Windsurf vs. Cursor: How they really carried out in my analysis
On this comparability, I went deep into demos and present documentation on Windsurf and Cursor. Right here’s an summary of my comparability:
Autocomplete and code era capabilities
Each instruments supply superior code autocomplete. Windsurf gives multiline solutions 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 dashing up the coding course of. The solutions it made had been correct and context-aware, suggesting extra environment friendly methods to write down the code. The chat characteristic provided 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 gives AI-driven tab completions and generates code from feedback or prompts. Cursor presents robust customization by way of context guidelines, symlinks, and scaffolding. This permits predictable, constant outcomes throughout massive codebases. Nevertheless, 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 venture. It remembers earlier information you’ve labored on and makes use of that context when making solutions. Cursor, likewise, indexes your codebase and solutions questions on it. It sees how completely different information and elements of your venture work collectively.
Windsurf presents 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 software, however it permits importing extensions and keybindings. It is going to will let you import all of your extensions, themes, and keybindings from VS Code with a click on.
Whereas Cursor does not supply a plugin in the identical manner Windsurf does, it gives related performance via its core options and integration with different instruments.
For customers conversant in Visible Studio Code, they’ll discover it straightforward 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 present IDEs.
Ideally, this comparability can also be a tie. However I personally favored Windsurf’s UI/UX over Cursor’s. What’s extra, some person critiques famous inconsistencies with Cursor’s AI, saying that whereas it’s good at occasions, it will possibly sometimes go off monitor for no cause.
Winner: Windsurf 🏆
Efficiency
Builders care about velocity and light-weight operation. Many Windsurf customers reward its efficiency. One reviewer famous:
“Windsurf may be very quick, and the code solutions are very related to the venture.”
– Windsurf Evaluation, 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.
Then again, Cursor is equally quick, in response to a person’s weblog publish on Medium.
It’s difficult to match these options objectively, as their efficiency largely depends upon 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 presents a two-week free trial of the Professional plan. With the free plan, you obtain 25 immediate credit per 30 days throughout main fashions, together with OpenAI, Claude, Gemini xAI, and extra. The plan presents elective zero information retention, Previews, and one app deployment per day.
Windsurf’s Professional plan at $15/person/month presents 500 immediate credit per 30 days and 5 app deploys/day. Workforce and Enterprise plans price $30/person/month and $60/person/month.
Cursor additionally presents 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 daily with brokers, the Professional+ plan is appropriate. In case you’re an influence person utilizing brokers for almost all of coding, the Extremely plan will go well with you one of the best.
These plans include particular person limits.
Windsurf’s Professional plan prices $15 per 30 days, which is lower than Cursor. Nevertheless, it has limits of as much as 500 credit per 30 days. Cursor Professional prices $20 per 30 days, however should you want utilizing GPT 4.1, it gives as much as 650 requests per 30 days.
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 gained |
| Autocomplete and code era capabilities | Tie | Each instruments are able to writing out total capabilities and even scaffolding a easy software from a immediate. |
| Context consciousness, UI, and IDE integration | Windsurf 🏆 | Windsurf stands out on account of its user-friendly interface and expertise. |
| Efficiency | Tie | Each platforms examine nicely when it comes to velocity and light-weight operation. |
| Pricing | Tie | Windsurf Professional plan presents 500 credit at $15 per 30 days. Cursor prices $20 per 30 days however presents completely different utilization limits for various AI fashions. |
Windsurf vs. Cursor: Which must you use?
In selecting between Windsurf and Cursor, it typically comes right 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 in all places, 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 presents enterprise self-hosting.
Listed here are just a few extra insights on Windsurf primarily based on G2 Information:
- Windsurf has an honest ease of use (86%) and ease of setup (95%) scores.
- The platform dominates laptop software program, IT and companies, schooling administration, accounting, and consulting industries.
- Windsurf excels in interface (81%), code high quality (77%), and enter processing (75%). The platform may battle with neighborhood (70%), documentation (73%), and accuracy (74%).
Select Cursor if:
If you’d like a completely 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, resembling multi-line refactoring and deep code search, are onerous to seek out elsewhere.
Cursor had restricted critiques on G2 as of July 2025. Try G2 studies for the latest insights on Cursor.
Code with confidence
Windsurf and Cursor are each highly effective AI coding assistants with distinctive strengths. Windsurf is superb for fast, low-friction coding assist throughout languages. Cursor, then again, presents a richer AI-driven modifying expertise; it’s like having a extremely superior pair programmer in its app.
Which one is healthier?
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 remaining.
Exploring methods to expedite coding? Try the 9 finest AI code turbines in the marketplace.
