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 offers multiline strategies and even automated unit take a look at stubs, using fashions educated on open-source code. Its Cascade agent fills in massive blocks of code with a single instruction.
I discovered the AI code completion function to be extremely intuitive and useful in dashing up the coding course of. The strategies it made have been correct and context-aware, suggesting extra environment friendly methods to jot down the code. The chat function supplied 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 offers AI-driven tab completions and generates code from feedback or prompts. Cursor affords robust customization by way of context guidelines, symlinks, and scaffolding. This allows predictable, constant outcomes throughout massive codebases. Nonetheless, it’d produce surface-level output at occasions.
Supply: Cursor
Winner: Tie
Context consciousness, UI, and IDE integration
Windsurf’s Cascade agent is explicitly constructed to realize a deep consciousness of your undertaking. It remembers earlier recordsdata you’ve labored on and makes use of that context when making strategies. Cursor, likewise, indexes your codebase and solutions questions on it. It sees how totally different recordsdata and elements of your undertaking work collectively.
Windsurf affords 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 needed options. Cursor can be a standalone software, but it surely permits importing extensions and keybindings. It is going to can help 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 means Windsurf does, it offers comparable performance by way of its core options and integration with different instruments.
For customers conversant in Visible Studio Code, they’ll discover it simple to work on Cursor because it retains an analogous interface. On the identical time, Windsurf makes it simpler to finish tedious work with its ease of integration into current IDEs.
Ideally, this comparability can be a tie. However I personally appreciated Windsurf’s UI/UX over Cursor’s. What’s extra, some consumer opinions famous inconsistencies with Cursor’s AI, saying that whereas it’s good at occasions, it may well often go off observe for no purpose.
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 strategies are very related to the undertaking.”
– Windsurf Evaluate, 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 tons of of tokens a second for the era time. Latency issues a ton because it largely determines the willingness to make use of the product.
However, Cursor is equally quick, in line with a consumer’s weblog put up on Medium.
It’s difficult to match these options objectively, as their efficiency largely depends upon the precise 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 affords 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 affords non-obligatory zero information retention, Previews, and one app deployment per day.
Windsurf’s Professional plan at $15/consumer/month affords 500 immediate credit monthly and 5 app deploys/day. Crew and Enterprise plans value $30/consumer/month and $60/consumer/month.
Cursor additionally affords 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 case you code every single day with brokers, the Professional+ plan is appropriate. In case you’re an influence consumer 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 desire utilizing GPT 4.1, it offers as much as 650 requests monthly.
Winner: Tie
Right here’s an summary of how Windsurf and Cursor examine when it comes to AI coding assistant software program options:
| Characteristic | Winner | Why it received |
| Autocomplete and code era capabilities | Tie | Each instruments are able to writing out total features 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 when it comes to velocity and light-weight operation. |
| Pricing | Tie | Windsurf Professional plan affords 500 credit at $15 monthly. Cursor prices $20 monthly however affords totally different utilization limits for various AI fashions. |
Windsurf vs. Cursor: Which must you use?
In selecting between Windsurf and Cursor, it usually comes all the way down to your workflow:
Select Windsurf if:
You like a free or low-cost answer that integrates along with your IDE. Windsurf’s plugin works in every single place, and also you get a beneficiant free tier that covers fundamental use. Groups that prioritize privateness or on-premises deployment can lean towards Windsurf, because it affords enterprise self-hosting.
Listed here are just a few extra insights on Windsurf primarily based on G2 Information:
- Windsurf has a good ease of use (86%) and ease of setup (95%) scores.
- The platform dominates laptop software program, IT and companies, training administration, accounting, and consulting industries.
- Windsurf excels in interface (81%), code high quality (77%), and enter processing (75%). The platform may wrestle with group (70%), documentation (73%), and accuracy (74%).
Select Cursor if:
If you need a totally AI-integrated coding atmosphere and are keen to pay for it. It seems like a superb new editor constructed from the bottom up round AI. Its options, resembling multi-line refactoring and deep code search, are arduous to search out elsewhere.
Cursor had restricted opinions on G2 as of July 2025. Take a look at 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 great for fast, low-friction coding assist throughout languages. Cursor, however, affords a richer AI-driven modifying expertise; it’s like having a extremely superior pair programmer in its app.
Which one is best?
It depends upon 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 remainder.
Exploring methods to expedite coding? Take a look at the 9 finest AI code turbines in the marketplace.
