Is there a free alternative to Cursor?

Yes. The 2 free alternatives are Cline (open source, Apache-2.0) and Zed (open source, GPL-3.0).

How much does Cursor cost?

Cursor's Premium plan costs $30 a month, which is $360 a year (monthly). Source: the official pricing page at cursor.com, checked Oct 17, 2026.

Zed (Arch extra: zed; Flathub: dev.zed.Zed).

Cline and Zed are desktop apps that run on your own machine, so there's nothing to host.

Yes. All 2 use OSI-approved open-source licenses: Cline (Apache-2.0) and Zed (GPL-3.0).

Swap Cursor for Cline or Zed and stop paying $360/yr.

2open source1run on Linux1in Arch/AUR

Prices and project data checked Oct 17, 2026 · How we check

Replaces it Active Open source · Apache-2.0 Linux unverified

cline/cline70.5k★last push Oct 17, 2026checked Oct 17, 2026

An agent inside VS Code with no tab autocomplete, and you pay per use for an API key or run weaker local models.

Get it

Download it from cline.bot.

Desktop app About Zed →

Replaces it Active Open source · GPL-3.0 Linux Arch/AUR

zed-industries/zed91.8k★last push Oct 17, 2026checked Oct 17, 2026

A different editor, so VS Code extensions don't carry over, and AI needs your own API keys or local models unless you pay.

Imports your data: can import VS Code/Cursor settings and keymaps; extensions don't carry over

Install

$ sudo pacman -S zed

$ flatpak install flathub dev.zed.Zed

Free alternatives to Cursor compared
Alternative	Verdict	License	Linux	AUR	Self-host	Stars
Cline	Replaces it	Apache-2.0 open source	Unverified	—	No	70.5k★
Zed	Replaces it	GPL-3.0 open source	Yes	Yes	No	91.8k★

Is there a free alternative to Cursor?: Yes. The 2 free alternatives are Cline (open source, Apache-2.0) and Zed (open source, GPL-3.0).
How much does Cursor cost?: Cursor's Premium plan costs $30 a month, which is $360 a year (monthly). Source: the official pricing page at cursor.com, checked Oct 17, 2026.
Which Cursor alternatives run on Linux?: Zed (Arch extra: zed; Flathub: dev.zed.Zed).
Can you self-host a Cursor alternative?: Cline and Zed are desktop apps that run on your own machine, so there's nothing to host.
Are these Cursor alternatives open source?: Yes. All 2 use OSI-approved open-source licenses: Cline (Apache-2.0) and Zed (GPL-3.0).

Built or know a better alternative to Cursor? Suggest it free, or get it featured on this page.