Update: Windsurf no longer ships under that name. Cognition acquired it from Codeium in July 2025 and renamed it Devin Desktop; devin.ai/desktop calls it "the new name for Windsurf", and windsurf.com/pricing now redirects to devin.ai/pricing. Cognition says plans and pricing carried over. The feature comparison below describes Windsurf before the rename, so check Cognition's site for what Devin Desktop offers today.
If you're choosing an AI-first editor for vibe coding, the two names that come up most are Cursor and Windsurf, now Devin Desktop. Both are forks of VS Code reimagined around AI, so your extensions and keybindings come along either way. The differences are in the agent, the flow, and the feel. Here's how they compare in mid-2026.
Agents & multi-file editing
Both can take a natural-language instruction and edit across multiple files. Cursor's agent — now on the Composer 2.5 architecture in the Cursor 3.11 release (July 2026) — is extremely mature and fast, and the update added a side chat panel, searchable agent transcripts, and a Cursor for iOS public beta. Windsurf, built by Codeium, leans on its Flow context awareness, which is praised for keeping track of what you're doing across a long session and feeling more guided. If you like an agent that proactively follows your train of thought, Windsurf is compelling; if you want maximum raw agent power and control, Cursor edges ahead.
Autocomplete & Tab
Beyond the agent, the everyday experience is inline prediction. Cursor's "Tab" is famous for predicting multi-line edits and your next likely change, not just the next token — it often stages the exact edit you were about to make three lines down. Windsurf's completions are strong and fast too, with its own supercomplete-style suggestions. For many developers this moment-to-moment autocomplete, more than the headline agent, is what makes an editor feel fast; both deliver, with Cursor's prediction slightly more aggressive and Windsurf's a touch calmer.
Codebase context
Both index your repository for context-aware suggestions. Cursor has a slight edge in raw prediction quality for many users; Windsurf's Flow-based context handling in longer flows is excellent. In practice both are strong — the difference is feel, not a capability gap you'll hit day to day.
Terminal & command execution
Modern vibe coding leans on the agent running commands for you — installing packages, running tests, starting the dev server. Both editors let their agents execute terminal commands and read the output to self-correct, which is where a lot of the "it just did it" magic comes from. Cursor's agent is particularly comfortable chaining commands and reacting to failures; Windsurf's guided Flow keeps you looped in on what it's about to run. If you want the agent to move autonomously, either works — decide how much oversight you want and pick the one whose defaults match.
Models
Both editors are model-flexible and expose a picker, so you can run frontier models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI in either — OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra and older GPT-5.6 generations, Anthropic's Claude Sonnet 5, Claude Opus 5 and Claude Fable 5.1, and xAI's Grok line, now on Grok 4.6. Cursor added Grok 4.5 as a first-class option in its 3.11 release — fitting, since that model was co-trained on real Cursor usage data. Pickers change release to release (and the Windsurf side of this comparison is frozen in its pre-rebrand state), so check the current list in the app. On model choice the two were effectively even; what differs is how each editor orchestrates those models around your code.
UX & learning curve
Because both are VS Code forks, migration is painless. Windsurf is often described as cleaner out of the box, with a calmer default UI; Cursor exposes more power (and more knobs), which power users love and newcomers sometimes find busy. Try each for an afternoon — the "right" one is the one whose flow clicks for you.
Extensions & migration
Because both are VS Code forks, switching is close to painless: your extensions, themes, and keybindings come across, and the file tree, command palette, and shortcuts you already know are all there. This is a big part of why developers try both — there's almost no switching cost, so you can run a real project through each over a couple of afternoons and let the experience decide rather than committing on faith.
Which one for which user
- You want maximum power and control — Cursor, with its deep settings and aggressive agent.
- You want a calm, guided experience — Windsurf, whose Flow keeps you oriented without overwhelming you.
- You're new to AI editors — either works, but Windsurf's cleaner defaults are a gentler on-ramp.
- You want the most popular, best-documented option — Cursor has the larger community and more tutorials to lean on.
The bigger picture
Here's the reassuring part: you can't really make a wrong choice. Both are excellent, both stay current with the newest models, and both are improving on a rapid release cadence. Picking one isn't a marriage — export your project, install the other, and you're moved in within an afternoon. Spend less energy agonizing over the decision and more actually building; the editor that helps you ship today is the right one, and you can always switch tomorrow.
Comparison at a glance
| Cursor | Windsurf | |
|---|---|---|
| Base | VS Code fork | VS Code fork (by Codeium) |
| Agent | Composer 2.5, very powerful | Flow, guided & context-aware |
| Standout | Raw agent power, iOS beta, transcripts | Clean UX, long-session coherence |
| Models | OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI (Grok added in 3.11) | OpenAI, Anthropic, and more |
| Feel | More power, more knobs | Cleaner, more guided |
| Price | Free; Plus $8, Premium $30, Super $100, Ultra $200/mo | Free; Pro $20, Max $200/mo |
Pricing
Both offer free plans, but the paid ladders differ. For new customers, Cursor sells Free (Agent and Chat with limited usage, limited Tab, no third-party models), Plus at $8/mo (Cursor's own models only), Premium at $30/mo, Super at $100/mo and Ultra at $200/mo. Claude and GPT models need Premium or above and are billed at API list price, separate from the plan's pool. The older Hobby, Pro ($20) and Pro+ ($60) plans are legacy plans no longer sold to new customers. Because frontier-model usage is billed on top, two developers on the same plan can see very different bills.
Windsurf, now Devin Desktop, runs Free ($0), Pro at $20/mo and Max at $200/mo. Its free plan is unusual in a good way: Tab completions and inline edits are unlimited, while agent work runs on a light quota with limited model availability. Start free on both, push a real task through each, and keep the winner; the deciding factor should be which flow you enjoy.
Verdict
- Cursor — the more configurable of the two, and our pick if you want maximum agentic control.
- Windsurf, now Devin Desktop — a cleaner, guided agent flow that many developers preferred for its calm, coherent sessions; Cognition's relaunch is the version you would install today.
Either one anchors a great vibe coding stack. The editor is only the first layer, though — see the best AI tools for vibe coding for the assistant, app builder, and deployment pieces that go around it. You can also browse more options in our best AI coding tools guide, or compare Cursor with the other big rival in Cursor vs GitHub Copilot.