Cursor
A VS Code fork built around an agent that edits across your whole repository.
Pricing Free tier with limited requests, a per-seat subscription, and business tiers. Heavy agent use can meter beyond the included allowance. source ↗
Cursor ↗Head to head
Cursor vs Windsurf (now Devin Desktop)
First, the thing most comparisons still get wrong: Windsurf is now Devin Desktop. Cognition rebranded it in June 2026 and the editor became one surface of the Devin family, with the old Cascade agent replaced by Devin Local. The underlying choice is unchanged — two agentic VS Code forks that plan and apply changes across a repository. Cursor has the larger user base and far more community material; Devin Desktop bundles the editor with a cloud agent and CLI under one brand. Both have free tiers and import your existing VS Code setup, so trying both costs an evening.
Checked 2026-07-28 · we re-check quarterly · how we compare
Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)
Cognition rebranded Windsurf to Devin Desktop in June 2026. Same editor lineage, now one surface of the Devin family.
Pricing Free tier, per-seat subscription and enterprise tiers, metered in credits that agent steps consume. Pricing moved under the Devin brand at the rebrand — check current tiers. source ↗
Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) ↗Side by side
| Cursor | Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) | |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Cursor, unchanged. | Rebranded from Windsurf to Devin Desktop in June 2026. |
| Base | A fork of VS Code — extensions and keybindings carry over. | Also a VS Code fork, with the same import path. |
| Metering | Requests, with heavy agent use able to exceed the included allowance. | Credits consumed per agent step. |
| Repository-wide edits | A core strength, with an agent that plans across files. | Also a core strength; comparable in practice. |
| Model choice | Several frontier models, selectable per request. | Several frontier models, selectable per request. |
| Adoption | Larger — more tutorials, more community answers. | Smaller, and much writing about it still uses the old name. |
| Wider product | Editor-focused. | One surface alongside Devin Cloud, CLI and Review. |
| Free tier | Yes, limited. | Yes, limited. |
Pick Cursor if…
- You want the option with the most community material and shared workflows.
- You want the largest pool of people to ask when something breaks.
- Your team is already standardising on it.
- You want the most-tested agent on very large repositories.
Pick Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) if…
- You prefer credits you can reason about over request limits you might exceed.
- You found its agent flow more predictable in your own trial.
- You want the editor to sit alongside a cloud agent and CLI under one brand.
- You want an alternative to the market leader on principle or price.
Pick neither if…
- You don't want to leave your existing editor — Cline and Continue add agents to stock VS Code, and both are open source.
- You work mostly in a terminal, where a terminal-native agent fits better than an editor.
- Your employer forbids sending source code to a third party. Point a local model at an open-source extension instead.
Every comparison here says when the honest answer is "not this one". A page that can only recommend is an advertisement.
Questions people actually ask
Is Windsurf still called Windsurf?
No. Cognition rebranded it to Devin Desktop in June 2026, delivered as an over-the-air update that kept accounts, plans, extensions and keybindings intact. The legacy Cascade agent was retired and replaced by Devin Local. Most comparison articles still use the old name.
Is Cursor better than Windsurf?
Not decisively. They solve the same problem with similar architectures; the differences people report are mostly about pricing predictability and agent behaviour on their specific codebase. Both free tiers are enough to judge that yourself.
Can I keep my VS Code extensions?
Both are VS Code forks and both import your existing extensions, settings and keybindings, which is what makes trying them cheap.
Is there an open-source alternative?
Yes. Cline, Continue and Roo-family extensions add agents to stock VS Code and let you bring your own key, including a local model.
Related
Browse the full catalog, or the open-source roundups if you would rather self-host than choose between two subscriptions.