OpenCode costs nothing. Cursor costs $20/month. The SWE-bench scores are closer than you’d expect.
Quick Verdict
Cursor wins for interactive coding experience. OpenCode wins for cost and model flexibility. Choose Cursor if you want the best IDE. Choose OpenCode if you want the best free agent.
Pricing
| OpenCode | Cursor | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Full (BYO keys) | Limited |
| Pro | $0 + API costs | $20/mo |
| Pro+ | $0 + API costs | $40/mo |
| Billing model | API costs only | Flat subscription |
OpenCode is free software. You pay only for API keys. For moderate usage, this is cheaper than Cursor’s subscription.
Features Head-to-Head
| Feature | OpenCode | Cursor |
|---|---|---|
| SWE-bench | 88.0% | 91.2% |
| Multi-model | Yes | Yes |
| IDE | Terminal | Full IDE |
| Inline editing | No | Best-in-class |
| Background agents | No | Yes |
| MCP support | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | No |
Where Cursor Wins
Interactive speed. Cursor’s Cmd+K inline editing is faster than anything else.
IDE experience. Full editor with syntax highlighting, minimap, file trees.
Background agents. Work continues while you focus elsewhere.
SWE-bench. 91.2% vs 88.0% — a meaningful edge on benchmarks.
Where OpenCode Wins
Cost. Free software, pay only for API keys. No subscription required.
Model flexibility. Use any provider. Switch between Claude, GPT-4, Gemini, or local models.
Open source. Full source code access. Modify, extend, deploy on your infrastructure.
Simplicity. No IDE to learn. Just a CLI that does its job.
When to Choose Which
Choose Cursor if:
- You prefer an IDE experience
- Inline editing speed matters most
- You want background agents
- You’re comfortable with $20/month
Choose OpenCode if:
- Cost is a primary concern
- You want model flexibility
- You prefer terminal-based workflows
- You want open-source tools
Bottom Line
Cursor is the premium experience. OpenCode is the free alternative. The 3.2% benchmark difference doesn’t justify $20/month for most developers. Choose OpenCode if you want flexibility and lower costs. Choose Cursor if you want the best interactive coding experience and don’t mind paying for it.