{
  "id": "budget-ide-agent",
  "title": "Cheapest paid IDE agent",
  "category": "coding-agents",
  "job": "Get unlimited completions plus an agent for the price of a lunch.",
  "difficulty": "Beginner",
  "tools": [
    {
      "id": "copilot",
      "name": "GitHub Copilot",
      "url": "https://github.com/features/copilot",
      "kind": "ide",
      "summary": "GitHub's AI pair programmer and coding agent across IDEs, GitHub.com and the Copilot CLI. Usage-based AI credits since June 1, 2026.",
      "open_source": false,
      "pricing": {
        "plans": [
          {
            "name": "Free",
            "usd_month": 0,
            "note": "2,000 completions/month, limited chat and agent"
          },
          {
            "name": "Pro",
            "usd_month": 10,
            "note": "1,500 AI credits/month (1,000 base + 500 flex)"
          },
          {
            "name": "Pro+",
            "usd_month": 39,
            "note": "7,000 AI credits/month"
          },
          {
            "name": "Max",
            "usd_month": 100,
            "note": "20,000 AI credits/month"
          }
        ],
        "source": "https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/get-started/plans",
        "status": "verified",
        "notes": "Code completions don't consume AI credits. 1 AI credit = $0.01."
      },
      "last_checked": "2026-10-21"
    },
    {
      "id": "cursor",
      "name": "Cursor",
      "url": "https://cursor.com",
      "kind": "ide",
      "summary": "AI code editor with agent, cloud agents and Bugbot code review. Sold as part of The X Subscription since Oct 12, 2026.",
      "open_source": false,
      "pricing": {
        "plans": [
          {
            "name": "Free",
            "usd_month": 0,
            "note": "Limited usage"
          },
          {
            "name": "Plus",
            "usd_month": 8,
            "note": "Cursor models only (Grok 4.7, Composer 2.5); no cloud agents or third-party models"
          },
          {
            "name": "Premium",
            "usd_month": 30,
            "note": "4x Plus usage; cloud agents, Bugbot, third-party models at API list price"
          },
          {
            "name": "Super",
            "usd_month": 100,
            "note": "15x Plus usage"
          },
          {
            "name": "Ultra",
            "usd_month": 200,
            "note": "50x Plus usage"
          }
        ],
        "source": "https://cursor.com/help/account-and-billing/pricing",
        "status": "verified",
        "notes": "Legacy Pro ($20), Pro+ ($60) and Ultra ($200) plans continue for existing subscribers only. Third-party models (Claude, GPT) are billed separately from prepaid credit on Premium and above."
      },
      "last_checked": "2026-10-21"
    }
  ],
  "model": "Copilot auto/selection or Cursor's own models",
  "mcp_servers": [],
  "config": {
    "filename": "AGENTS.md",
    "language": "markdown",
    "code": "- Prefer small diffs.\n- Ask before adding dependencies.\n- Run the linter after edits."
  },
  "starter_prompt": "Explain this codebase's structure in 10 lines, then implement <small feature> with a test.",
  "monthly_cost": {
    "min_usd": 8,
    "max_usd": 10,
    "note": "Cursor Plus $8 (Cursor models only, no cloud agents) or Copilot Pro $10 (unlimited completions + 1,500 AI credits)."
  },
  "steps": [
    "Pick one editor.",
    "Add AGENTS.md.",
    "Use the agent for small features; completions for the rest."
  ],
  "why_this_works": "Both plans cost under $10 and cover most day-to-day coding.",
  "watch_out": "Cursor Plus doesn't include third-party models (Claude, GPT); you need Premium ($30) and prepaid credit for those.",
  "unverified": [],
  "tested": false,
  "last_checked": "2026-10-21"
}