Anysphere Launches $200-a-Month Cursor AI Coding Subscription: A Race for AI Model Access and Vibe-Coding Tools

In a recent blog post, Anysphere announced the launch of a new $200-a-month subscription plan for its popular AI coding tool, Cursor. The new plan, called Ultra, offers users 20x more usage on AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind, and xAI compared to the company's existing $20-a-month subscription plan, Pro. Anysphere CEO Michael Truell explained that the Ultra plan was made possible through multi-year partnerships with AI model providers. In recent months, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind have rolled out pricier subscription plans ranging from $100 to $250 a month to capitalize on their power users and offer them increased usage. The new pricy Cursor subscription plan is expected to add revenue to Anysphere’s already booming business. Earlier this month, Anysphere announced that Cursor had reached $500 million in annualized recurring revenue and is being used by major companies such as Nvidia, Uber, and Adobe. Based on TechCrunch’s previous reporting, Cursor’s ARR has grown by $200 million since April. However, the race to develop “vibe-coding” tools is heating up, and many of the AI model providers Cursor relies on are developing their own AI coding products. OpenAI has reportedly acquired Cursor’s competitor, Windsurf, to beef up its offerings of AI coding products. Meanwhile, Anthropic continues to develop Claude Code, its in-house AI coding tool that utilizes its popular AI models. It’s unclear whether Anysphere can sustain this level of growth without bumping into AI model providers. We’ve seen more competitive tactics emerge in the AI coding space as these businesses have grown. For example, Anthropic recently slashed Windsurf’s direct access to Claude AI models as a means to undercut its largest competitor, OpenAI. At the same time, Anysphere has started putting more resources toward developing its own AI models that work alongside models from OpenAI and Anthropic. In May, Anysphere rolled out a new “Tab” AI model, which can suggest code changes across various files. In a recent interview with TechCrunch, Anthropic co-founder Jared Kaplan said he believed Anthropic would be working with Cursor for a long time. Anysphere’s multi-year partnerships with Anthropic and other AI model providers certainly suggest these relationships aren’t going anywhere just yet. Nonetheless, the competition for users is getting more intense.