Windsurf
Free / Pro ~$15 per mo
Cursor
Free / Pro $20 per mo
Windsurf and Cursor are both AI-first editors (forks of VS Code) with deep codebase awareness and agentic editing. Cursor is the more popular, slightly pricier option; Windsurf is a touch cheaper with a clean, approachable UI. They are close, so it often comes down to feel.
Pick Windsurf if you want a clean, approachable AI editor with strong agentic flows at a slightly lower price.
Pick Cursor if you want the most popular AI-native editor with the deepest codebase awareness and the fastest stream of new features.
Windsurf and Cursor are the two leading AI-native code editors, both built as forks of VS Code and both centered on understanding your whole codebase and making multi-file, agentic edits. Cursor is the more widely adopted of the two, with a large user base and rapid feature releases. Windsurf is known for a clean, approachable interface and strong agentic flows, at a slightly lower price.
On price, Windsurf Pro is around $15 a month and Cursor Pro is $20, with free tiers on both. The capability gap is small and shifts month to month as both ship updates, so the choice frequently comes down to which editor feels better to you.
We compare price, agentic features, codebase awareness, model choice, and UI.
| Quick facts | Windsurf | Cursor |
|---|---|---|
| Type | AI editor (VS Code fork) | AI editor (VS Code fork) |
| Pro price | ~$15/mo | $20/mo |
| Codebase awareness | Strong | Best-in-class |
| Popularity | Growing | Largest |
| Best for | Clean UI + value | Popular + power |
Each row reflects the feature on each product's current public release.
| Feature | W Windsurf | C Cursor |
|---|---|---|
| AI autocomplete | Yes | Yes |
| In-editor chat | Yes | Yes |
| Whole-codebase understanding | Strong | Best-in-class |
| Agentic multi-file edits | Strong | Strong |
| Choice of models | Yes | Yes |
| Clean / approachable UI | Best-in-class | Good |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Lower price | Yes | No |
Pricing and features change often. Always verify the current details on each product's official site. Last reviewed 2026-06-22.
Things neither product's marketing page leads with.
The two are very close, so the decision often comes down to which interface and workflow feel better to you.
Cursor has the larger community and more tutorials; Windsurf is a touch cheaper and praised for its UI.
Both are evolving fast, so any capability gap on a given month may flip with the next release.
The average person juggles a dozen subscriptions and forgets at least one. Subkept is a privacy-first subscription tracker: add Windsurf, Cursor, and everything else, then get renewal reminders, price-hike alerts, and a clear monthly total, with no bank connection, ever. Free for up to 5 subscriptions, no time limit.
See how the price has moved