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 era capabilities
Each instruments provide superior code autocomplete. Windsurf gives multiline options and even automated unit check stubs, using fashions skilled on open-source code. Its Cascade agent fills in massive blocks of code with a single instruction.
I discovered the AI code completion characteristic to be extremely intuitive and useful in rushing up the coding course of. The options it made have been correct and context-aware, suggesting extra environment friendly methods to write down the code. The chat characteristic provided one other standout facet, offering fast help and clarification when wanted. It is like having a coding accomplice prepared to assist always.
Supply: Windsurf
Cursor equally gives AI-driven tab completions and generates code from feedback or prompts. Cursor provides sturdy customization by way of context guidelines, symlinks, and scaffolding. This allows predictable, constant outcomes throughout massive codebases. Nonetheless, it would produce surface-level output at occasions.
Supply: Cursor
Winner: Tie
Context consciousness, UI, and IDE integration
Windsurf’s Cascade agent is explicitly constructed to achieve a deep consciousness of your challenge. It remembers earlier information you’ve labored on and makes use of that context when making options. Cursor, likewise, indexes your codebase and solutions questions on it. It sees how totally different information and components of your challenge work collectively.
Windsurf provides 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 obligatory options. Cursor can also be a standalone utility, but it surely permits importing extensions and keybindings. It’s going to will let you import all of your extensions, themes, and keybindings from VS Code with a click on.
Whereas Cursor would not provide a plugin in the identical approach Windsurf does, it gives related performance by means of its core options and integration with different instruments.
For customers aware of Visible Studio Code, they’ll discover it simple to work on Cursor because it retains an identical 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 consumer evaluations famous inconsistencies with Cursor’s AI, saying that whereas it’s sensible at occasions, it might sometimes go off observe for no motive.
Winner: Windsurf 🏆
Efficiency
Builders care about pace and light-weight operation. Many Windsurf customers reward its efficiency. One reviewer famous:
“Windsurf could be very quick, and the code options 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 a whole bunch of tokens a second for the era time. Latency issues a ton because it largely determines the willingness to make use of the product.
Alternatively, Cursor is equally quick, in response to a consumer’s weblog submit on Medium.
It’s difficult to match these options objectively, as their efficiency largely relies on the particular use case. That stated, 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 provides 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 provides non-compulsory zero knowledge retention, Previews, and one app deployment per day.
Windsurf’s Professional plan at $15/consumer/month provides 500 immediate credit monthly and 5 app deploys/day. Workforce and Enterprise plans value $30/consumer/month and $60/consumer/month.
Cursor additionally provides 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 extra particular person plans: Professional+ ($60/month) and Extremely ($200/ month). In the event you code every single day with brokers, the Professional+ plan is appropriate. In the event you’re an influence consumer utilizing brokers for almost all of coding, the Extremely plan will swimsuit you the very best.
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 should you favor utilizing GPT 4.1, it gives as much as 650 requests monthly.
Winner: Tie
Right here’s an summary of how Windsurf and Cursor evaluate by way of AI coding assistant software program options:
| Function | Winner | Why it gained |
| Autocomplete and code era capabilities | Tie | Each instruments are able to writing out total capabilities and even scaffolding a easy utility 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 evaluate properly by way of pace and light-weight operation. |
| Pricing | Tie | Windsurf Professional plan provides 500 credit at $15 monthly. Cursor prices $20 monthly however provides totally 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 favor a free or low-cost resolution that integrates together with your IDE. Windsurf’s plugin works all over the 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 provides enterprise self-hosting.
Listed below are just a few extra insights on Windsurf based mostly on G2 Information:
- Windsurf has an honest ease of use (86%) and ease of setup (95%) scores.
- The platform dominates pc software program, IT and providers, training administration, accounting, and consulting industries.
- Windsurf excels in interface (81%), code high quality (77%), and enter processing (75%). The platform may wrestle with neighborhood (70%), documentation (73%), and accuracy (74%).
Select Cursor if:
If you’d like a totally AI-integrated coding setting and are keen to pay for it. It looks like an excellent 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 evaluations on G2 as of July 2025. Try G2 experiences for the latest insights on Cursor.
Code with confidence
Windsurf and Cursor are each highly effective AI coding assistants with distinctive strengths. Windsurf is great for fast, low-friction coding assist throughout languages. Cursor, alternatively, provides a richer AI-driven enhancing expertise; it’s like having a extremely superior pair programmer in its app.
Which one is best?
It relies on your use case and what issues to your workflow. On the finish of the day, select the device that streamlines your workflow and let the AI do the remainder.
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