Cursor
An AI code editor built on VS Code, and the one most freelance developers try first. Quick on routine work and good at reading an unfamiliar codebase, with client confidentiality and usage costs to settle before you point it at paid work.
Features
Cursor is a code editor with AI built in rather than bolted on. It is based on VS Code, so your extensions, keybindings and settings mostly come across, and the difference is that it can read your whole project, answer questions about it and make changes across several files at once. If you write code for clients, it is the AI tool most worth an honest trial.
How freelancers tend to use it
- Getting up to speed on an inherited codebase, asking where things live and how a feature works instead of reading it cold
- Routine work you would otherwise bill slowly: boilerplate, form validation, tests, migrations, small refactors across many files
- Handing a well-defined task to its agent and reviewing the diff, rather than typing every line yourself
- Chasing down a bug by pasting the error and letting it trace the likely cause through the code
- Working in a language or framework you know less well, where it fills the gaps in syntax and conventions
What it costs
Prices below are as listed on Cursor's own pricing page, in US dollars, and can change, so check before you commit.
| Plan | Price | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Hobby | Free | Trying it out, with limited agent requests |
| Individual | From $20 a month | Solo freelancers using it most days, with higher agent limits |
| Teams | $40 per user a month | Small agencies sharing context across a team |
| Enterprise | Custom | Larger organisations, quoted by sales |
Every plan includes a set amount of model usage, and anything beyond that is billed on usage. Heavy agent use can run past what is included, so keep an eye on it during a busy month before you work it into a fixed-price quote. Prices are in dollars, so the sterling cost moves with the exchange rate, and you may want to check how VAT is handled on your invoice.
Worth knowing
Client code is the first thing to think about. Cursor sends code to AI models to do its job, and Privacy Mode, which stops your code being used for training, has to be switched on in settings. It is not on by default. Many client contracts and NDAs say where their code may go, so check yours before opening a client repository in it.
It is fast and it is confidently wrong at times. It will write code that looks right and does not handle the edge case, or quietly change something you did not ask it to touch. You are still the one signing off the work, so read every diff as if a junior wrote it.
Speed changes the pricing conversation too. If you bill by the hour and Cursor halves the time a job takes, that is worth thinking through before it happens, not after.
Cursor vs Claude and ChatGPT for freelance work
The difference is where each one sits. ChatGPT and Claude live in a chat window: you paste code in, discuss it and copy an answer back. Cursor lives inside your editor, sees the whole project and edits files directly, which saves a lot of copying on real client codebases.
The chat tools are better for thinking and writing. Drafting a proposal, weighing up an architecture, explaining a concept to a client or writing documentation are all easier in a conversation, and a general assistant also costs nothing extra if you already pay for one. Cursor earns its place when most of your billable hours are spent in code.
Plenty of freelancers use both: an editor like Cursor for the work in the repository, and a chat assistant for everything around it.
Who it suits
Worth having if you build or maintain software for clients, especially across several codebases. If you only write the odd script, a general assistant like ChatGPT or Claude will cover it without changing your editor.
FAQ
Is Cursor free? There is a free Hobby plan with limited agent requests. Paid plans start from $20 a month and raise the agent limits.
Is Cursor safe to use on client code? Only once you have checked your contract and switched Privacy Mode on. Without it, code can be used for training, which many NDAs rule out.
Do I need to learn a new editor? Not really. It is built on VS Code, so most extensions and settings carry over.
Can I use Cursor on a fixed-price job? Yes, but usage beyond the included amount is billed, so allow for a buffer in your quote and watch your usage on larger jobs.
Should I use Cursor or ChatGPT? If you spend most of your day in code, Cursor. If you mainly need drafting, research and explanation, a chat assistant is enough. Many freelancers use both.