Decision comparison
Cursor vs Windsurf (now Devin Desktop)
Cursor and Windsurf should be selected through a controlled pilot. Cursor publishes individual and team list prices; Windsurf documents current plan types and a usage-based self-serve model. Test both against the same repository, controls, and engineering workflow.
Windsurf (now Devin Desktop) is now sold under new ownership
Cognition announced a definitive agreement to acquire Windsurf on 14 July 2025, covering its IP, product, trademark and brand. The editor is now sold as Devin Desktop and priced inside Cognition's Devin plans: windsurf.com redirects to devin.ai/desktop, and the Windsurf name no longer appears on the product or pricing pages.
Direct comparison. These are reviewed substitutes bought for the same job, so the differences below are the ones that decide between them.
All 2 are AI coding assistants.
Quick Comparison
| Decision factor | Cursor | Windsurf (now Devin Desktop) |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | Teams or individuals validating an AI-assisted VS Code-oriented workflow with their existing repositories and controls. | Teams or individuals validating the Windsurf editor and Cascade workflow with their existing repositories and controls. |
| Architecture | An AI-assisted development environment that should be tested with the team's Git, APIs, MCP connections, and CI/CD process. | An AI development environment with current self-serve usage controls and enterprise ACU billing documentation. |
| Pricing Model | Business Plans $40/user, $20/mo, $60/mo, $200/mo | Sold as part of Cognition's Devin plans. Free $0 (light quota, unlimited Tab completions). Pro $20/month (frontier models, Devin Cloud, extra usage at API pricing). Max $200/month (higher quotas). Team $80/month for the team plan plus $40/month per full dev seat. Enterprise custom, with SAML/OIDC SSO and VPC deployment. Usage allowances refresh daily and weekly; overage is purchased at API pricing. |
| Ease of Use | Evaluate the editor, agent workflow, diff review, and test path with representative developer tasks. | Evaluate the editor workflow, generated diff, test path, and usage reporting with representative tasks. |
| Scalability | Validate team administration, identity controls, privacy, reporting, and plan usage before rollout. | Validate current Teams or Enterprise administration, identity controls, privacy, and usage terms before rollout. |
| Community/Support | Use official product documentation and the current plan terms for support and administration details. | Use official documentation, current plan terms, and vendor support channels for deployment details. |
Cursor
- Best For:
- Teams or individuals validating an AI-assisted VS Code-oriented workflow with their existing repositories and controls.
- Architecture:
- An AI-assisted development environment that should be tested with the team's Git, APIs, MCP connections, and CI/CD process.
- Pricing Model:
- Business Plans $40/user, $20/mo, $60/mo, $200/mo
- Ease of Use:
- Evaluate the editor, agent workflow, diff review, and test path with representative developer tasks.
- Scalability:
- Validate team administration, identity controls, privacy, reporting, and plan usage before rollout.
- Community/Support:
- Use official product documentation and the current plan terms for support and administration details.
Windsurf (now Devin Desktop)
- Best For:
- Teams or individuals validating the Windsurf editor and Cascade workflow with their existing repositories and controls.
- Architecture:
- An AI development environment with current self-serve usage controls and enterprise ACU billing documentation.
- Pricing Model:
- Sold as part of Cognition's Devin plans. Free $0 (light quota, unlimited Tab completions). Pro $20/month (frontier models, Devin Cloud, extra usage at API pricing). Max $200/month (higher quotas). Team $80/month for the team plan plus $40/month per full dev seat. Enterprise custom, with SAML/OIDC SSO and VPC deployment. Usage allowances refresh daily and weekly; overage is purchased at API pricing.
- Ease of Use:
- Evaluate the editor workflow, generated diff, test path, and usage reporting with representative tasks.
- Scalability:
- Validate current Teams or Enterprise administration, identity controls, privacy, and usage terms before rollout.
- Community/Support:
- Use official documentation, current plan terms, and vendor support channels for deployment details.
Public signals
Verified factual signals only. Bars appear only for like-for-like metrics with five weekly assessments for every tool; missing evidence stays explicit. These signals do not establish enterprise adoption, product quality, or total cost.
| Metric | Cursor | Windsurf (now Devin Desktop) |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub commits, 90d(Developer adoption) | 0 | Not available |
| GitHub stars(Developer adoption) | 33,000+ | Not available |
| Search interest(Market interest) | 1 | 0 |
| Hacker News mentions, 90d(Community interest) | 0 | Not available |
| npm weekly downloads(Developer adoption) | 396.8k | Not available |
| Product Hunt comments(Community interest) | 0 | 63 |
| Product Hunt rating(Community interest) | Unavailable | 4.7/5 |
| Product Hunt reviews(Community interest) | 0 | 68 |
| Product Hunt votes(Community interest) | 23 | 353 |
| Stack Overflow questions(Community interest) | 59 | Not available |
As of September 21, 2026 — updated weekly.
Health & risk evidence
Observed public-source checks for mapped package versions and repositories.
Cursor
September 21, 2026Package vulnerabilities
npm · @cursor/sdk@1.0.31
0 vulnerabilities
across 1 package
Repository security score
Not available
Windsurf (now Devin Desktop)
Package vulnerabilities
Not available
Repository security score
Not available
Interface Preview
Windsurf (now Devin Desktop)
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Cursor | Windsurf (now Devin Desktop) |
|---|---|---|
| Development workflow | ||
| Repository-based evaluation | Test edits, diffs, terminal actions, and test execution in a non-production Git repository. | Test the editor and Cascade workflow in the same non-production Git repository. |
| Code review | Keep generated changes within the existing pull-request and review process. | Keep generated changes within the existing pull-request and review process. |
| Project context | Validate project instructions, repository context, and excluded files in the pilot. | Validate project context, repository instructions, and excluded files in the pilot. |
| Security and governance | ||
| Identity controls | Review SSO, SCIM, RBAC, and administrator workflows for the selected plan. | Review SSO, SCIM, RBAC, and administrator workflows for the selected plan. |
| Data handling | Review privacy, retention, secret exclusion, and API or MCP access before rollout. | Review privacy, retention, secret exclusion, and API access before rollout. |
| Usage reporting | Confirm plan usage, billing, and administrative reporting during the pilot. | Confirm self-serve usage reporting or enterprise ACU terms during the pilot. |
| Commercial model | ||
| Individual plans | Published list prices include $20 per month for Pro, $60 for Pro+, and $200 for Ultra. | Current documentation lists Free, Pro, and Max plan types; validate current terms directly. |
| Team plans | Teams is listed at $40 per user per month; validate security and administration requirements. | Current documentation lists Teams and Enterprise; validate usage, security, and contract terms directly. |
| Usage approach | Model usage and included plan capabilities should be confirmed for the selected plan. | Self-serve plans use a usage-based model; enterprise documentation describes Agent Compute Units. |
| Data engineering pilot | ||
| Code surface | Test SQL, Python, TypeScript, dbt, Terraform, Docker, Kubernetes, and API changes. | Test SQL, Python, TypeScript, dbt, Terraform, Docker, Kubernetes, and API changes. |
| Release controls | Run the normal CI/CD suite and inspect the resulting pull request before accepting changes. | Run the normal CI/CD suite and inspect the resulting pull request before accepting changes. |
| Decision evidence | Record workflow results, usage, and administrative evidence from the same task set. | Record workflow results, usage, and administrative evidence from the same task set. |
| Implementation boundaries | ||
| External connectivity | Approve configured MCP servers and API connections before the tool accesses external systems. | Approve configured API connections and tool actions before the tool accesses external systems. |
| Source control | Use ordinary Git branches, commits, tests, and pull requests as the change record. | Use ordinary Git branches, commits, tests, and pull requests as the change record. |
| Production access | Keep the initial pilot outside production and use least-privilege credentials. | Keep the initial pilot outside production and use least-privilege credentials. |
Development workflow
Repository-based evaluation
Code review
Project context
Security and governance
Identity controls
Data handling
Usage reporting
Commercial model
Individual plans
Team plans
Usage approach
Data engineering pilot
Code surface
Release controls
Decision evidence
Implementation boundaries
External connectivity
Source control
Production access
Which to choose
Cursor and Windsurf should be selected through a controlled pilot. Cursor publishes individual and team list prices; Windsurf documents current plan types and a usage-based self-serve model. Test both against the same repository, controls, and engineering workflow.
Best-fit scenarios
Choose Cursor if:
Choose Cursor when its current editor workflow, published plan structure, integrations, and team administration meet the organization's requirements in a representative pilot.
Choose Windsurf (now Devin Desktop) if:
Choose Windsurf when its editor and Cascade workflow, current plan model, usage controls, and administration model meet the same requirements in a representative pilot.
These scenarios reflect the available product evidence. Your requirements, existing stack, and team expertise should guide the final decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between Cursor and Windsurf?
Cursor and Windsurf are both AI-assisted development environments. Evaluate their editor workflow, repository controls, model usage, integrations, and team administration with the same pilot rather than assuming feature parity from a plan table.
What are Cursor's published plan prices?
Cursor lists Pro at $20 per month, Pro+ at $60 per month, Ultra at $200 per month, and Teams at $40 per user per month. Confirm included usage, privacy terms, and enterprise requirements on the current pricing page before procurement.
How does Windsurf's current usage model affect evaluation?
Windsurf documents Free, Pro, Max, Teams, and Enterprise plans. Its current documentation says self-serve plans use a usage-based model and distinguishes enterprise Agent Compute Units from legacy credit-based arrangements, so buyers should validate current usage terms directly.
Can a team evaluate both editors safely?
Yes. Use a non-production Git repository, apply normal code review, exclude secrets, run the existing test suite, and have security review identity, data handling, API or MCP access, and administrative controls before standardizing either editor.