A Developer's Review: I Spent $510 on Cursor in 30 Days, Was It Worth It?
Alright, let's talk. I recently did something a little crazy, at least for my typical software budget. I went all-in on Cursor, the AI-powered code editor that's been making waves. & I don't mean I just dabbled with the pro plan. No, I went deep. My bill for the last 30 days? A whopping $510.
Yeah, you read that right. Five hundred & ten dollars.
The question that's probably on your mind is the same one that was bouncing around in mine as I looked at my credit card statement: was it worth it?
Honestly, the answer is a bit of a rollercoaster. It's not a simple yes or no. So, grab a coffee, and let's get into it. I'm going to break down exactly how I managed to spend that much, what I got for it, the good, the bad, & the downright frustrating.
The "Why": What Possessed Me to Spend $510 on a Code Editor?
First off, I'm not new to the world of AI coding assistants. I've been using GitHub Copilot for a while now, & it's been a decent sidekick. But I kept hearing the buzz about Cursor. It wasn't just another plugin; it was a full-blown IDE, forked from VS Code, with AI at its very core. The promise was a seamless, intuitive experience where the AI wasn't just suggesting code, but actively participating in the development process.
I'm a freelancer, so time is literally money. If a tool can make me significantly faster, it pays for itself. So, I decided to take the plunge. I started with the Pro plan, which is a reasonable $20 a month. But I quickly realized that to get the most out of it, especially on a complex project, I'd need to lean into their usage-based pricing for the more powerful models.
So, I loaded up my account with credits & went to town. I wanted to see what this thing could really do.
The Honeymoon Phase: Falling in Love with the Future of Coding
The first week was... magical. Seriously.
Since Cursor is a fork of VS Code, the transition was buttery smooth. I imported all my settings, themes, & extensions, & within minutes, I was in a familiar environment, but with superpowers.
The first "whoa" moment came when I used the
feature in the chat. I was working on a legacy project with a tangled mess of dependencies. Instead of spending hours digging through files, I just asked Cursor: "Where is the user authentication logic handled?"
And it told me. Not with a vague guess, but with specific file paths & function names. It was like having a senior developer who had been on the project for years sitting next to me.
Then I discovered the inline editing (Cmd+K). I highlighted a clunky, inefficient function & just typed: "Refactor this to be more performant & readable."
A diff view popped up, showing the proposed changes. It was clean, it was smart, & with a single click, it was in my codebase. I was hooked.
For me, the real game-changer was the "Composer" mode. I was tasked with building a new feature that would touch multiple files: the frontend, the API, the database schema, you name it. Instead of tackling it one file at a time, I opened Composer, laid out my plan in plain English, & pointed it to the relevant parts of my project.
Watching it orchestrate changes across the entire stack was mesmerizing. It wasn't perfect, mind you. It sometimes needed a bit of hand-holding & a few tries to get the logic just right. But it saved me HOURS of grunt work. This wasn't just autocompleting a line of code; this was automating a significant chunk of my workflow.
The Cost Creep: How I Racked Up a $510 Bill
So, how did I get from a $20/month plan to a $510 bill?
The answer lies in the usage-based pricing for the "fast" & more advanced models. The Pro plan comes with a certain number of fast requests, but if you're doing heavy-duty work, you can burn through those pretty quickly. & once you taste the speed & power of the best models, it's hard to go back to the slower, less capable ones.
I was on a tight deadline for a big project, so I just kept the credits flowing. Every time I ran into a complex problem, I'd throw it at Cursor's most powerful AI. Debugging a tricky race condition? Cursor. Generating a suite of unit tests for a complex module? Cursor. Scaffolding out an entire new microservice? You guessed it, Cursor.
Every one of those queries chipped away at my credit balance. & honestly, in the heat of the moment, I wasn't really tracking it. I was just focused on getting the work done.
It was only at the end of the month, when I sat down to do my accounting, that I had my "oh crap" moment.
The Reality Check: Where Cursor Falls Short
As much as I was impressed with Cursor, it's far from perfect. & for $510, you better believe I was keeping a close eye on the flaws.
First off, performance can be an issue, especially with large files. There were times when the IDE would get sluggish & laggy, something I never experienced with vanilla VS Code. It's not a deal-breaker, but it's noticeable.
Then there's the occasional... weirdness. The AI isn't infallible. I had a few instances where it would confidently suggest a change that was just plain wrong. Or it would get stuck in a loop, suggesting the same incorrect fix over & over. It's a reminder that you can't just blindly trust it. You still need to be a developer, not just a prompt engineer.
The biggest frustration for me, though, was the UI clutter. With all the AI-powered features, the interface can get pretty busy. Pop-ups, suggestions, chat windows... it can be a lot to take in. There were moments when I longed for the simplicity of a more minimalist editor.
& let's talk about the learning curve. Yes, the basics are easy if you know VS Code. But to really master it & get your money's worth, you have to dig into the more advanced features like
to customize the AI's behavior. That takes time & effort.
AI in Development & Beyond: A Broader Perspective
My experience with Cursor got me thinking about the broader role of AI in the software development lifecycle, & in business in general. Tools like Cursor are making it possible for developers to be more productive than ever before, automating the tedious parts of the job so we can focus on the creative, problem-solving aspects.
It's a trend we're seeing everywhere. Businesses are increasingly looking to AI to streamline their operations & improve customer experiences. This is where a platform like Arsturn comes into the picture. Just as Cursor is revolutionizing the developer experience, Arsturn is changing the game for customer service & engagement.
Think about it: the same way I was able to "ask" my codebase questions & get instant, accurate answers, businesses can use Arsturn to build no-code AI chatbots trained on their own data. These chatbots can provide instant customer support, answer questions, & engage with website visitors 24/7. It's about leveraging AI to provide a better, faster, more personalized experience. For a business, that can mean a huge boost in conversions & customer satisfaction.
The Verdict: Was My $510 Gamble Worth It?
So, here we are, back to the big question. Was spending $510 on Cursor for a month a good investment?
Here's my honest, unfiltered take: Yes, but with a big asterisk.
The "yes" comes from a purely financial perspective. The amount of time I saved on that big project, thanks to Cursor, more than paid for the $510. I was able to deliver the project ahead of schedule, which made my client happy & freed me up to take on more work. In that sense, it was a clear win.
But the asterisk is important. I wouldn't spend $510 on Cursor every month. That was a result of a perfect storm: a complex project, a tight deadline, & a desire to push the tool to its absolute limits.
For my day-to-day work, the standard Pro plan at $20/month is more than enough. It gives you a taste of the power without breaking the bank.
Here's who I think should seriously consider paying for Cursor:
- Freelancers & Consultants: If your income is directly tied to your productivity, the time you save with Cursor can be a massive financial advantage.
- Developers on Complex Projects: If you're working with a large, unfamiliar codebase, Cursor's AI-powered understanding of your project can be a lifesaver.
- Teams Who Want to Move Faster: For a business, the cost of the Business plan ($40/user/month) is a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of developer salaries. If it can make your whole team more efficient, it's a no-brainer.
However, I wouldn't recommend it for:
- Beginner Developers: I actually think it could be a crutch for those who are still learning the fundamentals. It's important to build a strong foundation before you start relying on AI to do the heavy lifting.
- Developers on a Tight Budget: If you're not in a position where you can directly translate the time saved into more income, the cost might be hard to justify.
Final Thoughts
My month-long, $510 experiment with Cursor was eye-opening. It gave me a glimpse into the future of software development, a future where AI is a true collaborator, not just a tool. It's a future that's incredibly exciting, but also one that we need to approach with a healthy dose of realism.
AI-powered tools are not a magic bullet. They have their quirks, their limitations, & their costs. But when used strategically, they can be an incredible force multiplier.
For now, I've downgraded to the standard Pro plan. But I'm glad I took the plunge. It showed me what's possible, & it's changed the way I think about my workflow.
Hope this was helpful. I'd love to hear what you think. Have you tried Cursor? Are you using other AI coding tools? Let me know in the comments.