In a fast-paced world where all coding tasks are powered by AI, it’s crucial to understand the prices of the AI tools that you use. AI coding assistants, such as “Cursor”, offer a plethora of models and pricing plans. But among other things, many users still get confused over how requests, quotas, and modes work. And if that’s not enough, the introduction of Normal and Max Mode models has made the Cursor AI cost structure feel like a maze.

This article is targeted towards Cursor AI users looking for answers or wishing to streamline their workflow cost-effectively. We will clarify the difference between Normal and Max Mode and the cost of Cursor AI with its different pricing models. This will help developers choose the best option for their specific needs.

Understanding Cursor AI: Features & Subscription Plans

In the ever-changing landscape of AI-coding assistants, coding tools like Cursor AI and GitHub Co-Pilot are taking the lead. Both these tools help with various software development tasks, thereby increasing productivity and efficiency. They give smart code recommendations and automate easier tasks, allowing developers to focus their efforts on more complex challenges. These features fit the preferences, patterns, and requirements of various developers. 

Cursor AI is a unique AI-coding tool that scans the entire codebase and customizes to each developer’s operating style. This tool not only offers basic code completion but also provides smart recommendations based on the project’s architecture and the developer’s coding style. It can even create entire code blocks by explaining in natural language. 

Cursor AI can work with numerous languages. It uses widely used languages like Python, JavaScript, C#, and Java. Although it doesn’t cover as many lesser-known languages as GitHub Co-Pilot does, it still has a great depth of knowledge in the language it supports. This allows it to offer far better suggestions for coding projects.

Cursor AI Subscription Cost: How Does The Pricing Work?

Understanding the subscription cost of Cursor AI starts with the basic “request-based” system. Basically, every interaction with the Cursor AI model uses “requests”. The process of these requests, as well as their quantity, depends on the subscription plan you choose. Let’s get into the details.

As per the model pricing structure, one standard request costs $0.04. Cursor AI has different subscription plans for different usage requirements:

1. Hobby Plan: This is a free tier plan with a maximum of 50 requests per month and a limited number of AI completions. It’s a great plan to try out Cursor AI’s capabilities.

2. Pro Plan: This plan costs $20 /month. You get 500 fast requests per month with unlimited AI completions. Most importantly, you get unlimited “slow requests” after you max out your “fast requests”.

3. Business Plan: This plan is priced at $40 /user/month with all features from the Pro Plan, designed for teams with centralized billing and admin dashboards. 

Features	Hobby Plan	Pro Plan	Business Plan
Trial	2 weeks	—	—
Price	Free	$20 /month	$40 /user/month
Requests /month	50 slow requests	500 regular + unlimited slow requests	500 regular + unlimited slow requests
AI Completions	200 /month	Unlimited	Unlimited
Max Mode	❌	✅	✅
Org-wide Privacy	❌	❌	✅
Team Billing	❌	❌	✅
SAML / OIDC SSO	❌	❌	✅
Admin Usage dashboard	❌	❌	✅
Best For	Beginners, hobbyists, and early testers	Solo builders, freelancers, indie devs	Teams, startups, enterprises
Use Cases	Learn new languages with AI helpPrototype AI-powered coding workflowsHackathons or short-term projects	Refactor to improve codebase qualityDaily AI-assisted coding & feature developmentBuild full-stack apps with AI	Privacy-focused AI use in secure environmentsScalable team collaboration with AICentralized billing and user management

Cursor AI’s Normal Mode vs. Max Mode: What Is Their Difference?

Cursor has two operational modes for its AI— “Normal mode” and “Max mode”. Choosing between the modes significantly affects the performance and how the Cursor AI models cost per request. This part causes lots of confusion among users, especially regarding the quick exhaustion of request quotas in Max Mode. Let us understand their differences with a table.

Normal Mode

When you’re in Normal Mode, text interactions you have with a model give you a fixed number of requests that is valid only for the specific model you selected. Cursor AI optimizes content management without impacting your request count per message. For example, a message with Claude 3.5 Sonnet could be 1 request for every user message (while their responses by Cursor could be free).

Max Mode

Max mode works using a token-based price system. As with all models, Cursor bills the model provider’s API price plus 20%. This covers all tokens from your messages, code files, folders, tool calls, and other contexts given. This is the area where the costs may increase if not managed carefully.

Aspects	Normal Mode	Max Mode
Ideal for	Available after fast requests are exhausted	Multiple requests per interaction based on the token count
Pricing	Fixed request per message/model	Per 1M tokens (MTok) – API cost + 20%
Cost Example	1 request for a Claude 3.5 Sonnet prompt	Up to 200, without reprompting
Predictability	High	Low/depends on complexity & content size
Tool Calls	Standard	Available after fast requests are exhausted
Context Window	Optimized by Cursor	Not available; requires usage-based pricing if fast requests are over
Slow Requests	Available after fast requests gets exhausted	Every day, coding tasksPredictable costs

Selecting the appropriate mode for your task is very important for balancing performance with Cursor request quotas. Normal mode is best for daily activities. Reserve Max mode is best for complex tasks when you genuinely need its extended capabilities.

Conclusion

In summary, Cursor AI cost subscription plans provide a sustainable freemium model that is affordable and optimally directed towards developers’ needs. Switching to a Business plan only becomes necessary much later when greater collaboration and administrative control features are required. 

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