Cursor vs Windsurf (2026)

Side-by-side comparison of Cursor vs Windsurf: pricing, capabilities, integrations, deployment complexity, and ratings. Last updated October 2, 2026 by The AI Agent Index Editorial Team.

Data sourced from The AI Agent Index

Editorial Verdict

Windsurf was rebranded to Devin Desktop on June 2, 2026 after Cognition acquired Windsurf in July 2025. Developers searching this comparison are likely deciding between Cursor and the product formerly known as Windsurf, which is now part of the Devin platform. Both remain strong agentic coding IDEs built on VS Code foundations, but their product trajectories have diverged. Cursor is an independent AI-first IDE with autonomous agent mode, cloud subagents, and its proprietary Composer model. It holds 4.6 stars from 314 G2 reviews and an editorial rating of 4.6 out of 5 on this index. Pricing starts at Free, with paid plans from $16/mo billed annually. Cursor holds SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 42001 and AIUC-1 certifications and states compliance with GDPR and CCPA. MCP is supported. Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) is now the IDE surface for the Devin platform by Cognition. It combines the local editor with cloud agent orchestration, letting developers manage fleets of autonomous Devin Cloud sessions from a single surface. Pricing is shared with the Devin platform: a free plan, Pro at $20 per month with frontier models and Devin Cloud, Max at $200 per month, and Teams from $80 per month with full seats at $40 each. Devin Desktop holds SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and CCPA, and is FedRAMP High authorized. G2 shows 4.3 stars from 35 reviews under the Windsurf name, and our editorial rating is 4.3 out of 5. Choose Cursor when you want a standalone agentic IDE with no dependency on a broader platform. Choose Devin Desktop when you want the combined IDE plus autonomous cloud agent experience under a single subscription, especially if delegating entire tasks to Devin Cloud sessions appeals to your workflow. Cursor stands on its own, while Devin Desktop is one part of a wider agent platform.

Cursor

by Anysphere

AI-first code editor with autonomous agent mode, cloud subagents, self-hosted runners and Origin code hosting. Free tier, with Individual from $16/month billed annually (USD).

Best for

Developers who want a standalone agentic coding IDE with ecosystem independence, from $16/mo billed annually

freemiumBOTH

Visit Cursor →

Windsurf

by Cognition

AI-powered IDE from Cognition, formerly Windsurf, pairing a local editor with asynchronous cloud agents and MCP in both directions. Free tier, Pro $20 per month, Max $200 (USD).

Best for

Teams that want a combined IDE plus autonomous cloud agent platform where local editing and delegated Devin Cloud sessions share a single subscription from $20 per month

freemiumB2B

Visit Windsurf →

Cursor

Windsurf

Pricing model

freemium

Starting price

$16/mo, billed annually

$20/mo

Pricing transparency

mostly public

Contract type

both

monthly

Customer segment

BOTH

B2B

Deployment

desktop, cli, cloud, mobile

desktop, cli, cloud, ide

Setup difficulty

easy

Avg setup time

—

Editorial rating

4.6 / 5

4.3 / 5

G2 rating

4.6/5 (314 reviews)

4.3/5 (35 reviews)

MCP

Client

Server + client

GitHub stars

N/A

Data training

opt out

Human in loop

optional

Security certs

SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 42001, GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, AIUC-1

SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, CCPA, FedRAMP

Capabilities

Cursor

idemulti-file-editingautocompleteagentic-codingmobileautomations

Windsurf

ideagentic-codingmulti-file-editingautonomousterminal-agentcode-generation

Pros & Limitations

Editorial assessment

Cursor

Pros

✓Agent mode plans and implements features autonomously across multiple files, and cloud subagents run in parallel on their own VMs and branches.
✓Full VS Code compatibility means near-zero migration cost, because existing extensions, keybindings, themes and workflows carry over immediately.
✓Privacy Mode is available on every plan including the free tier, and is on by default for Teams and Enterprise, where admins can enforce it.
✓Self-Hosted Machines runs Cloud Agent tool execution on hardware the team manages, keeping the codebase, build outputs and secrets on internal machines.

Limitations

–Privacy Mode is off by default on the Hobby and Individual plans, where Cursor states it may store and use codebase data, prompts, editor actions and code snippets to improve the product.
–Model inference always routes through Cursor's cloud, including when you supply your own API keys, and zero data retention does not apply to those keys. US-only data residency is Enterprise only.
–Expensive model usage depletes included credits faster than standard models, and agentic code review with Bugbot runs on usage-based billing on Individual rather than being included as it is on Teams.

Windsurf

Pros

✓Bundles interactive IDE coding with asynchronous cloud agents under one subscription, so a developer can keep editing locally while delegating longer tasks to Devin Cloud sessions and reviewing the results in the same surface.
✓MCP works in both directions. Devin Desktop connects out to external MCP servers such as the Slack MCP Server, and Cognition publishes its own MCP server with documented setup instructions for streamable HTTP clients.
✓Pricing is public and self-serve up to the Teams tier, with a permanently free plan and a documented usage-quota model, so a team can evaluate and adopt the product without talking to sales.
✓Devin Desktop is FedRAMP High authorized and meets DoD IL4, IL5 and IL6 through Palantir FedStart, with ITAR and FIPS 140-2 and 140-3 coverage on the same scope.

Limitations

–SAML and OIDC single sign-on, virtual private cloud deployment, teamspace isolation and centralized admin controls are all Enterprise-tier items, so the $20 Pro plan carries none of them and concurrent sessions are capped at ten.
–Customer data may be used for model training by default under Cognition's platform terms, and the contractual opt-out is restricted to paid tiers, so free-plan users have no opt-out at all. On the Teams tier only an administrator can exercise it.
–Cognition publishes no autonomous task-completion rate on any surface, so the product's autonomy rests on its own product descriptions and customer quotes rather than a measured rate. FedRAMP High and the DoD impact levels cover Devin Desktop today, while the Devin Cloud agents are slated for the second half of 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Cursor vs Windsurf?

Which is best for my team: Cursor vs Windsurf?

Cursor is best for: Developers who want a standalone agentic coding IDE with ecosystem independence, from $16/mo billed annually. Windsurf is best for: Teams that want a combined IDE plus autonomous cloud agent platform where local editing and delegated Devin Cloud sessions share a single subscription from $20 per month.

How does pricing compare between Cursor vs Windsurf?

Cursor uses a freemium model, starting at $16 per month on an annual commitment (month-to-month costs more). Windsurf uses a freemium model, starting at $20 per month.

View full Cursor profile

Pricing, reviews, integrations →

View full Windsurf profile

Pricing, reviews, integrations →

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