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Cursor vs Windsurf
Rankings as of
Last updated
Short answer: pick Cursor for this job: Daily driving an AI editor on a real repo. Pick Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) for this job: Running several coding agents from one IDE. Cursor scores 8.6 and is #1 in AI code editors. Devin Desktop scores 7.3 and is #4 in AI code editors.
| Compared on | Cursor | Devin Desktop |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | AI editor on a VS Code fork, with tab, inline edit, and an agent. | The Windsurf IDE, renamed, with an agent command center in front. |
| StackPick job | AI code editors, #1 | AI code editors, #4 |
| Best for | Daily driving an AI editor on a real repo | Running several coding agents from one IDE |
| Score | 8.6 | 7.3 |
| Ease / Power / Price / Fit | 8 / 9 / 6 / 10 | 7 / 8 / 5 / 8 |
| Pricing | FreemiumFree tier and paid plans. Current prices: check site. | Check siteExisting Windsurf plans were stated to carry over at the rename. Current prices: check site. |
| Also known as | — | Windsurf |
| Visit | Visit | Visit |
Where Cursor fits
Cursor is an AI code editor from Anysphere, built as a fork of VS Code. It puts autocomplete, inline edits, and a repository agent in the same window. It is the default pick in this directory for people who want one editor to live in.
Best use cases
- Editing an existing codebase with an agent
- Keeping VS Code keybindings and extensions
- Shipping a small product from one window
Listed strengths
- VS Code-compatible, so most extensions and shortcuts carry over
- Agent, chat, and inline edit share the repo you already have open
- The product is aimed at working inside a codebase, not generating a toy app
Trade-off: You are on their editor fork, not stock VS Code Heavy agent use sits on a paid plan — current prices: check site
Where Devin Desktop fits
Devin Desktop is Cognition's IDE, and the new name for Windsurf as of June 2, 2026. It keeps a full editor that is compatible with Windsurf and VS Code workflows, and puts an Agent Command Center in front for local and cloud agents. Plans were stated to carry over from Windsurf. Current packaging: check site.
Best use cases
- Managing local and cloud agents in one window
- Staying in a VS Code-like editor after the Windsurf rename
- Handing work to Devin and reviewing the diff
Listed strengths
- Windsurf settings, extensions, and in-progress work were part of the rename
- The agent manager is the point of the product, not a side panel
- ACP support means other agents can run in the same desktop
Trade-off: The rename is recent — docs and installers still mention Windsurf in places Pricing: check site
Published prices
Prices change. Check the vendor page before you buy. A usage-based or credit-based plan can cost more than the subscription price.
Cursor
- Free. $0 per month (Source · checked ) Limited agent and chat requests.
- Plus. $8 per person per month (Source · checked ) Grok models only. Included usage is a weekly pool. After that pool, top-offs are extra. Prices exclude tax. $80 per person per year (Source · checked ) Grok models only. Annual charge published as $80/yr. Included usage is a weekly pool. After that pool, top-offs are extra. Prices exclude tax.
- Premium. $30 per person per month (Source · checked ) Included usage is a weekly pool. Third-party models are billed separately at API list price and are not part of this price. Prices exclude tax. $300 per person per year (Source · checked ) Annual charge published as $300/yr. Included usage is a weekly pool. Third-party models are billed separately at API list price and are not part of this price. Prices exclude tax.
- Super. $100 per person per month (Source · checked ) Included usage is a weekly pool. Third-party models are billed separately at API list price and are not part of this price. Prices exclude tax. $1,000 per person per year (Source · checked ) Annual charge published as $1,000/yr. Included usage is a weekly pool. Third-party models are billed separately at API list price and are not part of this price. Prices exclude tax.
- Ultra. $200 per person per month (Source · checked ) Included usage is a weekly pool. Third-party models are billed separately at API list price and are not part of this price. Prices exclude tax. $2,000 per person per year (Source · checked ) Annual charge published as $2,000/yr. Included usage is a weekly pool. Third-party models are billed separately at API list price and are not part of this price. Prices exclude tax.
- Teams · $30 seat. $30 per person per month (Source · checked ) Per seat per month. The docs list Teams at $30, $100, or $200 per seat and say the allowance matches the seat tier. Third-party models are extra. Prices exclude tax.
- Teams · $100 seat. $100 per person per month (Source · checked ) Per seat per month. The docs list Teams at $30, $100, or $200 per seat and say the allowance matches the seat tier. Third-party models are extra. Prices exclude tax.
- Teams · $200 seat. $200 per person per month (Source · checked ) Per seat per month. The docs list Teams at $30, $100, or $200 per seat and say the allowance matches the seat tier. Third-party models are extra. Prices exclude tax.
Devin Desktop
- Free. $0 per month (Source · checked ) Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) and Devin Cloud are one subscription. Paid plans include a usage quota. Extra usage is API pricing.
- Pro. $20 per person per month (Source · checked ) Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) and Devin Cloud are one subscription. Paid plans include a usage quota. Extra usage is API pricing.
- Max. $200 per person per month (Source · checked ) Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) and Devin Cloud are one subscription. Paid plans include a usage quota. Extra usage is API pricing.
- Teams. $80 per month plus $40 per person per month (Source · checked ) The pricing page lists $80 a month for the team plan plus $40 a month per full seat. Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) and Devin Cloud are one subscription. Paid plans include a usage quota. Extra usage is API pricing.
Where the score comes from
The 1.3 gap comes from ease (8 vs 7) and power (9 vs 8) and price (6 vs 5) and vibe-coder fit (10 vs 8). How scores work.
What changed recently
Voice chat with agents
On November 6, 2026, Cursor added realtime voice chat with agents in the Agents Window, the IDE, on the web, and in Cursor for iOS. When the agent is idle and the chat input is empty, the waveform button labeled Start voice chat sits where Send usually is, next to the microphone button for dictation. On iOS, saying Hey Siri, call Cursor starts a call with a new agent, and a Live Activity on the Lock Screen can mute or hang up. The voice agent listens, replies, and hands coding work to the agent in the chat. While that agent runs, the conversation can continue: ask what changed in a diff, check on a run, search earlier messages and calls with this agent, or switch between workers in a Project that has them. The coding agent shares short progress notes while it works and a brief answer when it is done, so the spoken update is usually shorter than the written reply. Voice chat runs on Grok Voice. Voice settings include Ara, Eve, Leo, Rex, and Sal. With Privacy Mode on, voice chat runs with zero data retention. Voice chat is separate from dictation, which earlier releases called Voice Mode. Dictation still turns speech into text in the chat input, and Cmd+Shift+Space still toggles it in the IDE.
Source for Voice chat with agents (opens in a new tab)Devin Desktop 3.12.17
Released November 6, 2026. In the Agent Command Center, the session header menu lists that session's MCP servers and can turn one on or off or re-authenticate. If a local agent rejects the first prompt, Desktop puts the text back in the composer and shows the reason, so it can be corrected and resent without retyping. The editor uses VS Code 1.141.2 and Electron 43.8.3, which includes Chromium security fixes. In IDE mode, opening Devin settings opens an editor tab instead of switching modes. Chat diffs use the editor theme's diff colors, and shell commands and code blocks in the transcript use its syntax highlighting. A reopened Local session keeps its working directory and additional folders, and closing its tab no longer removes it from Past Conversations. The filename on a Local plan approval card opens the full plan before approval. Permission requests from third-party ACP agents no longer crash the conversation view or block reopening a session that has a pending request. Remote SSH connects to hosts defined only in a custom remote.devinSSH.configFile. On Windows, local edits save when the agent uses a different capitalization for the filename. Markdown previews work in the Agent Command Center.
Source for Devin Desktop 3.12.17 (opens in a new tab)Build live apps in Cursor
On November 5, 2026, Cursor added live apps. A cloud agent told explicitly to build an app scaffolds the web app, spins up a Postgres database if needed, sets up authentication behind Cursor SSO, and provisions hosting. If the app needs to connect to your systems, Cursor asks for the secrets it needs. Publishing picks a unique domain. Cursor runs deterministic and agentic security checks, including for secrets written in app files or exposed credentials, and nothing goes live until the checks pass and you explicitly publish. Team admins can see every app and secret on the team, add their own rules to the security review, approve publishes the review blocked, and unpublish any app. After the checks pass, the app can be shared with specific people, groups, or the whole team behind Cursor sign-in. Individual plans can also share apps publicly. A Cursor API key can be provisioned so a script or Grok Bot can use the app. Apps can be deployed from new or existing repos on Cursor Origin and GitHub. Support for other git providers such as GitLab is coming soon. The capability is available on all paid plans with cloud agents enabled.
Source for Build live apps in Cursor (opens in a new tab)
Alternatives
GitHub Copilot (7.8), Zed (7.5), Continue (7.1).
FAQ
- Should I pick Cursor or Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)?
- Pick Cursor for this job: Daily driving an AI editor on a real repo. Pick Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) for this job: Running several coding agents from one IDE. Cursor scores 8.6 and is #1 in AI code editors. Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) scores 7.3 and is #4 in AI code editors.
- What do Cursor and Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) cost?
- Cursor: Free tier and paid plans. Current prices: check site. Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf): Existing Windsurf plans were stated to carry over at the rename. Current prices: check site.
- Are these scores benchmarks?
- Initial editorial estimate. Not a measured benchmark. Price means value for an indie budget, not the sticker price.
- Do affiliate links change Cursor or Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)’s rank?
- Affiliate links may be used to monetize, but they never affect scores or rankings, and rankings are never sponsored.
Initial editorial estimate. Not a measured benchmark. Prices: check each vendor’s site. How scores work.
Some links may earn us a commission. It never changes scores or order.
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