Windsurf vs. Cursor: How they really carried out in my analysis
On this comparability, I went deep into demos and current documentation on Windsurf and Cursor. Right here’s an summary of my comparability:
Autocomplete and code technology capabilities
Each instruments supply superior code autocomplete. Windsurf supplies multiline ideas and even automated unit check stubs, using fashions educated on open-source code. Its Cascade agent fills in giant blocks of code with a single instruction.
I discovered the AI code completion function to be extremely intuitive and useful in rushing up the coding course of. The ideas it made had been correct and context-aware, suggesting extra environment friendly methods to write down the code. The chat function provided one other standout side, offering fast help and clarification when wanted. It is like having a coding companion prepared to assist always.
Supply: Windsurf
Cursor equally supplies AI-driven tab completions and generates code from feedback or prompts. Cursor gives sturdy customization through context guidelines, symlinks, and scaffolding. This permits predictable, constant outcomes throughout giant codebases. Nonetheless, it’d produce surface-level output at instances.
Supply: Cursor
Winner: Tie
Context consciousness, UI, and IDE integration
Windsurf’s Cascade agent is explicitly constructed to realize a deep consciousness of your challenge. It remembers earlier recordsdata you’ve labored on and makes use of that context when making ideas. Cursor, likewise, indexes your codebase and solutions questions on it. It sees how completely different recordsdata and components of your challenge work collectively.
Windsurf gives each plugins and a customized editor. Its plugin works inside VS Code, JetBrains, and different IDEs, giving AI completions the place you already work. Alternatively, Windsurf now options its AI-native IDE, which incorporates all vital options. Cursor can also be a standalone software, however it permits importing extensions and keybindings. It’ll mean you can import all of your extensions, themes, and keybindings from VS Code with a click on.
Whereas Cursor does not supply a plugin in the identical method Windsurf does, it supplies comparable performance by its core options and integration with different instruments.
For customers acquainted with Visible Studio Code, they’ll discover it simple to work on Cursor because it retains the same interface. On the similar time, Windsurf makes it simpler to finish tedious work with its ease of integration into current IDEs.
Ideally, this comparability can also be a tie. However I personally appreciated Windsurf’s UI/UX over Cursor’s. What’s extra, some person opinions famous inconsistencies with Cursor’s AI, saying that whereas it’s sensible at instances, it could often go off observe for no motive.
Winner: Windsurf 🏆
Efficiency
Builders care about velocity and light-weight operation. Many Windsurf customers reward its efficiency. One reviewer famous:
“Windsurf could be very quick, and the code ideas are very related to the challenge.”
– Windsurf Assessment, Sujeet A, Senior Software program Engineer
In an interview, Varun Mohan, CEO and Co-Founding father of Windsurf, conveyed that Windsurf’s engineers goal sub‑100 ms time‑to‑first‑token and lots of of tokens a second for the technology time. Latency issues a ton because it largely determines the willingness to make use of the product.
Then again, Cursor is equally quick, in response to a person’s weblog publish on Medium.
It’s difficult to check these options objectively, as their efficiency largely is determined by the particular use case. That mentioned, I didn’t see any performance-related complaints for Cursor on G2 as of July 2025.
Winner: Tie
Pricing
Each Windsurf and Cursor have free plans.
Windsurf gives a two-week free trial of the Professional plan. With the free plan, you obtain 25 immediate credit monthly throughout main fashions, together with OpenAI, Claude, Gemini xAI, and extra. The plan gives elective zero information retention, Previews, and one app deployment per day.
Windsurf’s Professional plan at $15/person/month gives 500 immediate credit monthly and 5 app deploys/day. Staff and Enterprise plans value $30/person/month and $60/person/month.
Cursor additionally gives a two-week free trial. The Professional plan prices $20/month. It’s appropriate for customers primarily utilizing the Tab with occasional agent utilization. There are two further particular person plans: Professional+ ($60/month) and Extremely ($200/ month). For those who code daily with brokers, the Professional+ plan is appropriate. For those who’re an influence person utilizing brokers for almost all of coding, the Extremely plan will swimsuit you the most effective.
These plans include particular person limits.
Windsurf’s Professional plan prices $15 monthly, which is lower than Cursor. Nonetheless, it has limits of as much as 500 credit monthly. Cursor Professional prices $20 monthly, however for those who favor utilizing GPT 4.1, it supplies as much as 650 requests monthly.
Winner: Tie
Right here’s an summary of how Windsurf and Cursor examine by way of AI coding assistant software program options:
| Function | Winner | Why it received |
| Autocomplete and code technology capabilities | Tie | Each instruments are able to writing out complete capabilities and even scaffolding a easy software from a immediate. |
| Context consciousness, UI, and IDE integration | Windsurf 🏆 | Windsurf stands out as a consequence of its user-friendly interface and expertise. |
| Efficiency | Tie | Each platforms examine properly by way of velocity and light-weight operation. |
| Pricing | Tie | Windsurf Professional plan gives 500 credit at $15 monthly. Cursor prices $20 monthly however gives completely different utilization limits for various AI fashions. |
Windsurf vs. Cursor: Which must you use?
In selecting between Windsurf and Cursor, it typically comes all the way down to your workflow:
Select Windsurf if:
You like a free or low-cost resolution that integrates together with your IDE. Windsurf’s plugin works in every single place, and also you get a beneficiant free tier that covers primary use. Groups that prioritize privateness or on-premises deployment can lean towards Windsurf, because it gives enterprise self-hosting.
Listed below are just a few further insights on Windsurf primarily based on G2 Information:
- Windsurf has an honest ease of use (86%) and ease of setup (95%) rankings.
- The platform dominates laptop software program, IT and companies, schooling administration, accounting, and consulting industries.
- Windsurf excels in interface (81%), code high quality (77%), and enter processing (75%). The platform would possibly wrestle with group (70%), documentation (73%), and accuracy (74%).
Select Cursor if:
If you’d like a completely AI-integrated coding surroundings and are prepared to pay for it. It appears like a superb new editor constructed from the bottom up round AI. Its options, comparable to multi-line refactoring and deep code search, are arduous to search out elsewhere.
Cursor had restricted opinions on G2 as of July 2025. Try G2 stories for the latest insights on Cursor.
Code with confidence
Windsurf and Cursor are each highly effective AI coding assistants with distinctive strengths. Windsurf is superb for fast, low-friction coding assist throughout languages. Cursor, alternatively, gives a richer AI-driven modifying expertise; it’s like having a extremely superior pair programmer in its app.
Which one is best?
It is determined by your use case and what issues to your workflow. On the finish of the day, select the instrument that streamlines your workflow and let the AI do the remaining.
Exploring methods to expedite coding? Try the 9 greatest AI code mills available on the market.
