People compare these as if they were different intelligences. They are different amounts of access. A chat window sees what you paste. An editor sees your files. An agent in the terminal reads, edits, runs commands and deploys. More access means more leverage and more ways to be wrong, which is why the verification habits matter more as you move down this list.
Side by side
| Tool | How much it sees | Best when | Roughly | Deep link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude | What you paste | Thinking, long text, deciding what to build | ~€20/mo | — |
| Cursor | Your files, in an editor | You want to see the code without typing it | ~$20/mo | — |
| Claude Code | Your project, plus the command line | You build and deploy real things | ~€17-20/mo | — |
Pick by what you are actually doing
You do not write code and do not want to start
Stay in the chat window, or use a browser builder instead. An agent with command-line access is leverage you cannot yet check, and unchecked leverage is the expensive kind.
You read code but would rather not type it
Cursor. The editor keeps you in the loop on every change, which is the right amount of friction while you are learning what good output looks like.
You ship and deploy real projects
Claude Code. It reads the project, edits, runs the commands and deploys — and it will happily do more than you asked unless you say otherwise. That is what the prompts on this site are for.
Where this comes from
Playbook 01 — Claude Code Operator
This comparison is the first page of a book about building and selling software with an agent: the loop, the verification ladder, and the four offers that actually sell.
Read it — €20 All eight — €50The Short Version
Every conclusion from all eight playbooks. 97 chapters, 46 pages, free.