Windsurf vs Kiro Ide
Compare Windsurf and Kiro Ide by workflow, pricing, privacy, model support, and best use cases.
Details checked Jun 23, 2026
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.
Kiro Ide
Choose Kiro when you want AI coding to start from structured specs and team standards rather than ad hoc chat prompts; choose Cursor, Windsurf, or Copilot when fast editor-native assistance is more important than a spec-first engineering process.
Key Differences
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.
Kiro is an AWS-backed agentic AI IDE for spec-driven software development, combining local coding, CLI automation, web-based delegated agents, MCP tools, and team steering into one structured engineering workflow.
Editor base
VS Code
Standalone
BYOK
Yes
No
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Windsurf | Kiro Ide |
|---|---|---|
| Primary 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. | Kiro is an AWS-backed agentic AI IDE for spec-driven software development, combining local coding, CLI automation, web-based delegated agents, MCP tools, and team steering into one structured engineering workflow. |
| Type | AI IDEs / AI Code Editors | AI IDEs / AI Code Editors |
| Editor base | VS Code | Standalone |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $20 | $20 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | No |
| Local models | No | No |
| BYOK | Yes | No |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux, JetBrains plugin, VS Code plugin, Visual Studio plugin, Vim, Neovim, Jupyter, Chrome | macOS, Windows, Linux, Web, CLI, GitHub, GitLab, AWS, MCP |
| Models | 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 | Auto, Claude Opus 4.8, Claude Opus 4.7, Claude Opus 4.6, Claude Opus 4.5, Claude Sonnet 4.6, Claude Sonnet 4.5, Claude Sonnet 4.0, Claude Haiku 4.5, DeepSeek 3.2, MiniMax M2.5, GLM-5, MiniMax M2.1, Qwen3 Coder Next |
| Enterprise features | 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 | AWS IAM Identity Center integration, Okta and Microsoft Entra ID connection through IAM Identity Center, AWS account-based billing, Kiro console profiles, User and group subscriptions, Usage dashboard, Per-user activity reports, Prompt logging controls, CloudWatch metrics, AWS GovCloud support, Enterprise data collection opt-out, Admin-managed settings, Supported Kiro console regions including US East, Europe Frankfurt, and AWS GovCloud regions |
| Best for | 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 | Teams that want AI coding with requirements, design docs, and implementation plans, Developers moving prototypes toward production-quality code, Large codebases where persistent project context and team standards matter, AWS-oriented teams that want enterprise identity, billing, and governance, Workflows that benefit from MCP tools, hooks, and repeatable agent automation, Developers who want both a desktop AI IDE and a CLI agent |
| Not best for | 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 | Users who only want lightweight autocomplete inside an existing editor, Teams that require fully local model execution, Developers who want open-source IDE source code, Small one-off edits where a simpler chat-based editor may be faster, Organizations that cannot accept hosted AI processing or credit-based usage billing |
Use Case Winners
Windsurf is built around a VS Code editor workflow.
Windsurf has BYOK or model-routing flexibility.
Kiro Ide lists more team or enterprise controls.
Kiro Ide has stronger frontend or web workflow signals.
Pricing Comparison
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.
Kiro Ide
- Free$0 / per month
Perpetual free tier with 50 monthly credits and limited access to open-weight models and selected Claude models.
- Pro$20 / per month
Includes 1,000 monthly credits and access to paid-tier model capacity with optional overages.
- Pro+$40 / per month
Includes 2,000 monthly credits for more frequent agentic development sessions.
- Pro Max$100 / per month
Includes 5,000 monthly credits and the full Kiro feature set, including specs, custom subagents, powers, hooks, and full CLI access.
- Power$200 / per month
Includes 10,000 monthly credits for heavy individual or team usage.
Privacy & Security
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.
Kiro Ide
Kiro is an AWS application. Its IDE privacy documentation describes AWS shared-responsibility security practices, while Kiro Web documentation states that task descriptions, chat messages, code changes, and additional context may be stored to execute tasks. Kiro Web documentation also states that content from Free Tier and individual subscribers may be used for service improvement unless opted out, while enterprise users are automatically opted out of telemetry and content collection by AWS. Teams should review Kiro Web sandbox access, connected GitHub/GitLab permissions, MCP tools, secrets, network access, and enterprise logging settings before using it with sensitive code.
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
Choose Kiro Ide if...
- Teams that want AI coding with requirements, design docs, and implementation plans
- Developers moving prototypes toward production-quality code
- Large codebases where persistent project context and team standards matter
- AWS-oriented teams that want enterprise identity, billing, and governance
- Workflows that benefit from MCP tools, hooks, and repeatable agent automation
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
Avoid Kiro Ide if...
- Users who only want lightweight autocomplete inside an existing editor
- Teams that require fully local model execution
- Developers who want open-source IDE source code
- Small one-off edits where a simpler chat-based editor may be faster
- Organizations that cannot accept hosted AI processing or credit-based usage billing