Cursor vs Kiro
55 fields both were evaluated on, 24 of them different — including where one discloses something the other does not. Every value links to the document it came from. 31 further fields are disclosed by neither and are listed at the end rather than tabled.
Assurance
| Field | Cursor | Kiro |
|---|---|---|
| Explainability· | no public information cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | “By using specs, Kiro works alongside you to define requirements, system design, and tasks to be implemented before writing any code. This approach explicitly documents the reasoning and implementation decisions”kiro.dev · checked Aug 4, 2026 |
| Permission scopes· | no public information cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | |
| Compliance certifications· | no public information cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | “Built and operated by AWS, Kiro benefits from the same security, reliability, and privacy standards and controls trusted by millions of customers.”kiro.dev · checked Aug 4, 2026 |
Agency
| Field | Cursor | Kiro |
|---|---|---|
| Autonomy level· | full autonomy agentic version “In Cursor, you can do Cmd+K for targeted edits, or let it rip with the full autonomy agentic version.”cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | no public information kiro.dev · checked Aug 4, 2026 |
| Human oversight· | “Agents use their own computers to build, test, and demo features end to end for you to review.”cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | no public information kiro.dev · checked Aug 4, 2026 |
| Goal complexity· | turn prompts into executable specs, validate code correctness to find bugs unit tests miss, and build across large codebases with parallel agents that learn from every session “Kiro helps developers and teams do their best work: turn prompts into executable specs, validate code correctness to find bugs unit tests miss, and build across large codebases with parallel agents that learn from every session.”kiro.dev · checked Aug 4, 2026 | |
| Action space· | turn your prompts into requirements, architectural designs, and sequenced tasks , then implements them with parallel agents . Property-based tests catch the edge cases that pass unit tests but break in production “Kiro turns your prompts into requirements, architectural designs, and sequenced tasks , then implements them with parallel agents . Property-based tests catch the edge cases that pass unit tests but break in production.”kiro.dev · checked Aug 4, 2026 | |
| Operating environment· | “Cursor runs in your terminal, collaborates in Slack, and reviews PRs in GitHub.”cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | “Kiro works as an agent in the [IDE](/docs/), with a [CLI](/docs/cli/), or in a [web browser](/docs/web/).”kiro.dev · checked Aug 4, 2026 Not in our latest capture. We captured this page again on Sep 10, 2026 and this quote was not there. How we re-check citations |
| Initiative· | “Set up always-on agents that run on schedules or triggers to build, maintain, and fix your software.”cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | “Kiro is just more than code. Aside from just listening to prompts and doing things, it can actually work on tasks based on predefined triggers, making the development experience more efficient.”kiro.dev · checked Aug 4, 2026 |
Practicality
| Field | Cursor | Kiro |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model· | no public information cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | credit-based pricing model “Kiro offers a credit-based pricing model with no daily or weekly rate limits and pre-paid overages, so you can code without breaking your flow or getting a surprise bill.”kiro.dev · checked Aug 4, 2026 |
| Price point· | no public information cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | “$20 credit when you first sign up for a paid plan using social login or Builder ID ↗”kiro.dev · checked Aug 4, 2026 |
| Deployment options· | Desktop application; macOS download offered on the homepage “Download for macOS”cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | “Kiro works as an agent in the [IDE](/docs/), with a [CLI](/docs/cli/), or in a [web browser](/docs/web/).”kiro.dev · checked Aug 4, 2026 Not in our latest capture. We captured this page again on Sep 10, 2026 and this quote was not there. How we re-check citations |
| Integrations· | “Cursor runs in your terminal, collaborates in Slack, and reviews PRs in GitHub.”cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | no public information kiro.dev · checked Aug 4, 2026 |
Foundation models
| Field | Cursor | Kiro |
|---|---|---|
| Base models· | Models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, SpaceXAI and Cursor's own; named as written on the page “Choose between every cutting-edge model from OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, SpaceXAI, and Cursor.”cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | Anthropic Claude, open-weight models, or Auto , which picks the best model for the task based on complexity, factoring in model quality, latency, and cost. “Choose the best model for every task: Anthropic Claude, open-weight models, or Auto , which picks the best model for the task based on complexity, factoring in model quality, latency, and cost.”kiro.dev · checked Aug 4, 2026 |
| Model provider· | “Choose between every cutting-edge model from OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, SpaceXAI, and Cursor.”cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | Anthropic Claude, open-weight models, or Auto , which picks the best model for the task based on complexity, factoring in model quality, latency, and cost. “Choose the best model for every task: Anthropic Claude, open-weight models, or Auto , which picks the best model for the task based on complexity, factoring in model quality, latency, and cost.”kiro.dev · checked Aug 4, 2026 |
| Model swappable· | “Choose the best model for every task: Anthropic Claude, open-weight models, or Auto , which picks the best model for the task based on complexity, factoring in model quality, latency, and cost.”kiro.dev · checked Aug 4, 2026 | |
| Open weights· | no public information cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | open-weight models “Choose the best model for every task: Anthropic Claude, open-weight models, or Auto , which picks the best model for the task based on complexity, factoring in model quality, latency, and cost.”kiro.dev · checked Aug 4, 2026 |
Ecosystem
| Field | Cursor | Kiro |
|---|---|---|
| Protocols supported· | compatible with Agent Client Protocol (ACP) so you can bring it to your favorite tools. It supports AGENTS.md, Skills.md , and MCP . “The Kiro agent is compatible with Agent Client Protocol (ACP) so you can bring it to your favorite tools. It supports AGENTS.md, Skills.md , and MCP .”kiro.dev · checked Aug 4, 2026 | |
| Tool use· | “type @ for tools & MCPs, / for skills and commands”cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | pull context from tools like Figma or Terraform . “Catch bugs with property-based tests , or pull context from tools like Figma or Terraform .”kiro.dev · checked Aug 4, 2026 |
| Multi-agent· | no public information cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | “build across large codebases with parallel agents that learn from every session.”kiro.dev · checked Aug 4, 2026 |
Impact
| Field | Cursor | Kiro |
|---|---|---|
| User base· | no public information cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | |
| Deployment scale· | “Trusted by over half of the Fortune 500 to accelerate development, securely and at scale.”cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | “Kiro offers a credit-based pricing model with no daily or weekly rate limits and pre-paid overages, so you can code without breaking your flow or getting a surprise bill.”kiro.dev · checked Aug 4, 2026 |
| Target sectors· | no public information cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | designing AWS Cloud and AI solutions with Terraform and Python “In my role designing AWS Cloud and AI solutions with Terraform and Python”kiro.dev · checked Aug 4, 2026 |
| High-risk domains· | no public information cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | built a secure file sharing application from scratch. By simply sharing my requirements with Kiro, I was able to create a fully secure application that incorporates encryption and various security coding practices—no additional prompts needed. “In roughly two days, I built a secure file sharing application from scratch. By simply sharing my requirements with Kiro, I was able to create a fully secure application that incorporates encryption and various security coding practices—no additional prompts needed.”kiro.dev · checked Aug 4, 2026 |
Disclosed by neither
Both Cursor and Kiro publish nothing on these 31 fields. That is a finding about the category rather than a difference between them, so it is recorded here instead of as 31 identical table rows. Each is shown with its source check on the individual profiles.
- Documented incidents
- Availability
- Supported regions
- Support model
- Fine-tuning
- Context window
- API access
- Open source
- Marketplace presence
- Safety evaluations
- Red teaming
- Safety policy
- Usage restrictions
- Model or system card
- Incident reporting
- Third-party evaluations
- Data handling
- Insurance available
- Insurance carriers
- Coverage limits
- Indemnification
- Liability cap
- Audit trail
- Tamper-evident log
- Runtime governance
- Regulatory alignment
- Outcome-based pricing
- Settlement mechanism
- Dispute process
- SLA terms
- Evaluation coverage
Questions
- How do Cursor and Kiro compare on autonomy level?
- Cursor: full autonomy agentic version. Kiro: no public information disclosed.
- How do Cursor and Kiro compare on target sectors?
- Cursor: no public information disclosed. Kiro: designing AWS Cloud and AI solutions with Terraform and Python.
- How do Cursor and Kiro compare on high-risk domains?
- Cursor: no public information disclosed. Kiro: built a secure file sharing application from scratch. By simply sharing my requirements with Kiro, I was able to create a fully secure application that incorporates encryption and various security coding practices—no additional prompts needed..
- How do Cursor and Kiro compare on pricing model?
- Cursor: no public information disclosed. Kiro: credit-based pricing model.
- How do Cursor and Kiro compare on base models?
- Cursor: Models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, SpaceXAI and Cursor's own; named as written on the page. Kiro: Anthropic Claude, open-weight models, or Auto , which picks the best model for the task based on complexity, factoring in model quality, latency, and cost..
- How do Cursor and Kiro compare on open weights?
- Cursor: no public information disclosed. Kiro: open-weight models.