Agents
Cursor Background Agent
by Anysphere
Cloud-based async coding agent that clones your repo, works on a branch, and ships a PR while you keep coding.
Our verdict
We have not reviewed Cursor Background Agent yet
No one at Enterprise DNA has checked this listing against its sources. The description comes from public listings gathered automatically. Any fact below shows where it came from and when it was last checked.
From the listing
About Cursor Background Agent
Cursor Background Agents run in isolated Ubuntu VMs on Cursor's cloud. Assign a task and the agent clones your repo, creates a branch, writes code, runs tests, fixes lint errors, and opens a pull request, all without you watching. As of early 2026 each agent has a full desktop environment with a browser for UI verification. Up to 8 agents can run in parallel.
Best for
Teams who want to parallelize coding work across isolated cloud environments
Use cases
- Delegate a well-scoped ticket and review the PR later while staying in flow on something else
- Run parallel agents on independent bug fixes or feature branches simultaneously
- Let an agent do the implementation grunt work overnight and review the diff in the morning
- Visually verify UI changes by letting the agent open a browser and click through the app
Notes
Why it matters
Background Agents are Cursor's answer to asynchronous autonomy. The rest of the AI editor market still ties the agent to your open IDE session. Background Agents run in the cloud, ship a PR, and let you review it on your own schedule.
How teams use it in production
The pattern that works: write a scoped, self-contained task brief with clear acceptance criteria. Assign it to a Background Agent. Review the PR diff, not the step-by-step. Use standard code review processes, the agent branch is just another branch.
What to watch
The per-task VM model is the right isolation primitive for agent work. The question is how Cursor extends it: multi-agent coordination, shared tool state across VMs, and richer approval checkpoints are all on the roadmap.
Pros
- Truly async, close your laptop and come back to a PR
- Isolated per-task VM means no shared state or collisions
- Browser access lets the agent visually verify UI changes
- Up to 8 parallel agents per account
Cons
- Cost adds up fast when running multiple long-running agents
- Task scope must be tight, vague briefs produce vague PRs
- Review burden shifts to the human, agents can be confidently wrong
Key facts
What we have checked
- Free plan
- Free tier available
- Plus plan
- $8.00 a month
- Premium plan
- $30.00 a month
- Super plan
- $100.00 a month
- Ultra plan
- $200.00 a month
Each value shows when we last confirmed it and where it came from. Values we have not confirmed are left out, never guessed.
Price
What Cursor Background Agent costs, over time
Plans and prices
| Plan | Price | Over time | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| FreeFree tier | Free tier availableSince 24 Oct 2026 | No change recorded | cursor.com |
| PlusFlat | $8.00 a monthSince 24 Oct 2026 | No change recorded | cursor.com |
| PremiumFlat | $30.00 a monthSince 24 Oct 2026 | No change recorded | cursor.com |
| SuperFlat | $100.00 a monthSince 24 Oct 2026 | No change recorded | cursor.com |
| UltraFlat | $200.00 a monthSince 24 Oct 2026 | No change recorded | cursor.com |
Alternatives
Alternatives to Cursor Background Agent
| Record | Type | How we know | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude CodeThis is an alternative to it | Agent | Named in the listing | Not dated |
| DevinThis is an alternative to it | Agent | Matched from the listing text | |
| OpenAI Codex (CLI + cloud agent)This is an alternative to it | Agent | Named in the listing | Not dated |
| OpenDevinThis is an alternative to it | Agent | Matched from the listing text | |
| OpenHandsThis is an alternative to it | Agent | Named in the listing | Not dated |
Compare
Compare Cursor Background Agent side by side
Sources
Where this comes from
- cursor.comOfficial
A source shows what was published when we checked it. It does not certify security, performance or a working installation. Read our method.
Changelog
What changed
No changes recorded yet. Releases, price changes and deprecations appear here, with their dates, once we track them for this record.
Open-source & AI alternatives
Swap-in tools that solve the same job. Weigh the trade-offs before you commit.
Claude Code
Anthropic
Work on a real codebase with an assistant that can inspect files, make changes and run commands.
Devin
Cognition Labs
The autonomous software engineer. Plan, write, test, and ship in a sandboxed cloud workstation.
OpenAI Codex (CLI + cloud agent)
OpenAI
OpenAI's coding agent surface: terminal CLI for local work, cloud agent for parallel autonomous tasks.
OpenDevin
Community
🙌 OpenHands: AI-Driven Development
OpenHands
All Hands AI
Open-source autonomous coding agent platform. Spins up a sandboxed dev environment, ships PRs end to end.
Pairs with
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