CursorVS
Kiro
Read from each vendor’s own pages last night, so it does not go stale the way a written comparison does.
- CURSOR
- $20 / mo
- KIRO
- Free, then $20 / mo
- CHANGES ON EITHER
- 11
- CAVEATS
- NONE
On the prices each vendor publishes about itself, Cursor starts at $20 / mo and Kiro at Free, then $20 / mo. Cursor takes your own API key; the other bundles model usage, so its headline price is closer to the whole bill. Every figure on this page was read from the two vendors' own pages in last night's run rather than written down once, which is the only reason it is still the current answer. ToolDrift sells neither and takes no referral fee on either.
| COMPARED ON | CURSOR | KIRO |
|---|---|---|
| ASSERTED · WHAT EACH VENDOR PUBLISHES ABOUT ITSELF | ||
| Category | IDE | IDE |
| Vendor | Anysphere | AWS |
| Status | Active | Active |
| How it charges | Subscription | Subscription |
| Entry price | $20 / mo | Free, then $20 / mo |
| Default model | None, you choose | None, you choose |
| Your own key | Yes | No, bundled only |
| Source | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Plans | Hobby · price not readIndividual · $20 / moTeams · $40 / mo per user / moEnterprise · Custom | Free · Freefor teams up to 500 · $20 / mo per user / month |
| MEASURED · COUNTED ON THE LAST NIGHTLY RUN | ||
| Stars | not measured | not measured |
| Maintenance | not measured | not measured |
| Days since last push | not measured | not measured |
| Top model in it | not measured | not measured |
| Its volume | not measured | not measured |
Is Cursor or Kiro cheaper?
On the cheapest option each vendor publishes: Cursor is $20 / mo and Kiro is Free, then $20 / mo. Treat both as an allowance rather than a bill, every tool in this category meters model usage on top of the plan, and which one costs more in practice depends on the models you drive and how hard. The tier prices are the part that can be checked from outside, so they are the part this page prints.
Can I use my own API key with Cursor or Kiro?
Cursor: yes. Kiro: no, model usage is bundled. It is the row that decides whether the subscription price is most of what you pay or a fraction of it: a tool that takes your own key charges for the software, and one that does not is reselling inference with a margin you cannot see.
Are Cursor and Kiro still maintained?
Active and Active as of last night's read. Cursor publishes no repository this site tracks, so there is no push date to read; Kiro publishes no repository this site tracks, so there is no push date to read. This is the question a written comparison cannot answer, because it was true on the day it was published and nobody went back.