The Cursor alternative
for the part before the code.
Cursor plans in file paths. Here the product is planned in pages first, then a team of AI employees builds it into your repo.
- Every page
- On one canvas, before code
- Drag it
- Your own edits are free
- Your repo
- Two-way GitHub sync
- From $20
- Three days free
What’s the best Cursor alternative?
For the product before the code, HuntingHydra.
Cursor is an AI code editor: its Plan Mode writes a Markdown plan of file paths and to-dos. HuntingHydra plans the product instead, every page and the data behind it on a canvas, then a team of AI employees designs, writes and builds it, committed to your GitHub repo. From $20 a month.
- You’re deciding what to build, not how
- You want design and copy done too
- You want a working app, not an editor
- You write code yourself, every day
- You work in a codebase of any stack
- You need seats and SSO for a team
Build, look, prompt, repeat. Or see the whole app first.
Cursor’s plan is a list of files. Everything it didn’t list is another round: prompt, build, look again. Here every page is laid out, moved and agreed before the first build, so the rounds happen on pages, not in code.
Nadia · drawingEvery page, sketched and designed. Before any code.
See every page of your app as a sketch first, then the same pages designed. Drag the line.
WireframeDesign
Cursor pricing vs HuntingHydra.
Cursor Individual is $20 a month with a set amount of model usage, then on-demand. HuntingHydra starts at $20 a month too, and your own edits on the canvas never count.
- HobbyLimited Agent requests$0
- IndividualSet usage, then on demand$20
- TeamsA user, a month$40
- Trial3 days, every AI employee on$0
- FromA month, the whole team$20
- Your editsAlways, on your pagesFree
Cursor vs HuntingHydra, side by side.
Every row, read off Cursor’s own pricing and docs on 26 September 2026.
| Question | Cursor | HuntingHydra |
|---|---|---|
| Planning | ||
| What it is | An AI code editor | A product team on a canvas |
| What the plan is | A Markdown file of paths | Pages you can move |
| Who reads the plan | Engineers | Anyone on the team |
| Design | ||
| Who designs it | You, or a designer | Anouk, three directions first |
| Who writes the words | You | Jonah |
| Build | ||
| Stack | Any codebase | Next.js and Postgres |
| Your code | On your machine, your repo | Your GitHub repo, both ways |
| Deploy | Yours to set up | A live URL |
| Team | ||
| Seats and SSO | Teams, $40 a user | One seat, the whole team |
| Price | ||
| Free | Hobby, limited Agent requests | 3 days, every AI employee on |
| Paid plan | From $20 | From $20 |
Cursor’s column read on 26 September 2026 off cursor.com/pricing and Plan Mode. If a row has moved, tell us and we’ll fix it.
Keep Cursor. Share the repo.
The build lands in your GitHub repo, and whatever you commit from Cursor comes back in. Plan here, code there.
Connect the repo
The one you open in Cursor. It comes in as it is, with its history.
Plan what’s next
New pages are laid out, designed and written before anyone codes them.
Stay in step
Every build is committed. Your commits from Cursor come back on the next sync.
Built, then launched and grown.
The same team keeps going once it’s live: the launch posts, the search traffic and the emails that bring people back.
Cursor alternative: common questions.
How is HuntingHydra different from Cursor?
Cursor is an AI code editor for people who write code. HuntingHydra is a product team on a canvas: it plans the pages, designs them, writes them and builds the app.
Can I use both?
Yes. Link the project to your GitHub repo: every build is committed there, and what you commit from Cursor comes back in.
What is Cursor’s Plan Mode?
It writes a Markdown plan of file paths, code references and to-dos that you can edit, then builds it. The plan here is the pages themselves.
Is HuntingHydra cheaper than Cursor?
Both start at $20 a month. Cursor’s plan is model usage for an editor; ours is a team that plans, designs, writes and builds, and your own canvas edits never count.
Can I build a full stack app with a real database?
Yes. Next.js with Postgres, accounts with roles and a live URL. The schema is drawn on the canvas before the build.
Other Cursor alternatives, and where each keeps the plan
- LovableA chat, with the plan in a markdown file
vs Lovable → - Bolt.newA chat thread, with Plan Mode in the chat
vs Bolt.new → - ReplitAgent’s task list, plus a design canvas of mockups
vs Replit → - v0The design you bring, from Figma or a screenshot
vs v0 → - Base44A Discuss thread, metered per message
vs Base44 → - WixA site in the Wix editor, from a prompt
vs Wix →
Stop typing at a chat box. See your whole app first.
Three days free with every AI employee on, then from $20 a month.