Cline or Cursor: what to pick if you want to pay only for tokens

The "cline vs cursor" choice starts with money, not with the interface. Cline installs as an extension in VS Code, and you pay whoever's models you connected: the price is built from tokens. Cursor is sold as a ready editor with its own plans, and your own key is possible there but with caveats. Below we compare how payment works in each, what you control, how the agent modes differ and how to price a month of work in tokens.

How payment works

Cline. It is a VS Code extension that works with the provider of your choice. You enter a key and a model, and every request is charged by the provider at a per-token rate. The extension has no subscription for models of its own: the bill is set by the model's prices and the context volume.

Cursor. It is a separate editor with plans that include use of the agent and built-in models. You can connect your own API key, but according to the Zukko docs overriding the provider requires a paid Cursor plan, and Tab autocomplete stays on the built-in models. Plan terms change, so check the current plan on the Cursor site and do not rely on retellings.

A practical conclusion follows. With Cline the price is fully transparent: you can compute it from tokens and the model's rate. With Cursor the result depends on whether you use its built-in models under the plan or your own key. If you need predictable spend, that is an argument for paying by token.

Context control

Both agents send the accumulated conversation to the model at every step, so cost grows with session length. What you can manage:

• Session size. New topic, new session. A long dialogue of 30 steps costs noticeably more than three short ones.
• Which files enter the context. Name the files you need explicitly; do not ask it to "look at the whole project".
• Rules. In Cline it is the .clinerules/ folder, in Cursor .cursor/rules and AGENTS.md. Long rules are sent with every request, so keep them short.
• The model's context window. Cline's model settings have a context size field: the Zukko table lists 1M for Claude and GPT and 128K for GLM.
• Two models. Cline has Plan and Act modes, and they can use different models: a stronger one for the plan, a cheaper one for execution. Check this switch in the Cline documentation for your version.

You can see spend on the gateway side: the Zukko dashboard has a "Usage" section, and an ordinary (non-streaming) response carries the X-Zukko-Cost-Micros and X-Fetch-Balance-Cents headers. More: key limits and cache↗.

Cline vs Cursor: agent features

The table describes general properties, not a full list: both products evolve and new features appear often. Check both documentations before deciding.

One difference is visible at once. Cline by default asks permission for every action, and you configure what to allow automatically. Cursor offers a more cohesive flow: plan, edits, rollback to a checkpoint. When you work on someone else's code or on a production server, keep manual confirmation; in your own git repository you can allow reading and edits.

Pricing a month of work in tokens

To compare pay-per-token with a subscription you need one number: what your typical session costs. Take a session of 30 requests, each with 40,000 input tokens and 800 output tokens. Total input is 1,200,000, output 24,000. A month: 20 such sessions. Prices on October 18, 2026, per 1M tokens. The calculation is conservative: no caching, all input billed at the input price.

To see whether a subscription pays off, take the plan price P from the Cursor site and divide it by the session cost: P / 0.528 shows how many sessions a month on claude-sonnet-5-5 cost the same. If you run more, a subscription with included volume may win; if fewer, tokens may. Remember that a subscription includes a certain volume and different terms apply beyond it: look them up on the site.

The models in the table differ in strength index (Artificial Analysis): claude-sonnet-5-5 has 48, gpt-6.1-sol 52, deepseek-v4.1-flash 39. That is not a quality score on your tasks. Run the same task on two or three models and compare the result with the spend.

Connecting to the gateway

Cline. Cline panel → Settings → API Provider: OpenAI Compatible, Base URL https://api.zukko.pro/v1, key fetch_..., a model ID from GET /v1/models. Step-by-step instructions are in the VS Code extensions guide↗.

Cursor. Settings → Models, your own OpenAI key and a Base URL override to https://api.zukko.pro/v1. Take the model name from the Cursor guide↗: Cursor has a quirk with model names it already knows.

For both clients create a separate key. In the dashboard you can give it a daily and monthly limit in dollars and a list of allowed models. If an agent loops, spend runs into the key's ceiling rather than your whole balance. This is especially useful for Cline with auto-approval turned on.

What to choose

Take Cline if you want to pay only for tokens, choose models and swap them without changing the tool, and see what makes up the bill. Take Cursor if you want a ready product with one interface and its plan model suits you. Both can connect to a single key, so trying both costs nothing but time. The calculation for your profile is helped by the article subscription or pay-per-token↗.

FAQ

Is Cline free?

The extension itself can be installed at no charge, but models are paid for at the provider by token. You pay for usage, not for the extension.

Can I use Cursor only on my own key?

You can connect your own key, but the provider override may not be available on every plan, and autocomplete will remain on the built-in models. Check current terms on the Cursor site.

What is cheaper for a large project?

It depends on the model and caching. For GPT the cache is visible in both API formats, while for Claude the cache discount comes from the Anthropic format; when connected as OpenAI Compatible all Claude input is billed at the input price. Count on your own volumes using the formula above.

Can I use Cline from Russia?

Yes: Cline connects to the Zukko gateway as OpenAI Compatible, and the balance is topped up via SBP, a MasterCard card or crypto. The key for the extension is created in the Zukko dashboard↗.