI productivity / task agent app. Revenue as stated: Sold for $1.8M (C · Maker-claimed). Source: https://rosetta.to/u/davidondrej/i-sold-my-ai-startup-for-1-800-000-here-s-why
- Snag: iOS app for finding free stuff nearby. Revenue as stated: ~$30K MRR in 4 months (Superwall dashboard shown) (B · Documented). Source: https://www.starterstory.com/snag
- Payout: Finds class-action settlements you can claim. Revenue as stated: $1,003,227 ARR (May 2, 2026) (C · Maker-claimed). Source: https://small-start.com/en/cases/global-payout-vibe-coded-1m-arr/
- Visualizee.ai: AI architectural rendering. Revenue as stated: $8,169 MRR (Stripe-verified) (A · Processor-verified). Source: https://trustmrr.com/startup/visualizee-ai
- ToneAdapt: Guitar tone app (web and mobile). Revenue as stated: $25K over four weeks (Starter Story) (C · Maker-claimed). Source: https://www.dollarbreak.com/leaderboard/vibecoders/
- Coherence: Breathwork app. Revenue as stated: ~$85K revenue in first eight months (Starter Story) (C · Maker-claimed). Source: https://www.dollarbreak.com/leaderboard/vibecoders/
Notes
- Evidence tiers: A = processor-verified (e.g. Stripe via TrustMRR); B = documented (the linked source is a first-party case study by the build-tool maker, or shows the revenue dashboard); C = maker-claimed (everything else, including third-party lists that repeat a figure). Each app shows the basis for its tier and the date its source link was last checked (evidence_checked_at). Figures are as stated by the maker or source, not audited by Vibe Shipped.
- Full pairwise comparison: https://vibeshipped.io/compare/cursor-vs-claude-code
Method
App counts are live, sourced Vibe Shipped listings (an app built with both tools counts for each). Pricing is copied from official pricing pages on the checked date. Features come from official docs (Claude Code docs; Cursor CLI docs) on the checked date. 'Not verified' means the docs we read did not clearly state it.
Sources
- https://claude.com/pricing
- https://cursor.com/pricing
- https://code.claude.com/docs/en/mcp
- https://code.claude.com/docs/en/sub-agents
- https://code.claude.com/docs/en/headless
- https://code.claude.com/docs/en/sandboxing
- https://cursor.com/docs/cli/mcp
- https://cursor.com/docs/cli/headless
- https://cursor.com/docs/cli/overview
Cite as: Vibe Shipped, “Claude Code vs Cursor”, https://vibeshipped.io/best/claude-code-vs-cursor (updated 2026-10-17). Markdown: send Accept: text/markdown.