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Cursor vs Windsurf

A decision for a beginner, not a spec sheet. Scores are our weights. Prices are the public plans, and anything marked verify on the tool page should be re-checked before you pay.

The call

  • Cursor: Desktop editor, CLI, and cloud agents. Windsurf: Devin Desktop editor, CLI, and Devin Cloud on paid plans.
  • Neither tool is a clear no-code winner over the other. Read the skill scores before you decide on comfort.
  • Cursor has the lower verified individual paid plan: Plus at $8/mo.
  • On the kind of project, these two are close. Budget and where you want to work should break the tie.

Pick Cursor if you want a web app or SaaS you will keep editing in a repo.

Pick Windsurf if you want an editor agent at $20 with frontier models and cloud agents.

Take the quiz

Cursor

An editor with agents, built for people who can read a diff.

Cheapest verified paid plan: Plus · $8/mo

Pick it when

  • A web app or SaaS you will keep editing in a repo
  • Scripts and automations next to existing code
  • People who can follow a diff even if they did not write it

Leave it when

  • Publishing a landing page without looking at code
  • A native iOS or Android app you expect a form to ship
  • Games that need a scene editor

Windsurf

The editor formerly called Windsurf, now sold as Devin Desktop.

Cheapest verified paid plan: Pro · $20/mo

Pick it when

  • An editor agent at $20 with frontier models and cloud agents
  • Developers comparing Windsurf with Cursor's current plans
  • People who still search for Windsurf and need the current product name

Leave it when

  • Anyone expecting the old Windsurf credit tables (those plans are gone)
  • No-code browser app building
  • A published quota you can budget to the prompt

Where the weights differ

Web app or SaaS

Cursor5/5
Windsurf5/5

Mobile app

Cursor2/5
Windsurf2/5

Game

Cursor2/5
Windsurf2/5

Website or landing page

Cursor3/5
Windsurf3/5

Automation or script

Cursor5/5
Windsurf4/5

No code

Cursor1/5
Windsurf1/5

I can follow a change

Cursor4/5
Windsurf4/5

I already develop

Cursor5/5
Windsurf5/5

Cursor plans

Last verified 2026-10-19

Free

Individual

Free

Verified

Limited Agent and Chat requests, and Tab completions on Cursor models (Grok and Composer). No published request count. Third-party models are not available.

The current free plan on cursor.com/pricing. Legacy Hobby is the same kind of limited trial for older accounts.

Plus

Individual

$8/mo

Verified

Annual is $80/yr on Cursor's pricing docs.

Base weekly pool for Cursor models (Grok 4.7, Grok 4.6, Grok 4.5, and Composer 2.5), shared with Grok. Fast is off and effort is medium. No Auto, Cloud Agents, third-party models, or your own API keys. The pool size is not published as a prompt count.

The entry paid plan. Cursor recommends Premium, not Plus, for new agent users.

Premium

Individual

$30/mo

Verified

Annual is $300/yr on Cursor's pricing docs.

4x Plus usage of the weekly Cursor-model pool. Adds Cloud Agents, Automations, Origin, Bugbot, and third-party models at API list price from prepaid credit. Third-party models are not included in the $30.

Cursor's pricing page calls this the plan for new AI users.

Super

Individual

$100/mo

Verified

Annual is $1,000/yr on Cursor's pricing docs.

15x Plus usage, plus priority model access at peak times. Third-party models bill the same way as on Premium.

The plan Cursor points daily agent users to.

Ultra

Individual

$200/mo

Verified

Annual is $2,000/yr on Cursor's pricing docs.

50x Plus usage, plus earliest access to new products and models. Third-party models bill the same way as on Premium.

For several agents or automations, not a first plan.

Hobby (legacy)

Individual

Free

Verified

Agent, Chat, and Tab with limited usage. No Cloud Agents, Bugbot, or Origin. No on-demand usage. No published request count.

The free plan from before The X Subscription. Not sold to new customers. Left out of budget matching so it does not duplicate Free.

Start (India only)

Individual

₹649/mo, tax inclusive

Verified

Cursor Models pool only. No Other Models pool. Fast mode and effort controls are off. No on-demand usage.

Legacy regional plan. The legacy plans page still lists ₹649/mo, tax inclusive. Left out of US-dollar budget matching.

Pro (legacy)

Individual

$20/mo

Verify

Two monthly pools: Cursor Models and Other Models. Older help text listed $20 of included Other Models usage. The current legacy plans page no longer prints that dollar amount. Unlimited Tab. On-demand after the pools, if you turn it on.

Not sold to new customers. The $20 price is on the legacy plans page. The included Other Models dollar amount is no longer published, so this row stays Verify and does not count toward the budget.

Pro+ (legacy)

Individual

$60/mo

Verify

Same two monthly pools as legacy Pro, with more of each pool. Older help text listed $70 of included Other Models usage. The current legacy plans page no longer prints that dollar amount.

Not sold to new customers. The $60 price is published. The $70 pool figure is not, so this row stays Verify.

Ultra (legacy)

Individual

$200/mo

Verify

Same two monthly pools, with more of each than legacy Pro+. Older help text listed $400 of included Other Models usage. The current legacy plans page no longer prints that dollar amount.

Not sold to new customers. The $200 price is published. The $400 pool figure is not, so this row stays Verify. New customers buy Ultra on The X Subscription instead.

Windsurf plans

Last verified 2026-10-19

Free

Individual

Free

Verified

Light agent quota, limited models, unlimited inline edits, and unlimited Tab. Quota size is not published.

Price and qualitative limits are from the Devin pricing page. The missing number is stated, not invented.

Pro

Individual

$20/mo

Verified

Daily and weekly quotas, frontier models, free use of SWE-2, Devin Cloud, and extra usage at API pricing. One user. Quota size is not published.

Devin docs describe Pro as the entry individual plan at $20/mo. The pricing page lists free use of SWE-2 and does not print an end date for it.

Max

Individual

$200/mo

Verified

Everything in Pro with a significantly larger weekly quota and no daily cap. The quota multiple is not published as a number.

The no-daily-cap rule is on Devin's self-serve plan docs. The pricing page says significantly higher quotas and does not print a number.

When Cursor runs out

On The X Subscription the included pool refreshes weekly, and unused included usage does not roll over. Legacy Cursor plans reset monthly with the billing cycle.

On a paid X Subscription plan, add prepaid credit or wait for the weekly reset. Third-party models on Premium and above are paid from that credit from the first request.

When Windsurf runs out

Pro has daily and weekly quotas. Max has a weekly quota and no daily cap. Cognition does not publish the size. Past the quota, paid plans can buy extra usage at API pricing.

Check the in-app quota before you assume you need a new tool. Pro resets daily and weekly. Max has no daily cap, so a heavy afternoon may not clear overnight.

Full limit playbook

Questions people actually ask

Which is cheaper, Cursor or Windsurf?

Cursor's cheapest paid plan the ranking counts is Plus at $8/mo. Windsurf's cheapest paid plan the ranking counts is Pro at $20/mo.

Who is Cursor for?

Cursor is for a web app or SaaS you will keep editing in a repo, scripts and automations next to existing code, and people who can follow a diff even if they did not write it.

Who is Windsurf for?

Windsurf is for an editor agent at $20 with frontier models and cloud agents, developers comparing Windsurf with Cursor's current plans, and people who still search for Windsurf and need the current product name.

Which is a better fit if I do not want to read code, Cursor or Windsurf?

Cursor scores 1 out of 5 for someone who does not want to read code. Windsurf scores 1 out of 5. The scores are the same. You will be reading diffs. If code on screen is a dealbreaker, use a browser builder. You are in an IDE. Do not start here if you wanted a form.

Do Cursor and Windsurf have free plans?

Cursor: Free includes limited Agent and Chat, plus Tab completions on Cursor's own models. Cursor does not publish a request count. Windsurf: A light agent quota, limited model access, unlimited inline edits, and unlimited Tab. Cognition does not publish the quota as a number.