Cursor removed cost information from the usage page and CSV export
Cursor, an AI-powered IDE, has removed direct dollar amounts from individual user usage pages, replacing them with token counts. This move has sparked user outrage over a perceived lack of transparency, making it difficult for customers to track their spending. Hacker News users are questioning Cursor's commitment to user trust and its overall product direction, with many considering a return to alternative coding environments.
The Lowdown
Cursor, an AI-first code editor, recently updated its usage dashboard, removing direct dollar amount displays for individual plans and replacing them with token counts. This change ignited frustration among users who relied on the dollar figures for daily spending tracking, especially those on shared team usage caps.
- User Complaints: Multiple users, including 'Bingojr' and 'Kaleb_Maul', immediately noticed the change, expressing confusion and concern. They highlighted that token amounts are "completely useless" for budgeting and demanded the return of dollar figures.
- Transparency Demands: 'eli.wavv' emphasized the necessity of transparent per-request cost information for on-demand usage, especially for team members tracking personal spending within a shared cap.
- Cursor's Official Response: A Cursor representative, 'kevinn', clarified that this was a deliberate design choice. While Enterprise plans retain dollar amounts due to pooled usage, individual plans now show token counts for "included" usage, with dollar figures only appearing for on-demand usage exceeding the plan's allowance. This was apparently done to avoid confusion caused by dollar amounts often exceeding the actual plan cost due to generous included usage.
- Workarounds Offered: 'kevinn' directed users to the Dashboard's "Spending" section for current cycle on-demand spending and the "Export CSV" option from the "Usage" page, which provides dollar amounts for on-demand rows.
The core of the conflict lies in Cursor's attempt to clarify billing for included vs. overage usage by abstracting costs, which users interpret as obfuscation, leading to a loss of trust and budgeting difficulty.
The Gossip
Costly Cover-Up Concerns
Many users expressed deep concern over Cursor's decision to remove dollar amounts, viewing it as a deliberate move to obscure actual costs and hinder personal budgeting. Commenters found the change an affront to transparency and trust, with one sarcastically noting, "Hiding pricing is always a negative to the customer." The sentiment highlights a broader distrust of companies that make it harder for users to understand their spending.
Cursor's Confusing Course
Beyond the immediate pricing issue, a significant portion of the discussion revolved around Cursor's evolving product direction and perceived decline in quality. Early adopters questioned its current value proposition, with some having already migrated to alternatives like Claude Code or VS Code with AI extensions. Users described Cursor as feeling more "buggy" and less like its VS Code fork origins, leading to serious consideration of switching back to more traditional or alternative development environments.