Windsurf vs Cursor: AI IDE comparison

Windsurf and Cursor are AI IDEs. Windsurf is better for enterprise teams and large codebases because of advanced security and deep context understanding. However, Cursor is more suitable for smaller development projects. This page compares features, pricing, and performance.

Download Windsurf See all download options

What is Windsurf?

Windsurf was the first IDE to have an integrated agent, beyond simple autocomplete. It is now developed by Cognition, the team behind Devin.

What is Cursor?

Cursor is a popular AI-powered IDE based on VSCode. It is built by Anysphere. Cursor provides autocomplete and a coding assistant powered by 3rd party models.

Trusted by over a million developers including teams at

Quick comparison: Windsurf vs Cursor

Pricing

$15/month

Pricing

$20/month

Best for

Enterprise & large codebases

Best for

Small teams and solo developers

AI agent

Unlimited

AI agent

Limited usage

Enterprise security

ZDR, SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP/DOD, ITAR, RBAC, SCIM

Enterprise security

SOC2

Pricing

$15/month

$20/month

Best for

Enterprise & large codebases

Small teams and solo developers

AI agent

Unlimited

Limited usage

Enterprise security

ZDR, SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP/DOD, ITAR, RBAC, SCIM

SOC2

Standard AI coding features: Windsurf vs Cursor

Windsurf and Cursor share many features you would expect in an AI code editor.

FULL LIST OF FEATURES

Agent

Yes (unlimited)

In addition to your favorite frontier models, you can use our in-house model SWE-1 as much as you like.

Agent

Yes (limited)

Tab Autocomplete (Multi-Tab)

Memories and Rules

Inline and Terminal AI assistant

Chat Mode

MCP Support

VS Code Compatibility

Remote/background agent

Soon (Devin)

Devin is the leading autonomous software engineering agent optimized for complex tasks on real-world codebases.

Remote/background agent

PR Review / bug catching bot

Planning mode

Agent

Yes (unlimited)In addition to your favorite frontier models, you can use our in-house model SWE-1 as much as you like.

Yes (limited)

Tab Autocomplete (Multi-Tab)

Memories and Rules

Inline and Terminal AI assistant

Chat Mode

MCP Support

VS Code Compatibility

Remote/background agent

Soon (Devin)Devin is the leading autonomous software engineering agent optimized for complex tasks on real-world codebases.

PR Review / bug catching bot

Planning mode

Windsurf-exclusive features

Windsurf has advanced features designed to keep you in flow throughout the software development life cycle. From DeepWiki symbol analysis to massive multi-file refactoring, these demonstrate the best AI for coding experiences available.

DeepWiki Symbol-level Analysis

Hover over any variable, function, or object to get an accurate explanation

DeepWiki Symbol-level Analysis

Vibe and Replace

For massive refactors involving hundreds of files at once

Vibe and Replace

Agent-Integrated Browser for Previews/Testing

Send logs and elements directly to Windsurf Cascade Agent for a tighter feedback loop

Agent-Integrated Browser for Previews/Testing

Industry-leading Context Engineering

Windsurf uses a proprietary multi-modal approach to retrieve context using embeddings, syntax tree parsing, and multi-hop agentic search.

Industry-leading Context Engineering

No, basic embedding search

Realtime Action Awareness

Windsurf Cascade Agent observes your recent actions to better understand your intent

Realtime Action Awareness

DeepWiki Symbol-level Analysis

Hover over any variable, function, or object to get an accurate explanation

Vibe and Replace

For massive refactors involving hundreds of files at once

Agent-Integrated Browser for Previews/Testing

Send logs and elements directly to Windsurf Cascade Agent for a tighter feedback loop

Industry-leading Context Engineering

Windsurf uses a proprietary multi-modal approach to retrieve context using embeddings, syntax tree parsing, and multi-hop agentic search.

No, basic embedding search

Realtime Action Awareness

Windsurf Cascade Agent observes your recent actions to better understand your intent

Platform flexibility: Windsurf vs Cursor

Support for non-standard model providers

Only Windsurf offers leading models like gpt-oss-120b, qwen 3 coder, and more at thousands of tokens/second.

Support for non-standard model providers

Support for major model providers

OpenAI, Anthropic, Google

Support for major model providers

Jetbrains, VS Code, Vim, NeoVim, XCode

Windsurf offers plugins for 40+ IDEs

Jetbrains, VS Code, Vim, NeoVim, XCode

Support for non-standard model providers

Only Windsurf offers leading models like gpt-oss-120b, qwen 3 coder, and more at thousands of tokens/second.

Support for major model providers

OpenAI, Anthropic, Google

Jetbrains, VS Code, Vim, NeoVim, XCode

Windsurf offers plugins for 40+ IDEs

Pricing: Windsurf vs Cursor

Free

2-week Pro trial

Free

2 week Pro trial

Pro

$15 / month

Windsurf offers unlimited usage of its in-house model, SWE-1.

Pro

$20 / month or $200 / month with 20x usage on models

Teams

$30 / user/month

Teams

$40 / user/month

Enterprise

Starting $60 / user/month

Enterprise

Custom pricing

Free

2-week Pro trial

2 week Pro trial

Pro

$15 / monthWindsurf offers unlimited usage of its in-house model, SWE-1.

$20 / month or $200 / month with 20x usage on models

Teams

$30 / user/month

$40 / user/month

Enterprise

Starting $60 / user/month

Custom pricing

Enterprise Readiness: Windsurf vs Cursor

Custom Deployments

ZDR, SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP/DOD, ITAR, RBAC, SCIM

Custom Deployments

SOC 2

White glove support

Dedicated account teams, live training, and 24/7 support

White glove support

Optimized for large enterprise codebases

Custom Deployments

ZDR, SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP/DOD, ITAR, RBAC, SCIM

SOC 2

White glove support

Dedicated account teams, live training, and 24/7 support

Optimized for large enterprise codebases

Windsurf: Certifications & Awards

SOC 2 Type II

Verified security, trusted by developers and teams

LEARN MORE

FedRAMP High

Verified security, trusted by developers and teams

LEARN MORE

HIPAA Compliance

Verified protection for healthcare-related code and data

LEARN MORE

RedPoint InfraRed 100

Top private companies in cloud infrastructure today

LEARN MORE

Forbes AI 50

Most promising AI companies of the year

LEARN MORE

Newsweek's Greatest Startup Workplaces

America’s boldest startup teams and cultures

LEARN MORE

Inc. Best in Business

Leaders driving outcomes, innovation, and impact

LEARN MORE

Fast Company’s Next Big Things in Tech

Disruptive businesses shaping the tech landscape

LEARN MORE

Gartner Magic Quadrant

Analyst-ranked in critical AI code assistance

LEARN MORE

"We are pleased to induct Windsurf into the JPMorganChase Hall of Innovation. Windsurf has demonstrated a novel approach to generative AI for software development, enabling our developers to quickly become productive on new and heritage codebases, iterate on new capabilities, and focus on delivering business value."

Sandhya Sridharan

Global Head of Engineers' Platform & Integrated Experience, JPMorgan Chase

Speed and Performance: Windsurf vs Cursor

Access to lightning fast models

Windsurf has access to lightning fast cerebras models, at 2500-3000 tokens/second.

Access to lightning fast models

Context Understanding Speed

Multi-modal approach processes large codebases efficiently

Context Understanding Speed

Basic embedding search, slower on complex projects

Large Codebase Handling

Specifically optimized for enterprise-scale projects

Large Codebase Handling

Better suited for smaller codebases

Access to lightning fast models

Windsurf has access to lightning fast cerebras models, at 2500-3000 tokens/second.

Context Understanding Speed

Multi-modal approach processes large codebases efficiently

Basic embedding search, slower on complex projects

Large Codebase Handling

Specifically optimized for enterprise-scale projects

Better suited for smaller codebases

Choose Windsurf for

Large Complex Codebases

Working with codebases as big as 100M+ lines

Need multi-file refactoring capabilities

Deep context understanding needed

Enterprise Security

Require advanced compliance certifications (HIPAA, FedRAMP, ITAR)

Multi-IDE Workflows

Team uses various development environments

Need plugins for JetBrains, Vim, etc.

Want consistent AI experience across IDEs

Cross-Functional Teams

Designers need to preview and share prototypes

Choose Cursor for

Small Development Teams

Team of 1-5 developers

Working on simple to medium projects

No compliance requirements

Basic AI Assistance Needs

Simple autocomplete and chat sufficient

Don't need advanced context understanding

Single-file editing focus

No team collaboration requirements

What developers are saying

Migration to Windsurf from Cursor

Download Windsurf for a free trial
Click Import from Cursor.