kitio.aiCursor vs Kiro
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Cursor has the lower starting price: about $8 a month, against $20 for Kiro.
At a glance
Best for
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Tab autocomplete
- Agent mode
- Codebase chat
- Bugbot PR review
- VS Code extensions
- Spec-driven development
- Agent hooks
- Steering files
- MCP support
- Kiro CLI
| Feature | Cursor | Kiro |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | AI code editor that edits across your whole codebase | Agentic IDE from AWS built around specs before code |
| Category | Coding | Coding |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $8/mo | $20/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | Anysphere (SpaceX) | Amazon Web Services |
| Based in | United States | United States |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
Cursor has the lower starting price: about $8 a month, against $20 for Kiro.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
6 plans
Free
Free
- Limited AI usage
- Limited agent requests
Plus
$8/mo
- Shared AI usage pool
- Grok models only
Premium
$30/mo
- 4x Plus usage
- Cloud agents and automations
- Bugbot code reviews
Super
$100/mo
- 15x Plus usage
- Priority model access at peak
Ultra
$200/mo
- 50x Plus usage
- Earliest access to products and models
Teams
$30/mo
- Per user
- Pooled usage
- Team admin controls
6 plans
Kiro Free
Free
- 50 credits
- Open weight models and Claude Sonnet 4.5
Kiro Pro
$20/mo
- Per user
- 1,000 credits
- Premium models
- Add-on credits at $0.04
Kiro Pro+
$40/mo
- Per user
- 2,000 credits
Kiro Pro Max
$100/mo
- Per user
- 5,000 credits
Kiro Power
$200/mo
- Per user
- 10,000 credits
Enterprise
Contact sales
- Centralized billing and SSO
- Usage analytics
- Enterprise security controls
Prices in USD, checked Oct 28, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
Cursor
- Understands the whole repository
- Familiar VS Code interface
- Choice of AI models
- Third-party models cost extra
- Heavy on memory for large projects
- Plans changed several times in 2026
Kiro
- Plans work before writing code
- Hooks automate repetitive checks
- Free tier with 50 credits a month
- Specs add overhead for small changes
- Credit usage can be hard to predict
Which one should you choose?
Choose Cursor if you want:
- Understands the whole repository
- Familiar VS Code interface
- Choice of AI models
Watch out: third-party models cost extra.
Choose Kiro if you want:
- Plans work before writing code
- Hooks automate repetitive checks
- Free tier with 50 credits a month
Watch out: specs add overhead for small changes.
Cursor vs Kiro FAQ
What is the difference between Cursor and Kiro?
Cursor: AI code editor that edits across your whole codebase. Kiro: Agentic IDE from AWS built around specs before code. Both are coding tools.
Is Cursor or Kiro cheaper?
Cursor has the lower starting price: about $8 a month, against $20 for Kiro.
Do Cursor and Kiro have free plans?
Cursor: Yes. Kiro: Yes.
Who makes Cursor?
Cursor is made by Anysphere (SpaceX), based in United States.
Who makes Kiro?
Kiro is made by Amazon Web Services, based in United States.
Which should I choose, Cursor or Kiro?
Choose Cursor if you value understands the whole repository and familiar vs code interface. Choose Kiro if you value plans work before writing code and hooks automate repetitive checks.