Cursor vs Windsurf: Pricing, Models, and Workflows Compared (Updated Feb 2026)
A practical comparison of Cursor and Windsurf (Codeium) in 2026: pricing tiers, credit systems, model routing, and how Composer vs Cascade affect your daily workflow.
Editorial Team
The AI Coding Tools Directory editorial team researches and reviews AI-powered development tools to help developers find the best solutions for their workflows.
Cursor and Windsurf are the two leading AI-first IDEs, both built as VS Code forks. They take different approaches to pricing, metering, and workflow design.
Quick Answer
Choose Cursor if you want explicit, approve-and-apply multi-file edits and heavier agent-style workflows. Choose Windsurf if you prefer credit-based control with unlimited inline completions and a lower entry price.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Cursor | Windsurf (Codeium) |
|---|---|---|
| Base | VS Code fork (desktop app) | VS Code fork (desktop app) |
| Free tier | Hobby: 2-week Pro trial, then limited | Free: 25 credits/month + unlimited inline |
| Pro price | $20/month | $15/user/month |
| Teams price | $40/user/month | $30/user/month |
| Metering | Usage-based (premium requests) | Prompt credits; tab/inline always unlimited |
| Models | Frontier OpenAI/Claude/Gemini (varies by plan) | Multi-provider credits + SWE-1.x models |
| Core workflow | Composer (multi-file edits with diff review) | Cascade (agentic flow + Fast Context) |
| Extensions | Full VS Code extension support | Full VS Code extension support |
Pricing Breakdown
Cursor
| Plan | Price | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Hobby | $0 | Two-week Pro trial, then 2,000 completions + 50 slow requests |
| Pro | $20/month | Unlimited completions, 500 fast premium requests |
| Pro+ | $60/month | Higher usage limits, advanced model access |
| Ultra | $200/month | Heavy-usage tier with maximum allowances |
| Teams | $40/user/month | SSO/OIDC, admin dashboard, centralized billing |
Windsurf
| Plan | Price | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 25 prompt credits/month + unlimited tab/inline |
| Pro Trial | Free (2 weeks) | 100 credits, 10 deploys/day |
| Pro | $15/user/month | 500 credits/month, Fast Context, all premium models |
| Teams | $30/user/month | 500 credits/user, Reviews, admin dashboard |
| Enterprise | Custom | 1,000 credits/user, SSO/RBAC, VPC/on-prem |
Add-on credits: Pro at $10/250 credits; Teams at $40/1,000 credits. Credits reset monthly; add-ons carry over.
Workflow: Composer vs Cascade
Cursor Composer
Prompt-driven, explicit multi-file editing. You describe a change, Composer generates diffs across files, and you approve or reject each one. Agent mode extends this to include terminal commands and test execution.
Best for: Greenfield work, rapid scaffolding, and controlled refactors where you want to review every change.
Windsurf Cascade
Credit-based agentic flow with proactive context. Cascade pulls relevant code using Fast Context and can suggest changes across files. Reviews mode adds team code review capabilities.
Best for: Ongoing work in existing codebases, team collaboration, and iterative development.
Models and Context
Cursor routes to frontier model families, including OpenAI GPT-5.x/Codex, Claude Sonnet/Opus 4.6, and Gemini 3/3.1 lines. Exact model availability depends on your plan and Cursor's current routing.
Windsurf allocates prompt credits across multiple providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI) and runs Windsurf's own SWE-1.x models. Fast Context expands the effective context window on paid plans.
Which to Pick
| If you... | Choose... |
|---|---|
| Want explicit multi-file diff review | Cursor (Composer) |
| Want unlimited inline completions on a free tier | Windsurf (Free) |
| Prefer lower entry pricing | Windsurf (Pro at $15 vs Cursor Pro at $20) |
| Want agent mode with terminal execution | Cursor (Agent) |
| Need team reviews built into the IDE | Windsurf (Teams with Reviews) |
| Want VPC or on-prem deployment | Windsurf (Enterprise) |
| Are willing to pay more for heavier usage | Cursor (Pro+/Ultra) |
Sources
- Cursor pricing: cursor.com/pricing
- Windsurf pricing: codeium.com/pricing
- Windsurf docs: mintlify.app/windsurf/accounts/usage">codeium.mintlify.app/windsurf
- Cursor docs: docs.cursor.com
Explore more AI IDEs and assistants in our directory.
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Tools Mentioned in This Article
Cursor
The AI-native code editor with $1B+ ARR, 25+ models, and background agents on dedicated VMs
FreemiumGPT-5
OpenAI's first unified reasoning model: 70.1% SWE-bench, 400K context, and $1.25/$10 per MTok
Pay-per-useMintlify
Docs platform with AI assist, portals, and SSO for teams
FreemiumWindsurf
AI-native IDE with Cascade agents and SWE model family
PaidZed
High-performance Rust code editor with agentic AI and open-source edit prediction
FreemiumWorkflow Resources
Cookbook
AI-Powered Code Review & Quality
Automate code review and enforce quality standards using AI-powered tools and agentic workflows.
Cookbook
Building AI-Powered Applications
Build applications powered by LLMs, RAG, and AI agents using Claude Code, Cursor, and modern AI frameworks.
Cookbook
Building APIs & Backends with AI Agents
Design and build robust APIs and backend services with AI coding agents, from REST to GraphQL.
Cookbook
Debugging with AI Agents
Systematically debug complex issues using AI coding agents with structured workflows and MCP integrations.
Skill
Change risk triage
A systematic method for categorizing AI-generated code changes by blast radius and required verification depth, preventing high-risk changes from shipping without adequate review.
Skill
Configuring MCP servers
A cross-tool guide to setting up Model Context Protocol servers in Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, and VS Code, including server types, authentication, and common patterns.
Skill
Local model quality loop
Improve code output quality when using local AI models by combining rules files, iterative retries with error feedback, and test-backed validation gates.
Skill
Plan-implement-verify loop
A structured execution pattern for safe AI-assisted coding changes that prevents scope creep and ensures every edit is backed by test evidence.
MCP Server
AWS MCP Server
Open source MCP servers from AWS Labs that give AI coding agents access to AWS documentation, best practices, and contextual guidance for building on AWS.
MCP Server
Docker MCP Server
Docker MCP Gateway orchestrates MCP servers in isolated containers, providing secure discovery and execution of Model Context Protocol servers across AI coding tools.
MCP Server
Figma MCP Server
Official Figma MCP server that brings design context, variables, components, and Code Connect data into AI coding sessions for design-to-code workflows.
MCP Server
Firebase MCP Server
Experimental Firebase MCP server that gives AI coding agents access to Firestore, Auth, security rules, Cloud Messaging, and project management through the Firebase CLI.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the current prices?
Do both support VS Code extensions?
Which has a better free tier?
Can I self-host either?
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