Cursor vs Windsurf
Compare Cursor and Windsurf by workflow, pricing, privacy, model support, and best use cases.
Cursor
Cursor is a strong choice for developers who want AI assistance to live inside the editor rather than as a separate chat or terminal tool, especially when codebase context and multi-step agent workflows matter.
Windsurf
Choose Windsurf if you want an AI-first IDE that keeps agentic coding close to your editor, terminal, and project context; consider lighter extensions or CLI agents if you prefer a less opinionated workflow.
Key Differences
Workflow
Cursor is a VS Code-based AI IDE focused on turning autocomplete, chat, codebase context, and autonomous coding agents into one integrated developer workflow.
Windsurf, now transitioning under the Devin Desktop brand, is an AI-native IDE for developers who want coding agents, codebase context, and editor workflows in one desktop environment.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Cursor | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|
| Primary workflow | Cursor is a VS Code-based AI IDE focused on turning autocomplete, chat, codebase context, and autonomous coding agents into one integrated developer workflow. | Windsurf, now transitioning under the Devin Desktop brand, is an AI-native IDE for developers who want coding agents, codebase context, and editor workflows in one desktop environment. |
| Type | ai-ide | ai-ide |
| Editor base | VS Code | VS Code |
| Pricing model | freemium | freemium |
| Starting price | $20 | $20 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | No |
| Local models | No | No |
| BYOK | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Windows, Linux, JetBrains plugin, VS Code plugin, Visual Studio plugin, Vim, Neovim, Jupyter, Chrome |
| Models | OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Azure, AWS Bedrock | SWE-1.6, SWE-1.6 Fast, SWE-1.5, SWE-1, SWE-1-mini, Claude 4 Sonnet, Claude 4 Sonnet Thinking, Claude 4 Opus, Claude 4 Opus Thinking, Claude, GPT, Gemini |
| Enterprise features | Centralized team billing, Admin dashboard, Usage analytics, Team-wide privacy mode, SAML/OIDC SSO, SCIM seat management, Repository access controls, Model access controls, MCP access controls, Audit logs, Service accounts, AI code tracking API, Priority support | Centralized billing, Admin dashboard, Analytics, SAML/OIDC SSO, Access control features, RBAC, Volume-based discounts, Priority or dedicated support, Dedicated account management, Dedicated deployment option, Hybrid deployment option, Model and provider access controls |
| Best for | Developers who want an AI-first editor without leaving the VS Code-style workflow., Teams working in medium to large codebases where repository context matters., Builders who use AI for refactoring, feature implementation, debugging, tests, and code review support., Organizations that need admin controls, SSO, usage analytics, and privacy settings. | Developers who want a VS Code-like AI IDE, Teams experimenting with local and cloud coding agents, Multi-file refactoring and codebase navigation, Full-stack app iteration with previews and terminal workflows, Engineers who want to move from chat-based coding into agent-managed tasks |
| Not best for | Developers who require a fully open-source editor., Teams that need all inference to stay strictly local by default., Users who only want lightweight autocomplete and do not need agentic workflows., Organizations that cannot allow code context to pass through a vendor-managed backend. | Users who only need lightweight autocomplete, Teams that require a fully open-source editor stack, Strictly offline development environments, Developers who do not want an AI-first workflow inside their editor, Organizations that cannot send code context to external AI services without a reviewed enterprise agreement |
Use Case Winners
Both Cursor and Windsurf have comparable signals here.
Both Cursor and Windsurf have comparable signals here.
Cursor lists more team or enterprise controls.
Cursor has stronger frontend or web workflow signals.
Windsurf supports more model/provider options or BYOK-style workflows.
Neither tool shows a strong signal for this use case in the current structured data.
Pricing Comparison
Cursor
- Hobby$0 / month
Free plan with limited Agent requests and limited Tab completions.
- Pro$20 / month
Individual plan with extended Agent limits, frontier model access, MCPs, skills, hooks, and cloud agents.
- Teams$40 / user/month
Team plan with centralized billing, admin controls, usage analytics, team privacy mode, SAML/OIDC SSO, and team marketplace.
- EnterpriseCustom
Custom plan with pooled usage, invoice billing, SCIM, repository/model/MCP controls, audit logs, service accounts, and priority support.
Windsurf
- Free$0 / month
Free individual plan with access to the editor and included usage.
- Pro$20 / month
Individual paid plan with higher usage allowance and premium model access.
- Max$200 / month
High-usage individual plan for heavier agent workflows.
- Team$80 + $40/full user / month
Team plan with shared billing and full-seat access to Devin Desktop usage.
- EnterpriseContact sales
Enterprise plan with advanced security, admin, support, and deployment options.
Privacy & Security
Cursor
Cursor offers Privacy Mode, which is intended to prevent code from being used for training and to enable zero-data-retention behavior with model providers. Cursor also states that BYOK requests still go through Cursor backend for final prompt building, and codebase indexing may upload code chunks to compute embeddings.
Windsurf
Windsurf/Devin Desktop is covered by Cognition's privacy and security documentation. Teams should review data retention, telemetry, BYOK, model routing, and enterprise controls before using it with proprietary code, regulated data, secrets, or customer information.
Choose Cursor if...
- Developers who want an AI-first editor without leaving the VS Code-style workflow.
- Teams working in medium to large codebases where repository context matters.
- Builders who use AI for refactoring, feature implementation, debugging, tests, and code review support.
- Organizations that need admin controls, SSO, usage analytics, and privacy settings.
Choose Windsurf if...
- Developers who want a VS Code-like AI IDE
- Teams experimenting with local and cloud coding agents
- Multi-file refactoring and codebase navigation
- Full-stack app iteration with previews and terminal workflows
- Engineers who want to move from chat-based coding into agent-managed tasks
Avoid Cursor if...
- Developers who require a fully open-source editor.
- Teams that need all inference to stay strictly local by default.
- Users who only want lightweight autocomplete and do not need agentic workflows.
- Organizations that cannot allow code context to pass through a vendor-managed backend.
Avoid Windsurf if...
- Users who only need lightweight autocomplete
- Teams that require a fully open-source editor stack
- Strictly offline development environments
- Developers who do not want an AI-first workflow inside their editor
- Organizations that cannot send code context to external AI services without a reviewed enterprise agreement