Both are agentic code editors with chat, agent mode, and model choice. Cursor remains an independent VS Code-based editor; Windsurf has since become fully part of Devin maker Cognition.
When to pick which
Choose Cursor for an independent, VS Code-based editor with Agent, Composer, Cloud Agents, and Bugbot review; its pricing page states Pro at a fixed $20 per month for extended Agent limits. Choose Windsurf if its agentic assistant, Cascade, is the draw; its own pricing page at windsurf.com/pricing now redirects to devin.ai/pricing because the brand has fully merged into Cognition, and the Teams tier now charges an $80 base fee plus $40 per full seat instead of one flat price.
Differences at a glance
Cursor is its own VS Code-based editor with importable settings and extensions; the free Hobby tier needs no credit card but limits Agent requests without a fixed number.
Windsurf's agentic core is called Cascade and comes from Cognition, the makers of Devin; the brand has since fully merged into Devin/Cognition, and its pricing page redirects to devin.ai/pricing.
Cursor Pro costs $20 per month with extended Agent and Grok limits, frontier models, MCPs, skills, hooks, and Cloud Agents; additional usage can be billed on demand.
Windsurf Teams has, since the Cognition integration, charged an $80 base fee plus $40 per full seat rather than one flat per-seat team price.
Cursor vs Windsurf
Criterion
Cursor
Windsurf
Free access
Free plan
Free plan
Paid from
Plus · 8 USDMonth
Pro · $20Month
Published plans by vendor
Each vendor separately. The same row does not mean the same plan. Prices follow the selected price region.
Where are the vendors of Cursor and Windsurf based?
Cursor: Anysphere, Inc., USA. Windsurf: Cognition Labs (Cognition AI, Inc.), USA.
Are Cursor and Windsurf listed in the same category?
Cursor is listed under the “Development & Code” category, Windsurf under “Development & Code.”
How many pricing tiers do Cursor and Windsurf offer?
Cursor documents 9 plans, Windsurf documents 4 plans, each with price, billing period, and included features.
Where do the price and product details for Cursor and Windsurf come from?
For Cursor and Windsurf, prices, limits, and product details are each based on the current official vendor page. Missing values stay marked as not published rather than being estimated.
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