Try a Cursor alternative without leaving your editor
Open Reason on the web or the Mac app
Sign in at reasonmachines.com, or download the Reason app for macOS from reasonmachines.com/download. Both open the same Sessions. Sending work to Reason needs a Pro or Max plan.
Connect the plans you already pay for
In Settings › Models, connect subscriptions such as Claude (Pro or Max), ChatGPT (Plus, Pro or Business), Grok (SuperGrok or X Premium+) or GitHub Copilot, or add API keys. Reason runs on your own accounts first; a Reason plan's credits cover the rest.
Connect GitHub
In Customize, open GitHub and choose Connect GitHub, then pick the repositories Reason may work in. Reason opens pull requests from its own branches; your branch protection and required checks still apply.
Give it a task you know the answer to
In the composer, name the repository and paste a task you've already solved, such as a failing test. Reason works on its own cloud computer, runs the tests and opens a pull request, so you can compare its diff with your other agent's.
Cursor alternatives at a glance
| Made by | Open source | Where it runs | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | Anthropic | Not open source | Terminal, IDE, desktop, web; cloud sessions keep running with the laptop closed | Claude Pro $20, Max $100, Ultra $200 a month |
| Codex | OpenAI | CLI under Apache-2.0 | CLI, IDE, desktop, web, iOS; Codex cloud tasks keep working while your computer sleeps | Included in ChatGPT Free and Go; Plus $20; Pro $100 to $500 a month |
| GitHub Copilot cloud agent | GitHub | Not open source | Works in the background in a cloud environment; sessions on Actions run at most 59 minutes | Copilot paid plans from $10 to $100 a month; Business $19 per seat |
| Cline | Cline Bot Inc. | Apache-2.0 (JetBrains plugin excepted) | IDE, terminal and desktop; cron schedules; Slack and other chat apps; Ollama and LM Studio | Free and open source; you pay your model provider |
| Devin | Cognition | Not open source | Cloud workspace with shell, IDE and browser; CLI, desktop; Slack and Teams | Free; Pro $20; Max $200 a month; Teams $80 a month plus $40 per seat |
| opencode | The opencode project | MIT | Terminal, desktop and IDE; 75+ providers and local models | Free; optional OpenCode Go from $10 a month |
| Reason | Reason Machines | Not open source | Web, Mac and iOS apps, Slack, command line; its own cloud computer per Session, or yours | Pro $50, Max $200 a month; credits |
From each vendor's own pages, checked Nov 2, 2026. For reference, Cursor's own plans are Free, Plus at $8 (Grok models only), Premium at $30, Super at $100 and Ultra at $200 a month, sold through X Subscription Corp; Cloud Agents need Premium or higher, and third-party models are billed at API list price.
Which alternative for which reason
Keep VS Code or JetBrains: GitHub Copilot, or Cline, which is free and open source. Prefer a terminal agent: Claude Code or Codex, both of which also have IDE extensions. Windsurf users: windsurf.com now serves Devin Desktop, Cognition's command center for local and cloud agents.
Cursor's Cloud Agents and Bugbot cover background work and pull request review; the agents on this page cover the same ground in different places. Reason is an always-on teammate that is also a frontier coding agent: its own cloud computer per Session, memory across Sessions, Loops and Slack, and the model picked per task from Reason's models or the Claude, ChatGPT, Grok and Copilot plans you connect. Hit your limit? Reason keeps going on your other connected accounts or Reason credits. It isn't open source and has no free plan.
Sources (checked Nov 2, 2026)
Questions
What is the best alternative to Cursor?
For an editor experience, GitHub Copilot in VS Code or JetBrains, or the open-source Cline. For an agent that does the whole change, Claude Code or Codex, or Reason, which works on its own cloud computer and opens a pull request.
Is there a free Cursor alternative?
Cline and opencode are free and open source; you pay your model provider, or nothing with a local model. GitHub Copilot Free has a limited allowance.
What happened to Windsurf?
windsurf.com now serves Devin Desktop pages from Cognition, described as a command center to manage any agent, locally or in the cloud.
Why did Cursor's prices change?
Cursor's pricing page now lists Free, Plus, Premium, Super and Ultra plans sold through X Subscription Corp, with Plus limited to Grok models and third-party models billed at API list price. Check cursor.com/pricing for the current plans.
What does Reason cost?
Pro is $50 a month and Max $200 a month per person, with usage measured in credits; top-ups keep work going when a week's usage runs out. Models you run on your own connected subscriptions or API keys are billed by that provider and keep that provider's limits.
Is Reason affiliated with these vendors?
No. Reason is built by Reason Machines and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic, OpenAI, Anysphere, Cognition, GitHub, Google or xAI. Facts about their products come from their own pages, linked under Sources.