# Orca IDE vs Cursor

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Orca IDE at none against Cursor's 3. Orca IDE also leads on review sentiment (88% vs 60%) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.0). Cursor's advantage is ratings volume (868 vs 32) and chart position (#2 vs #20). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Cursor sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $25.99 per month. Orca IDE asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Orca IDE against 4.7 for Cursor. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cursor has 868 ratings behind it against 32, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of Orca IDE's written reviews are positive against 60% of Cursor's.

Orca IDE ships an update every 3 days, Cursor every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Orca IDE | Cursor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (32 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orca-ide/id6766130217/reviews) | **[4.7 (868 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cursor/id6767085653/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 32 | **868** |
| Positive reviews | **87.9% of reviews** | 59.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Every 6 days |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | #20 | **#2** |
| Size | 41 MB | 275 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Lovecast LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1498017204) | [Anysphere](https://appshunter.io/developer/1824040349) |

## What reviewers say

### Orca IDE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orca-ide/id6766130217)

**Currently charting:** #20 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

This app mirrors your desktop terminal sessions, including AI agent interactions, directly to your iPhone. It provides full keyboard input and multi-terminal support for seamless remote coding management. All processing remains on your desktop, ensuring your data stays secure.

**Highlights:** Live desktop terminal mirror, AI agent session management, Full keyboard input, Multi-worktree, multi-terminal support, Phone-fit zoom and smart keyboard, Background command execution, End-to-end encrypted pairing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Cursor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cursor/id6767085653)

**Currently charting:** #2 Top Grossing · Developer Tools, #4 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

Build, review, and ship software from anywhere using AI agents. Implement changes, fix bugs, and manage projects remotely. Verify work with demos and provide visual feedback to agents.

**Highlights:** Launch coding agents from anywhere, Track and manage engineering work, Review screenshots and videos of changes, Annotate images for visual feedback, Inspect diffs and merge pull requests, Communicate with agents via voice, Understand codebases faster

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro | $25.99 | per month |
| Pro+ | $77.99 | per month |
| Ultra | $259.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Orca IDE free?

Orca IDE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Cursor free?

Cursor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Orca IDE or Cursor?

Cursor is rated higher. Orca IDE averages 4.6 out of 5 from 32 ratings, while Cursor averages 4.7 from 868 ratings.

### Do Orca IDE or Cursor have ads?

Neither Orca IDE nor Cursor shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Orca IDE or Cursor?

Orca IDE ships an update every 3 days, and Cursor every 6 days. Most recently, Orca IDE was updated on October 11, 2026 and Cursor on October 12, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Orca IDE or Cursor?

Orca IDE currently peaks at #20 in the App Store charts, and Cursor at #2. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*