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Cursor vs Novastart

Features, pricing, ratings, and pros and cons, side by side.

Cursor logo

Cursor

AI coding agent and VS Code-based editor for multi-file edits and cloud agents

5.0(1 review)Freemium
Visit websiteView details
Novastart logo

Novastart

Infinite canvas desktop where your apps, teammates and AI agents share one workspace

Freemium
Visit websiteView details

Verdict

Cursor is listed under Coding AI and Novastart under Productivity. Cursor scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.7 vs 7.3 out of 10). Both have a free plan or trial. Only Cursor is available on Web, iOS and CLI.

Best overall

Cursor

  • Software engineers
  • Full-stack developers
  • Engineering teams
  • Enterprises

Choose Cursor if

  • You want a tool built for Multi-file feature work, codebase-wide refactoring, delegating tasks to background agents, reviewing pull requests.
  • Familiar VS Code-based editor with extension and keybinding support.
  • Local and cloud agents that can run in parallel on multi-file tasks.

Choose Novastart if

  • You want a tool built for keeping many apps and projects organized in saved workspaces, watching AI agents work step by step, sharing a live workspace with teammates.
  • Agents work with a visible cursor and can be paused, steered or taken over.
  • Permanent free plan with all apps available.
Best for beginners
Novastart
Best for business
Cursor

Features

19 features compared.

  • Agents
    Cursor
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Cloud agents
    Cursor
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Tab and inline edits
    Cursor
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Codebase indexing
    Cursor
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Model choice
    Cursor
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Bugbot code review
    Cursor
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • CLI
    Cursor
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Slack app and iOS app
    Cursor
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Marketplace and rules
    Cursor
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Privacy mode
    Cursor
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Infinite canvas
    Cursor
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available
  • Saved canvases
    Cursor
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available
  • Visible AI agents
    Cursor
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available
  • Multi-agent runs
    Cursor
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available
  • Agent modes
    Cursor
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available
  • Team collaboration
    Cursor
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available
  • Real apps
    Cursor
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available
  • Local-first data
    Cursor
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available
  • Undo history
    Cursor
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available

Pricing

Plans as listed by each vendor. Check their sites for current prices.

  • Pricing model
    Cursor
    Freemium
    Novastart
    Freemium
  • Free plan
    Cursor
    Yes
    Novastart
    Yes
  • Starting price
    Cursor
    $0
    Novastart
    $0
  • Plans
    Cursor
    7 plans
    Novastart
    3 plans

Cursor plans

  • Free

    $0

    Limited usage for trying Cursor and Grok.

    • Limited usage
    • Limited chat requests
    • Limited agent requests

  • Plus

    $8/month

    Basic usage pool, Grok models only.

    • Basic shared usage pool
    • Grok models only
    • Cursor agent
    • Grok API access

  • Premium

    Most popular

    $30/month

    4x the usage of Plus, recommended for new AI users.

    • 4x Plus usage
    • Latest Grok models
    • Cloud agents and automations
    • Bugbot code reviews
    • Third-party models at API list price

  • Super

    $100/month

    15x the usage of Plus, for daily agent users.

    • 15x Plus usage
    • Everything in Premium
    • Priority model access at peak times

  • Ultra

    $200/month

    50x the usage of Plus, for power users.

    • 50x Plus usage
    • Everything in Super
    • Earliest access to new products and models

  • Teams

    $30/user/mo

    Per-seat plans with pooled admin controls; seats are Premium $30, Super $100 or Ultra $200 per user per month.

    • Premium $30
    • Super $100 or Ultra $200 seats
    • Weekly usage pool per seat
    • Centralized billing
    • Usage analytics
    • Team privacy settings
    • SAML/OIDC SSO
    • Team marketplace

  • Enterprise

    Custom/custom

    Invoicing, pooled usage and advanced security.

    • Invoice and PO billing
    • SCIM
    • Audit logs
    • Granular spend controls
    • Repository and MCP access controls
    • Priority support

Novastart plans

  • Free

    $0

    Try Novastart with limited canvas space.

    • All apps
    • 1 folder
    • 2 canvases
    • 4 windows per canvas
    • AI agents pay per use

  • Pro

    Most popular

    $10/month

    Unlimited canvas space, marked as the recommended start.

    • All apps
    • Unlimited folders
    • Unlimited canvases
    • Unlimited windows
    • AI agents pay per use

  • Team

    $20/month

    Pro plus shared canvases for teams.

    • Everything in Pro
    • Team collaboration
    • Shared canvases

Our ratings

Scored out of 10 by the Finder Atlas editorial team. Last reviewed November 2026.

Cursor
8.7overall
Novastart
7.3overall

Cursor leads in 0 categories and Novastart in 1.

  • Inline Code Completion

    Cursor
    9.2
    Novastart
    Not rated

  • Codebase Indexing & Context

    Cursor
    9.0
    Novastart
    Not rated

  • Multi-file Agentic Edits

    Cursor
    9.3
    Novastart
    Not rated

  • IDE & Extension Compatibility

    Cursor
    9.0
    Novastart
    Not rated

  • Pricing Clarity

    Novastart leads by 0.2
    Cursor
    6.8
    Novastart
    7.0

  • Agent Transparency

    Cursor
    Not rated
    Novastart
    8.0

  • Workspace Organization

    Cursor
    Not rated
    Novastart
    8.0

  • Team Collaboration

    Cursor
    Not rated
    Novastart
    7.5

  • Setup & Compatibility

    Cursor
    Not rated
    Novastart
    6.0

Scores weigh documented features, plan value, platform coverage, integrations and user feedback. A missing score means we have not rated that area yet.

Pros and cons

Cursor

Pros

  • Familiar VS Code-based editor with extension and keybinding support
  • Local and cloud agents that can run in parallel on multi-file tasks
  • Choice of models from several providers, including Cursor's own
  • Covers editor, CLI, web, Slack, iOS and PR review in one product
  • Privacy mode and SOC 2 and ISO certifications for team use

Cons

  • Third-party model usage is billed separately from the plan at API list price
  • Pricing is bundled with Grok and uses weekly usage pools, which makes costs harder to predict
  • No Android app, and the iOS app only controls local agents
  • Indexing can be heavy on very large repositories

Novastart

Pros

  • Agents work with a visible cursor and can be paused, steered or taken over
  • Permanent free plan with all apps available
  • Pro at $10 per month removes canvas limits
  • Local-first design keeps canvas contents on the user's machine
  • Peer-to-peer canvas sharing with per-person cursors

Cons

  • The app is a full computer in a window and the site warns to expect some lag
  • App supports only Windows and Intel Macs, and needs 8 GB RAM and virtualization
  • Novastart OS replaces the existing system on the PC it is installed on
  • Agent use costs extra on every plan and needs credits of $25 or more
  • Young product launched in September 2026 with little independent review history

Platforms

  • Web
    Cursor
    Supported
    Novastart
    Not supported
  • Windows
    Cursor
    Supported
    Novastart
    Supported
  • macOS
    Cursor
    Supported
    Novastart
    Supported
  • iOS
    Cursor
    Supported
    Novastart
    Not supported
  • Android
    Cursor
    Not supported
    Novastart
    Not supported
  • API
    Cursor
    Not supported
    Novastart
    Not supported
  • Browser Extension
    Cursor
    Not supported
    Novastart
    Not supported
  • Linux
    Cursor
    Supported
    Novastart
    Supported
  • CLI
    Cursor
    Supported
    Novastart
    Not supported

Integrations

Cursor

4 integrations
  • GitHub
  • Slack
  • VS Code extensions
  • MCP servers

Novastart

No integrations listed.

Company

  • Company
    Cursor
    Anysphere
    Novastart
    Marketplace Distributors LLC
  • Headquarters
    Cursor
    San Francisco, CA
    Novastart
    Manhattan Beach, CA
  • Listing
    Cursor
    Claimed
    Novastart
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is Cursor better than Novastart?

It depends on your workflow. Cursor is built for Multi-file feature work, codebase-wide refactoring, delegating tasks to background agents, reviewing pull requests. Novastart is built for keeping many apps and projects organized in saved workspaces, watching AI agents work step by step, sharing a live workspace with teammates.

What are the key feature differences between Cursor and Novastart?

Cursor: AI coding agent and VS Code-based editor for multi-file edits and cloud agents. Novastart: Infinite canvas desktop where your apps, teammates and AI agents share one workspace. Cursor is rated 5.0/5 from 1 user review.

Does Cursor or Novastart have a free plan?

Yes, both do. Cursor is freemium and Novastart is freemium, and each has a free plan or trial.

Which is cheaper, Cursor or Novastart?

Both can be used for free. Paid plans differ in limits and features, so compare the tiers in the pricing table above.