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Cursor vs MySpec

Two fact sheets from our own research, side by side — pricing, platforms, API access and status re-checked by us rather than quoted from the vendors. Cursor publishes a starting price ($20); MySpec does not. Both have a free tier.

Side by side

FactCursorMySpec
CategoryAI Code Editors & IDEsDocumentation Generators
Pricing modelFreemiumFree
Starts at$20 month
Public APINoNo
PlatformsmacOS, Windows, Linux, WebWeb
CompanyAnysphere, Inc.
Launched2023
Last verifiedSep 6, 2026Sep 6, 2026

What our research says

Cursor

The default choice for developers who want agentic coding inside a real editor, with cloud agents, PR review and multi-model access that large engineering orgs have already standardized on. The catch is the bill: agent-heavy use runs past plan allowances and overages are billed in arrears, so costs need active monitoring.

Pros

  • Agents work with repository-wide context, in-editor and in the cloud
  • Multi-model access includes frontier models plus in-house Composer
  • Free Hobby tier exists for trying agent workflows
  • Widely adopted in large enterprises, so tooling and docs mature fast

Cons

  • Real monthly cost is elastic once usage-based pricing kicks in
  • Pro+ and Ultra pricing is shown only through a plan selector, hurting comparability
  • Proprietary editor lock-in versus plain VS Code with extensions

MySpec

Spec-driven development is the current answer to agents that build the wrong thing confidently, and MySpec is a clean implementation of it: a real interview, four files with distinct jobs, and testable EARS+ requirements instead of prose. The MCP server matters — the spec lands where the agent already works. It is an unlimited free beta right now, which also means the pricing you eventually pay is unknown.

Pros

  • Four distinct output files rather than one blob, each with a defined job
  • Requirements use the testable EARS+ when/if/then format instead of prose
  • Brownfield mode reads an existing codebase and scopes the change rather than restating the whole system
  • MCP server connects it to Claude Code, Cursor and Claude Desktop
  • Live Mermaid rendering for flowcharts, ER and sequence diagrams

Cons

  • Open beta, so nothing about stability, support or eventual price is settled
  • No company name, country or team disclosed anywhere on the site
  • The interview adds real time before any code gets written
  • Announced Pro and Team tiers have no published figures

Which one fits

Choose Cursor if you need

  • Professional developers running agents on large existing codebases
  • Teams that want code review, cloud agents and editor in one subscription
  • VS Code users wanting a familiar editor with deeper AI integration

Choose MySpec if you need

  • Developers using Claude Code, Cursor or similar who want a spec before generation
  • Teams adding a feature to an existing codebase and needing a scoped delta
  • Anyone tired of agents inventing requirements mid-build

All MySpec alternatives →Browse all AI Code Editors & IDEs