Up until about 10 minutes ago, on my legacy requests individual plan, I have been able to use frontier models with MAX mode off. Now its saying that Max mode is required for these models. Anyone have any insight into this change?
I just submitted the same question as I am also having this issue.
The Cursor team should have basic respect for users. They changed the limit from unlimited requests to 500 requests without any prior notice, and now theyâve quietly made another change.
Me too. Legacy plan completely broken with âMax Mode Requiredâ since today. Hope support looks into this ASAP.
Hey all,
Since the release of GPT-5.4 in March, new frontier models have required Max Mode for users on legacy request-based pricing.
A bug meant this wasnât always being enforced. Thatâs now fixed, so going forward these models will correctly require Max Mode on legacy plans.
forcing max mode is a way for them to charge you way more money for the same out come without using max mode
but why, max mode has zero difference in out come vs not using max, iâve tested both, your basically just paying 30-50x more for the same out come as not using max mode
Iâve been using Cursor for about 22 months. Thank you for the journey. Itâs time to move to Claude Code.
Hi Cursor Team,
Iâm a legacy Pro plan user (500 requests/month). I have two major concerns that I believe affect many developers in the same situation. Iâd appreciate official clarification on each.
1. Frontline models now require Max Mode on legacy plans â with no way to opt out
I understand that Fable 5, Opus 4.8, and other frontier models now require Max Mode to be enabled on legacy request-based plans. This means:
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They no longer consume my 500 monthly requests.
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Instead, Iâm charged per token at API rates + a 20% surcharge.
While I respect the policy change, the problem is:
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There is no alternative for legacy users who want to keep request-based billing but still manually use frontier models.
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The 20% surcharge feels punitive for users who subscribed under a different set of expectations.
My question: Is there any plan to allow legacy users to manually select frontier models without Max Mode, even at a higher request cost (e.g., 2x or 3x requests per call)?
2. Upgrading to Pro+ is irreversible â effectively locking legacy users out
The only way to use Fable 5 without Max Mode is to upgrade to a usage-based plan (Pro+, Ultra). But this means:
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Permanently losing the 500-request plan.
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Switching to token-based billing, which may not be cost-effective for all users.
My question: Is there any middle ground? For example, allowing legacy users to purchase a one-time add-on that unlocks frontier models without Max Mode, while keeping the base plan intact?
Summary
I understand that policies evolve, but the current state feels like legacy users are being forced into a corner:
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Use Max Mode (and pay extra fees) if you want frontier models.
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Upgrade to a new plan (and lose your old one) if you want to avoid Max Mode.
Iâd appreciate a detailed response on each of these points. Iâm not asking for special treatment â just transparency and options that respect the commitments users made when they subscribed.
Thank you for your time.
From your very own post on March 17: âAll other models remain unaffected. This change does not apply to individual plans or accounts on our new pricing (introduced with our June 2025 update).â
@Colin Iâve paid for yearly up until Nov. You canât just change my contract terms half way through. There has been zero communication about this. Models should only be restricted when my billing cycle ends so that I can decide whether I continue using your service or not.
This constitutes a unilateral breach of the contract, and it is fraudulent behavior towards old customers.
I pay for usage outside of the plan, forcing max mode when Iâm already paying anyways is pointless, max mode uses way more usage then needed, itâs just a way to drain more $$ for the exact same out come as when max mode isnât enabled
This change does not apply to individual plans or accounts on our new pricing.But now?
I hope at least Sonnet 5.0 can remove the âmax onlyâ limit.
I donât understand. Why not choose to increase the number of spending requests for certain modes instead of forcing MAX to be enabled across the board?
Hi everyone,
I am writing this as a long-time, loyal user of Cursor, and frankly, as a victim of the recent, incredibly unfair changes made to our legacy individual billing plans.
The requirement of âMax Modeâ and the arbitrary limitations placed on our hard-earned accounts is nothing short of a betrayal. When Cursor was starting out, it was usâthe legacy usersâwho supported the platform, provided feedback, and helped it grow. Now that the platform has gained traction, the official team is turning their backs on us, squeezing our interests, and treating us like second-class users.
Why are they doing this? Itâs simple: They think our numbers are too small to matter. They believe we will just quietly accept these downgrades or blindly pay more. This is deeply disrespectful and utterly unacceptable.
We need to realize that our silence is their biggest weapon. We must unite.
I am calling on all legacy and long-time users to stand together on this issue:
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Demand Absolute Fairness: We deserve to have our original plan benefits respected without arbitrary restrictions like Max Mode being forced upon us.
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Make Our Voices Heard: Keep bumping this thread, share your stories, and let Cursor know that we are paying attention.
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Consider Collective Action: If the Cursor team continues to ignore our legitimate demands and refuse to respect the commitments they made to early adopters, we should actively explore organizing a collective legal complaint or formal consumer dispute.
Cursor team, do not mistake our past loyalty for weakness. We expect an official explanation and a fair resolution immediately.
To my fellow legacy users: Do not let them bully us into submission. Drop a comment below, keep this thread alive, and letâs fight for what we paid for!
I have been using Cursor since 2023. Cursor has been part of my development workflow for almost three years now. During that time, I have also used Codex, Claude Code, Amp, and OpenCode, but I kept coming back to Cursor because I genuinely felt that the product had a level of polish and attention to detail that others often lacked. I have recommended Cursor to many people for exactly that reason.
But looking back at the history of these pricing and plan changes, I unfortunately have to say this very directly: Cursor has repeatedly failed to maintain user trust.
From the original â500 requestsâ plan that many users understood as a clear and stable subscription model, to later changes that felt almost forced onto existing users, and now this Max Mode requirement for legacy individual plans, the pattern is becoming very hard to ignore. Maybe the product team and the marketing/communication team are completely different teams â which would at least explain the disconnect â but from the user side, the experience is simply inconsistent and frustrating.
The current change is especially confusing. If the concern is model cost, a much more reasonable approach would be to assign different request costs to different models. For example, a more expensive frontier model could consume 5 or 10 requests instead of 1. That would be understandable. Users can accept that different models have different costs.
But completely blocking traditional request-based subscribers from using frontier models unless they switch to Max Mode feels like a disguised way of pushing legacy users out.
What makes this even harder to understand is the logic behind it. If users heavily use a very expensive model like Opus 4.6, that can also create serious model cost pressure for Cursor. So why is that acceptable under the current structure, while other frontier models are completely locked behind Max Mode?
And if another newer frontier model has input/output pricing that is lower than or comparable to Opus 4.6, why not make it available under a similar request-based pricing rule? Why force Max Mode for those models as well?
GLM 5.2 is a good example. Its pricing appears to be lower, yet it still requires Max Mode. Have you actually used Max Mode as a normal user? In practice, once Max Mode is enabled, almost any model can consume the quota extremely quickly. Sometimes it feels like one serious request can burn through a huge part of the allowance.
So I genuinely do not understand the thinking here.
The issue is not that users expect unlimited access to every expensive model forever. The issue is that Cursor keeps changing the meaning of plans that users already paid for, while presenting the changes as technical corrections or pricing necessities. That damages trust.
Cursor is still a strong product. That is exactly why this is so disappointing. But a strong product does not excuse weak communication or repeated changes that make loyal users feel pushed aside.
Exactly. Changing service terms and restricting model access mid-billing cycle with zero upfront communication is completely unacceptable. If I paid for a plan, I expect the promised features to remain active until the end of my subscription. This is a clear breach of customer trust.