Cursor + Cheap AI API = Best Developer Experience
Cursor is one of the most popular AI-powered IDEs. It supports custom API endpoints, which means you can route requests through a cheaper provider.
Why Use a Custom API?
| Option | Cost | Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Cursor Pro | $20/month | Rate limited |
| Cursor + Official API | $3-5/M tokens | Expensive at scale |
| Cursor + APIVAI | $0.77/M tokens | No limits, 90% cheaper |
Setup in 2 Minutes
Step 1: Get Your API Key
- Sign up at apivai.com
- Top up your balance ($10 minimum)
- Copy your API key from the dashboard
Step 2: Configure Cursor
- Open Cursor Settings (Cmd+, or Ctrl+,)
- Go to Models section
- Set Override OpenAI Base URL to:
https://api.apivai.com/v1
- Set your API Key to your APIVAI key
Step 3: Select Your Model
Choose from:
-
claude-sonnet-4-6-20250514— Best balance (recommended) -
claude-opus-4-7-20250416— Most powerful -
claude-haiku-4-5-20251001— Fastest, cheapest -
gpt-5.4— OpenAI alternative
Cost Savings Example
A typical Cursor power user might make 50-100 AI requests per day:
| Requests/day | Cursor Pro | APIVAI API | Monthly Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | $20/mo (limited) | ~$4/mo | $16 |
| 100 | $20/mo (heavily limited) | ~$8/mo | $12 + no limits |
| 200+ | Not possible | ~$16/mo | Unlimited |
With APIVAI, you get unlimited requests — no rate limiting, no throttling.
Also Works With
- VS Code + Continue extension
- Neovim + avante.nvim
- JetBrains + AI Assistant
- Any tool that supports OpenAI-compatible APIs
Get Started
Sign up at apivai.com — takes 30 seconds, no credit card required.
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