**Is $20 the New “Unlimited”? Cursor’s Pricing Plan Says Yes, Your Credit Card Says Absolutely Not**
What if I told you that “$20 a month” now means “$20 until we decide you’ve typed too enthusiastically”? Welcome to the magical world of **Cursor**, the AI coding tool that taught developers an important 2024 lesson: *the most dangerous bug in software is the billing model*.
Cursor, built by Anysphere, rocketed to fame by promising developers an AI pair programmer that actually worked. Shocking, I know. It offered a **Free (Hobby)** tier for casual dabblers and a **$20/month Pro plan** that—until recently—felt reassuringly flat, predictable, and boring. Naturally, this could not stand.
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### From “Unlimited” to “Surprise! Metered”
Originally, Cursor’s Pro plan gave users something like **500 fast responses plus unlimited slower ones**, which developers interpreted in the naïve, old-fashioned way: *I pay $20, I use the tool, we all go home happy*.
Then came the glow-up. In mid-2025 (because all great chaos arrives quietly), Cursor redefined the Pro plan as **$20 worth of usage at API rates**. Translation: *You still pay $20, but now it’s more of a suggestion than a guarantee*. Use a fancy model like Claude or GPT-4 too often? Congrats—you’ve speedrun your monthly allowance in a few days.
Users quickly discovered that their “flat-rate” plan was actually a **prepaid gift card**, and they were the gift. Complaints poured in about:
– Usage caps disappearing faster than free pizza at a hackathon
– Unexpected charges unless you manually set spending limits
– Costs ballooning by 10×, 20×, or more for the exact same workflow
Some developers described it less as “pricing” and more as **a jump scare with invoices**.
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### Oops, Our Bad (But Also, Here’s a $200 Plan)
After the internet did its thing, Anysphere’s CEO apologized for the *“unclear communication”*. Which is Silicon Valley–speak for: *we explained it, just not in a way humans could understand*. Refunds were promised, transparency was pledged, and everyone pinky-swore to do better next time.
And then—because irony is the strongest programming language—they launched **Cursor Ultra** for **$200/month**.
Yes. Two hundred dollars. For people who found $20 mysteriously insufficient. Ultra offers about **20× more usage**, which is great if your job involves arguing with AI all day and you’ve emotionally accepted that SaaS subscriptions now cost more than groceries.
Meanwhile, Anysphere’s revenue soared into the hundreds of millions, its valuation hit the stratosphere, and the company proved once again that **confusing pricing is not a bug, it’s a growth strategy**.
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### The Real Feature Was the Lesson We Learned
Cursor’s pricing controversy isn’t just about one tool—it’s a preview of the AI future. Flat pricing is out. **“Pay-as-you-blink” billing is in**. Every token is sacred, every autocomplete a financial decision.
So what’s the solution? Easy. Cursor should rebrand the Pro plan as **“$20: A Thrilling Mystery”**, add a slot machine animation every time you prompt the AI, and just email users their bill with the subject line: *“You were feeling productive today, weren’t you?”*
At least then we’d know what we’re paying for.
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