Cursor vs Windsurf
Pick Cursor if you want: developers editing real codebases with an ai-native editor.
Pick Windsurf if you want: agentic ide (cascade) with multi-file context.
| Tool | Best for | Skill | Free tier | Paid from | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cursor | Developers editing real codebases with an AI-native editor | dev | Yes (Hobby) | $8/mo (Plus) src 2026-10-13 | Heavy agent use pushes past the base plan |
| Windsurf | Agentic IDE (Cascade) with multi-file context | dev | Yes | $20/mo src 2026-10-13 | Ownership changes raised long-term questions |