# GitHub Copilot vs Cursor: which do AI models recommend for AI coding, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, AI coding assistants. Fourteen of fourteen models named GitHub Copilot first on the direct prompt; one named Cursor. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/developer/ai-coding-assistants/github-copilot-vs-cursor/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot | 75% | #1 of 9 | 11% | 73 | 14 of 14 |
| Cursor | 4% | #3 of 9 | 19% | 57 | 14 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Qwen 3.7 Flash: both first (first choices: Cursor, GitHub Copilot) (alternatives: Claude Code)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: github copilot first (first choices: GitHub Copilot) (alternatives: JetBrains AI Assistant)
- GPT-5.4 mini: github copilot first (first choices: GitHub Copilot) (alternatives: Cursor, JetBrains AI Assistant)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: github copilot first (first choices: GitHub Copilot) (alternatives: Augment Code, Cursor, Devin)
- Perplexity Sonar: github copilot first (first choices: GitHub Copilot) (alternatives: Augment Code, Claude Code, Cursor, Kilo Code)
- Grok 4.20: github copilot first (first choices: GitHub Copilot) (alternatives: Amazon Q Developer, Cursor, Gemini Code Assist, Tabnine)
- Mistral Small: github copilot first (first choices: GitHub Copilot)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: github copilot first (first choices: GitHub Copilot) (alternatives: Cursor, Windsurf)
- Llama 4 Maverick: github copilot first (first choices: GitHub Copilot) (alternatives: Claude Code)
- Kimi K2: github copilot first (first choices: GitHub Copilot) (alternatives: Amazon Q Developer, Cursor, Tabnine)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: github copilot first (first choices: GitHub Copilot) (alternatives: Cursor, Tabnine, Windsurf)
- MiniMax M2.5: github copilot first (first choices: GitHub Copilot) (alternatives: Cursor, Windsurf)
- GPT-6 Luna: github copilot first (first choices: GitHub Copilot) (alternatives: Cursor, Gemini Code Assist)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: github copilot first (first choices: GitHub Copilot) (alternatives: Amazon Q Developer, Augment Code, Cursor)

## What the models said about GitHub Copilot

- "GitHub says it may use Copilot interaction data, including prompts, suggestions, and code snippets, to train and improve models for individual subscribers." (GPT-5.4 mini, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "GitHub may use individual subscribers’ interaction data—including prompts, outputs, code snippets, and context—to train models unless they opt out." (GPT-6 Luna, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "GitHub Copilot Free / Pro / Pro+ tiers. Training data opt-out required, deep IDE and repository integration increases exposure" (Muse Glimmer 30B, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "The Safe & Scalable Choice: GitHub Copilot ... Go with GitHub Copilot if your priority is security, SSO compliance, and zero friction" (Qwen 3.7 Flash, direct prompt, first choice)
- "Prefer autocomplete and chat plugins (like GitHub Copilot or Gemini Code Assist) for low-risk, low-autonomy use cases." (Mistral Small, negative prompt, first choice)
- "GitHub Copilot if you want the most established solution with strong security compliance and already use GitHub" (MiniMax M2.5, direct prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Cursor

- "Cursor says it sends prompts and code context to model providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google... If you're on an individual plan, the DPA does not apply." (GPT-5.4 mini, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Cursor, Replit, Windsurf, OpenAI Codex. Named in the 43.1% unauthorized file operations taxonomy and in the IDEsaster 100% vulnerable set." (Muse Glimmer 30B, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Cursor has bugs and inconsistent outputs, where the AI claims to have completed a task but hasn't actually done what it said" (Claude Haiku 4.5, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Cursor at $20-40/month offers the most sophisticated agent workflows with Composer mode, multi-file awareness, and autonomous coding capabilities." (Muse Glimmer 30B, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "It earns the top overall ranking based on its whole-codebase context awareness, multi-file editing capabilities, and strong accuracy scores" (Claude Haiku 4.5, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "Select two of the above tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot and Cursor) and run a head-to-head pilot" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, scale prompt, first choice)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.