Short answer
Cursor is an editor that can run several of its own agents in parallel, in git worktrees on your machine or as Cloud Agents on hosted VMs. Orchestrator.inc (formerly Agent Orchestrator) is not an editor: it is a supervisor that runs Cursor's CLI alongside Claude Code, Codex and other agents, each in its own worktree, and sends failing CI checks and review comments back to the session that owns the PR. Choose Cursor if you live in its editor and its agent is the only one you need. Choose Orchestrator if you mix agents from different vendors, or want the PR follow-up handled for you.
At a glance
| Orchestrator.inc | Cursor | |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Supervisor desktop app, local daemon and ao CLI | Editor with an Agents Window, plus hosted Cloud Agents |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows x64, Linux x64, plus iOS and Android companion | Desktop editor; Cloud Agents can also start from web, iOS, Slack, Linear and an API |
| License and price | Apache-2.0, free locally with no account; optional Cloud plans from $20/month | Proprietary; Cloud Agents need a paid plan plus usage billed at API pricing, as of October 2026 |
| Coding agents | 38 harnesses, including Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and Gemini CLI | Cursor's own agent with a choice of models |
| Isolation | Git worktree and branch per session; multi-repo workspaces | Worktrees in the Agents Window, the IDE and the CLI; Cloud Agents in isolated VMs |
| Overview | Kanban board with lanes derived from session, PR, CI and review facts | Agents Window sidebar and plan list |
| After the push | Failing checks, review comments and merge conflicts sent to the owning session | Cloud Agents open PRs; follow-up on failing checks is not documented |
| Code editor | None; open the worktree in your own editor | Full editor |
The problem in practice
You give Cursor a refactor and give Claude Code a bug fix on the same repo. Both open PRs. An hour later one PR has a red type check and the other has a reviewer asking for a test. Cursor's PR lives in one window, Claude's in a terminal, and the CI results live on GitHub. You are now the message bus: read the failure, find the right agent, paste it in, wait, check again.
How each tool handles it
Task: fix a failing test and get the PR merged.
In Cursor
- Open the repo, open the Agents Window, and start an agent in a worktree, or type
/worktreein the IDE. - Describe the failure and review the diff in the editor.
- Apply the worktree, push and open the PR, or hand the task to a Cloud Agent and let it open the PR.
- Watch GitHub. If a check goes red or a reviewer asks for changes, start a new run or edit by hand.
In Orchestrator.inc
- Click New session and choose Cursor, Claude Code or Codex, or use
ao spawnfrom the CLI. - Orchestrator creates the worktree and branch, runs your
postCreateandsymlinkssetup, and discovers the PR once the agent pushes. - Failing check names, links and the end of each failed job's log, review comments and merge conflicts arrive in that session. Open the worktree in Cursor or any editor if you want to read the code.
- When the card reaches Ready to merge, click Merge. Merge is always your explicit action.
Where Cursor is a good fit
- You want agents and editing in one window. You read, edit and debug code where the agents run. Orchestrator has no code editor.
- You want hosted runs started from Slack, Linear or a PR comment. Cloud Agents run in isolated VMs and can start from those places. Orchestrator runs sessions on your machine or your own servers, and Orchestrator Cloud access opens through a waitlist.
- You like comparing attempts. Cursor can run one prompt across several worktrees so you keep the best result. Orchestrator has no pick-the-winner flow.
Where Orchestrator fits better
- Teams that use more than one vendor's agent. Cursor is one of 38 harnesses in Orchestrator. Cursor's agent supports several models but does not drive the Claude Code or Codex CLIs, as of October 2026.
- Workflows where CI and review feedback should reach the agent on its own. Orchestrator polls GitHub and GitLab with ETags, with no webhooks or GitHub App, and sends each event to the owning session, de-duplicated.
- People who want a cross-vendor reviewer. A Claude Code or Codex reviewer can review a Cursor worker's PR and send its findings back to the worker.
- People who already have an editor they like. Orchestrator sits beside your editor instead of replacing it. Its Files panel shows diffs per commit or for the whole branch, and your inline line comments go to the agent.
- People who want free, open source and their own hardware. Orchestrator runs on macOS, Windows and Linux, and can run its host on your own server or VM so you drive sessions there from the desktop app. A companion mobile app covers chat, diffs and push notifications.
Pricing
Running Orchestrator on your own machines is free and open source (Apache-2.0), with no account needed; you bring your own agent subscriptions or API keys. That includes your Cursor plan when you run the Cursor CLI inside it, and Orchestrator adds no fee for running sessions in parallel. Optional Orchestrator Cloud plans, for agents that keep working while your laptop is closed, are Starter at $20/month and Pro at $40/month, with Enterprise pricing on request. Cursor is a proprietary subscription product. As of October 2026, Cloud Agents and Bugbot require a paid Cursor plan, and Cloud Agent runs are billed at API pricing on top of it, so check Cursor's current plans before you decide.
Who should pick which
Pick Cursor if
- you want agents and editing in the same window
- you want hosted VMs launched from Slack, Linear or a PR comment
- running one prompt several ways and keeping the best is part of how you work
- one vendor and one subscription is simpler for your team
Pick Orchestrator if
- you run Cursor's agent alongside Claude Code, Codex or OpenCode and want one board
- you want CI failures, review comments and conflicts routed to the session that owns the PR
- you want a reviewer agent from a different vendor on each PR
- you need Linux, approvals from a phone, or agents on your own servers
Try it
Install Orchestrator, then spawn one Cursor session and one Claude Code session on two small issues; the quickstart walks through the first run.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Orchestrator.inc run Cursor's agent?
Yes. The Cursor CLI is one of the 38 coding agent harnesses Orchestrator.inc supports. It can run in its own terminal UI or as a structured Chat session, and Orchestrator gives it a worktree and branch per session and tracks its PR like any other agent.
Is Orchestrator.inc an editor like Cursor?
No. Orchestrator.inc is a supervisor without a code editor. Its Files panel shows each session's diffs and sends your inline line comments to the agent. You open a session's worktree in Cursor, VS Code or any other editor when you want to change code by hand.
Do Cursor Cloud Agents fix failing CI on their own?
As of October 2026, Cursor documents Cloud Agents opening merge-ready PRs but does not document reacting to failing checks or review comments afterwards. Orchestrator.inc sends those events to the owning session and can trigger a reviewer agent.
Do I need a paid plan to run agents in parallel?
Not for Orchestrator.inc, which is free on your own machines and runs on your own agent subscriptions or API keys, with no fee for parallel sessions. Its optional Cloud plans start at $20/month. As of October 2026, Cursor's Cloud Agents need a paid Cursor plan and are billed at API pricing, so confirm Cursor's current plans before choosing. If you already pay for one or more agents, you can download Orchestrator.inc from orchestrator.inc and run them side by side.