Arguing over which is better is pointless: the tools have different shapes. Here is where each is stronger, and why plenty of people keep both.
The difference in one sentence
Cursor is an editor with AI built in. Claude Code is an agent in your terminal that moves around the project on its own.
Everything else follows from that.
Where Cursor wins
When an edit is local and you want to see it for yourself: inline completion, a targeted change in the open file, a quick question about a selection.
The diff is on screen, and accepting or reverting takes one motion. Control is high, the barrier to entry is low.
Where Claude Code wins
When a task does not fit in one file: getting to grips with an unfamiliar repository, refactoring coherently across a dozen places, getting tests running and fixing them, chasing a race condition.
The agent decides what to read, runs the commands and reads the output. You frame the task and check the result instead of leading the agent by the hand.
Work outside the editor is a separate strength: git, migrations, scripts, CI.
How they coexist
A setup that works for many people:
- Claude Code for reconnaissance and large changes
- Cursor for finishing touches and small edits, once it is clear what to change
Switching between them is fine. It is not a choice of religion.
What about spend
Cursor costs less in everyday use, because its requests are short and local. On a large task Claude Code makes dozens of calls, and each one drags the accumulated context along.
So break large tasks up. Five two-file tasks cost less than one ten-file task, and they are easier to review.
One key for both
Cursor and Claude Code both let you set a custom base URL, so one key works in both.
For Claude Code:
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://api.codexkey.online
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=sk_cdx_your_key
For Cursor, enter the address in the model settings, in the OpenAI Base URL override field:
https://api.codexkey.online/v1
This works because codexkey keeps both formats on one endpoint: Anthropic Messages and OpenAI Chat Completions.
In short
Local edits under your eye mean Cursor. A task that will not fit in a file means Claude Code. Keeping both is normal, and one key is enough.