Windsurf
✓ VerifiedAI-native IDE with Cascade agents and SWE model family
Our Review
Windsurf is Codeium's standalone AI IDE, built on a VS Code fork. It distinguishes itself with Cascade (its agent workflow), Fast Context for retrieval, and built-in SWE-1.5/SWE-1 models that reduce reliance on external APIs. You can also bring your own OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, or xAI keys for model choice.
We found Windsurf particularly useful for developers who want agent-style assistance without paying per-request to frontier models. The free tier includes 25 prompt credits per month, and Pro at $15/user/month is competitive. Cascade can propose and execute multi-step plans with diff previews, similar to Cursor's Agent.
Windsurf's UX is closer to Cursor than to a pure extension: you get a full IDE with AI baked in. If you are evaluating Cursor vs Windsurf, the decision often comes down to model preference (Cursor offers more frontier models by default), pricing (Windsurf's free and Pro tiers are attractive), and whether you want built-in Codeium models versus bringing your own keys.
Review updated December 6, 2025.
About
Windsurf is an AI-native IDE with Cascade agent workflows, Fast Context retrieval, and multi-file codebase operations. Following Cognition's 2025 acquisition of Windsurf/Codeium, the product remains focused on SWE-1.5/SWE-1 model-assisted development plus BYOK provider support (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI) for enterprise and individual teams.
Key Features
- ✓Cascade agentic chat for conversational coding
- ✓Codebase indexing for personalized suggestions
- ✓AI Codemaps for visual codebase exploration
- ✓Fast Context for rapid project understanding
- ✓Built-in SWE-1.5 and SWE-1 coding models
- ✓BYOK access for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and xAI models
- ✓Deep multi-file codebase understanding
- ✓Intelligent refactoring across repositories
- ✓Enterprise security and compliance
- ✓Advanced debugging capabilities
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Free tier with 25 prompt credits/month
- Built-in SWE-1.5/SWE-1 models plus BYOK for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI
- Zero-data retention for Teams/Enterprise; FedRAMP High available
Cons
- Prompt credits capped on free and Pro
- SSO add-on costs extra on Teams
Use Cases
- →Managing large enterprise codebases
- →Complex multi-file refactoring projects
- →Understanding unfamiliar legacy code
- →High-performance development workflows
- →Team collaboration on complex projects
- →Enterprise software development
Technical Details
Languages
AI Models
Integrations
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Windsurf?
Windsurf is an AI-native IDE with Cascade agent workflows, Fast Context retrieval, and multi-file codebase operations. Following Cognition's 2025 acquisition of Windsurf/Codeium, the product remains focused on SWE-1.5/SWE-1 model-assisted development plus BYOK provider support (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI) for enterprise and individual teams.
How much does Windsurf cost?
Windsurf offers paid pricing. Plans include: Free: $0, Pro: $15/user/month, Teams: $30/user/month, Enterprise: Contact sales. A free tier is available.
What programming languages does Windsurf support?
Windsurf supports 13+ programming languages including JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Java, C++, C#, Go, Rust, Ruby, PHP.
What AI models does Windsurf use?
Windsurf is powered by SWE-1.5 (fast agent model), SWE-1, SWE-1-mini (for autocomplete), BYOK: OpenAI model families (availability varies by account/provider routing), BYOK: Anthropic Claude (e.g., Sonnet/Opus/Haiku), BYOK: Google Gemini model families (including newer 3.x where available), BYOK: xAI Grok.
What platforms does Windsurf support?
Windsurf is available on macOS, Linux, Windows.
What can Windsurf do?
Windsurf provides code completion, code generation, debugging, AI chat, agentic/autonomous mode. Key features include: Cascade agentic chat for conversational coding, Codebase indexing for personalized suggestions, AI Codemaps for visual codebase exploration.
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Pricing and features change frequently—confirm on the vendor site.
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Pricing
Free
$0
- 25 prompt credits/month across major models
- Basic model access
- Fast Context trial access
- Unlimited Tab completions and inline edits
- Windsurf app previews
Pro
$15/user/month
- 500 prompt credits/month after the free trial
- Full Fast Context access
- Add-on credits at $10 per 250 credits
- Cascade agent chat with SWE-1.5/SWE-1 models
- Downloadable Windsurf Editor
Teams
$30/user/month
- Everything in Pro
- 500 prompt credits/user/month
- Windsurf Reviews
- Centralized billing and admin analytics
- Priority support
- Optional SSO add-on (+$10/user/month)
- Automated zero data retention
Enterprise
Contact sales
- 1,000 prompt credits/user/month
- RBAC and access controls
- SSO and compliance features
- Dedicated support and account management
- Hybrid deployment option
Company
- Name
- Cognition (Windsurf/Codeium)
- Founded
- 2021
- Location
- California, USA
Links
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