What the Diff vs Cursor
A detailed comparison to help you choose between What the Diff and Cursor.
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Verdict: Cursor wins
Cursor scores 4.2/5, edging out What the Diff at 3.7/5. Professional developers who want the strongest codebase-aware agent editor and can use (or tolerate paying for) the Grok/X bundle around it.
What the Diff AI code review summaries for GitHub PRs | Cursor The AI-first code editor | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 3.7 (1 review) | 4.2 (1 review) |
| Pricing Model | freemium | freemium |
| Starting Price | Free tier available | Free tier available |
| Best For | Engineering teams on GitHub or GitLab that want automatic pull request descriptions and stakeholder-friendly summaries without buying a full AI review platform. | Professional developers who want the strongest codebase-aware agent editor and can use (or tolerate paying for) the Grok/X bundle around it. |
| Free Tier | ||
| API Access | ||
| Team Features | ||
| Open Source | ||
| Tags | free tierteam features | free tierbyok |
| Visit What the Diff → | Visit Cursor → |
What the Diff
Pros
- + PR descriptions were accurate enough in my testing to trust as a first read, and the token math matched the vendor's ~10 PRs per 25k tokens estimate
- + The /wtd inline refactor returned a clean committable patch for a commented line range, and sensibly refused cross-file scope instead of botching it
- + Slack summaries put non-technical teammates in the loop — I watched a simplified description land in a channel for someone who never opens diffs
- + Free tier of 25,000 tokens/month across unlimited repositories with no credit card is a real trial, not a teaser
- + States plainly that it stores neither code nor diffs, and offers a public changelog plus JSON feed for stakeholder updates
Cons
- - Summarization only: it will not catch bugs or flag dangerous changes — "error handling updated" hid a real policy swap in one of my PRs
- - Requires full repository access because GitHub and GitLab have no read-diff-only permission, which blocks stricter security postures
- - Tokens do not roll over and there is no auto-upgrade, so bursty months waste budget while quiet months strand it
- - No support for Bitbucket, Azure DevOps or self-hosted git — the coverage boundary is GitHub and GitLab only
Cursor
Pros
- + Codebase context is the deepest I have tested — multi-file refactors arrive as coherent changes across routes, tests and types
- + The X Subscription bundles Grok, Cursor and X Premium: Premium at $30/mo replaces what xAI says was $90/mo of separate plans (x.ai/news/x-subscription)
- + Agent surface is broad: Cloud Agents, Automations, Bugbot PR review, CLI, Cursor SDK and an iOS app behind one router
- + Legacy subscribers keep their old plans and prices — the migration is optional, with prorated refunds on switching (cursor.com/help)
- + Familiar VS Code base means your extensions, keybindings and workflows come along
Cons
- - Acquired and re-platformed: new plans bill through grok.com with a Grok-weighted model lineup, and switching from a legacy plan is permanent
- - Plus at $8/mo is a teaser — no Auto, Cloud Agents, Automations or Bugbot; professional work needs Premium at $30/mo or above
- - Proprietary code goes to Cursor's servers during indexing and agent runs unless you configure privacy controls
- - Third-party models bill at API list price from prepaid credit, so costs outside the included pool are hard to predict
- - Two coexisting billing systems and two plan ladders make the real cost of a given workload hard to compare
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, What the Diff or Cursor?▼
Cursor scores higher at 4.2/5 vs 3.7/5 for What the Diff, making it the better-rated option in our comparison.
What is the difference between What the Diff and Cursor?▼
What the Diff: What the Diff is a GitHub and GitLab app that reads a pull request and writes a plain-English summary of what changed. Cursor: Cursor is an AI code editor built on VS Code, with agents that can read a whole codebase, answer questions about it and make changes across multiple files.
Is What the Diff or Cursor more affordable?▼
What the Diff starts at €0/mo, Cursor starts at €0/mo. Check the comparison table above for current pricing.
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