Choose an editor workflow or an API first
Start with Cursor or GitHub Copilot if you want help while coding; start with an API if software must run the workflow. The chart, calculator, and rate table above compare API models only. They do not price editor subscriptions or measure coding quality.
Cursor is worth trialling when multi-file edits and repository navigation dominate your day. GitHub Copilot is worth trialling when keeping your existing editor and GitHub workflow matters most. Neither is a universal winner: check supported editors, organization controls, model availability, and current usage terms before buying seats.
Use Cursor’s plan page and GitHub Copilot’s plan page for current plan details. Do not confuse GitHub Copilot with Microsoft’s consumer Copilot plans, or assume a subscription includes unrestricted direct API access.
| Route | Candidate use | What to validate | Billing boundary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cursor | Interactive repository edits | Quality of patches and editor fit | Subscription and applicable usage terms |
| GitHub Copilot | Assistance in an existing workflow | Editor support and team controls | Plan-specific allowances |
| Codestral API | Narrow transformations and completion | Syntax, tests, and instruction following | Metered tokens |
| GPT-5.4 mini API | Cost-controlled automation pilot | Tool compatibility and task success | Metered tokens |
| GLM-5.2 API | An alternative coding-agent route | Harness support and accepted changes | Metered tokens |
| Claude Sonnet 5 API | A candidate for difficult edits | Whether fewer failures justify its rate | Metered tokens and cache rules |
| Pricing data: How we verify → | |||
These are starting points for evaluation, not a benchmark ranking. A model that passes a small formatting task may fail a repository migration. Keep human approval for production changes until your evaluation supports greater autonomy.
For source-linked billing details, see Anthropic pricing, OpenAI pricing, and Mistral pricing. Current rates above replace the expired launch-price wording previously on this page.
Prefer a coding allowance to a metered route? Compare the GLM Coding Plan if your coding tool supports it. Check quotas and supported models: its allowance is not the same product as the GLM-5.2 API rate in the table.
Affiliate disclosure: we may earn a commission through this link, at no extra cost to you.
Budget for accepted changes, not one prompt
Suppose an agent uses 30 million uncached input tokens, 10 million cached input tokens, and 5 million output tokens per month. If these are separate buckets, its baseline estimate is:
Monthly token cost = 30 × input rate + 10 × cached-input rate + 5 × output rate.
Take the per-million rates from the generated table. If your usage export includes cached reads inside total input, subtract those reads before pricing fresh input; otherwise you double-count them. Add cache creation, paid tools, long-context surcharges, and other applicable charges separately.
For a smaller example, set the inline calculator to 100,000 input and 20,000 output tokens. Its uncached estimate compares unit prices on equal token counts, not the number of changes each model will successfully complete. Use the full token calculator for the actual input/output/cache mix.
Then measure a representative repository sample:
- Pick tasks such as a bug fix, a test addition, a refactor, and a documentation update.
- Keep the repository snapshot, acceptance tests, and review criteria identical.
- Record every request, failed attempt, tool charge, and reviewer correction.
- Compare total spend divided by accepted changes, alongside latency and review time.
- Route simpler work to the cheaper passing model; escalate failures only when escalation improves the result.
Do not add model rates to an editor subscription bill unless those calls are actually billed to your own API account. Conversely, a coding-plan quota should not be treated as unrestricted usage for a customer-facing application.
The coding-agent overhead guide explains why tool schemas, instruction files, subagents, and repeated turns can dominate token use. The API budgeting guide turns those measurements into a forecast.
FAQ
Is Cursor better than GitHub Copilot?
Trial both on the tasks you repeat most often. Prefer the one that produces accepted changes with less disruption and review effort under your actual plan limits.
Which API is cheapest in this comparison?
Codestral has the lowest standard input and output rates among the selected rows. The cheapest successful workflow can still be a different model if it needs fewer retries.
Is Claude Sonnet 5 automatically worth the higher rate?
No: evaluate whether it reduces failures or review time on difficult tasks. A higher unit price is justified only when the result improves enough for your workflow.
Should I buy an editor subscription or use an API?
Choose an editor product for interactive work and an API for custom automation. Some developers need both, but their allowances and bills are separate.