How much does Windsurf cost in 2026?

$0 to $200 a month for individuals: Free at $0, Pro at $20, Max at $200, before tax. Teams pay $80 a month plus $40 per developer seat, and Enterprise is custom. Beyond the included quota, usage is billed at the chosen model's public API price.

Yes, the Free plan is still there, no credit card required. It gives you unlimited Tab completions and inline edits, but a light agent quota and a single model, SWE-1.6. Enough to judge the editor, not to work with the agent all day.

Why did Windsurf Pro go from $15 to $20?

The increase came with the 2026 overhaul: monthly credits were replaced by daily and weekly quotas, with OpenAI, Claude, Gemini and Grok models included. Subscribers from before the increase keep $15 Pro indefinitely, as long as they don't cancel.

What happens when I hit my Windsurf quota?

Two options: wait for the daily or weekly reset, or buy extra usage at API rates on Pro, Teams and Max. In the meantime, free models still work without touching the quota.

Windsurf vs Claude Code: which one?

Windsurf if you want a visual editor with Tab completions, a free plan and several model vendors. Claude Code if you're comfortable in the terminal and code mostly with Claude: it's included in Claude Pro at $20, with no quota shared across vendors. Our scores: 3.8/5 for Windsurf, 4.4/5 for Claude Code. Plenty of developers run both.

Windsurf vs Cursor: which one should you pick?

Windsurf if you want the big models included in a $20 Pro and an agent that shows its plan. Cursor if you want Bugbot on your pull requests and more knobs to turn, and you accept paying extra for Claude or GPT. Our scores: 3.8/5 for Windsurf, 4.0/5 for Cursor.

Windsurf vs GitHub Copilot?

Copilot if you want the lowest bill and a solid JetBrains plugin: Pro at $10 with $15 in AI credits. Windsurf if you want an agent that handles big multi-file changes and cloud agents. For light use, Copilot costs half as much.

Does Windsurf train on my code?

By default, yes on individual plans. Paid users can opt out in Data Controls, which also enables zero data retention with model providers. On Teams, only an admin can do it. On Enterprise, Cognition never trains without written consent.

Is Windsurf worth it in 2026?

Yes, if you want an agentic editor with Claude, GPT and Gemini included for $20 a month and you can live with an unpublished quota. No, if you need a bill you can predict to the dollar or your team lives in JetBrains. Start on Free, run one month of Pro, then check "Plan Info" before committing to anything bigger.

Labs · Review2026 Edition

Windsurf Review 2026

What happened to Windsurf? Cognition, the company behind the Devin agent, bought it and renamed it Devin Desktop in 2026. Same editor, same extensions, same settings, pushed as an automatic update. The real changes are underneath: the Cascade agent was replaced by Devin Local, monthly credits gave way to quotas that reset every day and every week, Pro went from $15 to $20 a month, and a new $200 Max plan arrived.

This Windsurf review covers what each plan actually includes, what you keep if you're still on the old $15 Pro, why user ratings collapsed, and how to stretch your quota. Our score: 3.8/5. A strong agentic editor sold through a harder-to-read offer.

Try Devin Desktop for free → See user reviews →

Verdict · 5 criteria scored

Our Windsurf review in a nutshell

Reviewed by

Romain Cochard

CEO

Windsurf is still one of the best editors for handing an AI multi-file changes. It's built on VS Code, so your extensions and keybindings come along. The agent reads your project, writes out a plan, edits the code and runs terminal commands. Since the Devin Desktop update, it can also run cloud agents and third-party agents from the same screen.

The offer is what drags the score down. Pro now costs $20 instead of $15, the included quota is never stated in numbers, it drains by the day and by the week, and public reviews are mostly about billing and slow support. Hence our 3.8/5: a solid tool, as long as you know the rules before you pay.

Free trial

The numbers speak. Want to try Windsurf?

Try Devin Desktop for free→

What you actually pay

Windsurf pricing after the Devin Desktop switch

Windsurf now runs on Devin's price list. Every plan comes with a usage allowance that resets daily and weekly. It's measured in tokens (the chunks of text a model reads and writes), so the more files you pull into a conversation, the faster it drains. When it runs out, paid plans can buy extra usage at the model's public API price. Free models don't count against the quota.

Monthly prices in US dollars, before tax; no annual pricing is listed

Free

To try the editor

$0/mo

No credit card

Light agent quota
Unlimited Tab completions
Unlimited inline edits
One model only, SWE-1.6

Best starting point

Pro

For daily coding

$20/mo

Was $15 before the increase

Claude, GPT, Gemini and Grok inside the quota
SWE-2 free for a limited time
Cloud agents (Devin Cloud)
Extra usage at API pricing

Max

For heavy users

$200/mo

New in 2026

Everything in Pro
Significantly higher quotas
Extra usage at API pricing
Makes sense for parallel agents

Teams

For dev teams

$80/mo

+ $40 per developer seat

Up to 200 users
Centralized billing and admin analytics
Priority support
No SSO on new contracts

Enterprise

For large organizations

Custom

Demo with sales

SAML or OIDC SSO
Dedicated or VPC deployment
Dedicated account management
No training without written consent

Legacy Pro

If you subscribed before the increase

$15/mo

Grandfathered indefinitely

Price locked while you stay subscribed
Legacy Teams stays at $30 per seat
SSO kept on legacy Teams
Leftover credits converted or refundable

Add-on credits bought before the overhaul cost $10 per 250 ($0.04 each). They convert to extra usage at that rate, and unused balances can be refunded through support. Fast variants of some models cost more than the standard version.

Community · developer reviews

What developers really say about Windsurf

The Hack'celeration verdict

We compared Windsurf on five criteria.

Ease of use, real cost, features, support and integrations, against Cursor, Claude Code and GitHub Copilot.

Criterion 01 · Ease of use

Is Windsurf easy to pick up?

4.2/5

Yes, if you come from VS Code. Windsurf is a fork of it, so on first launch it imports your extensions, theme and keybindings. You're not switching tools, you're adding an agent. It installs on macOS, on Windows 10 and later, and on Linux as a deb, rpm or tarball.

Day to day, two moves cover most of it. Tab accepts the gray suggestion that predicts your next edit, and it's unlimited even on Free. The agent panel takes a plain-English request ("add pagination to this list and update the tests"), writes a plan, edits the files and shows you every diff. That upfront plan is what developers like most: you catch a wrong assumption before it breaks your build.

The Devin Desktop update added a learning step. The home screen is now an "agent command center" with tasks in columns, the app is called Devin, and the surf command became devin-desktop. Nothing was lost, but expect a few hours of re-orientation. Long-term users also report a slower cold start than Cursor.

Why 4.2? A VS Code user is productive on day one, and a beginner quickly gets the "ask, read the plan, approve" loop. Points off for the mid-stream rename and a quota meter tucked away in the status bar.

Verdict

The most reassuring coding agent for a beginner, thanks to the plan it shows before every change.

Criterion 02 · Value for money

How much does Windsurf really cost in 2026?

3.2/5

On paper the grid is simple: Free at $0, Pro at $20, Max at $200 a month. Teams pay $80 a month for the plan plus $40 per developer seat, up to 200 people. Enterprise is custom. Pro includes OpenAI, Anthropic (Claude), Google (Gemini) and SpaceXAI (Grok) models inside the quota, something Cursor no longer does for new subscribers.

The catch is the quota. Windsurf rebuilt it in 2026: no more monthly credits, but an allowance that resets every day and every week. It's counted in tokens, and its size isn't published anywhere. Frontier models cost more per token, and every request carries the chat history and open files. When it's empty, you wait for the reset or pay for extra usage at public API rates. Two developers on the same plan can end up with very different bills.

There's good news too. The in-house SWE-2 model is free on individual plans for a limited time and free models don't touch the quota. If you subscribed before the increase, your $15 Pro and $30-per-seat Teams are grandfathered indefinitely.

Why 3.2? $20 Pro with the big models included is in line with the market, next to Cursor Premium at $30 with no Claude or GPT included, or GitHub Copilot Pro at $10 with $15 in credits. But an unpublished quota and a 33% hike for new customers hurt when you need a predictable budget.

Verdict

A fair entry price with the big models included, but a quota you can't plan around.

Criterion 03 · Features & depth

What can Windsurf do that others can't?

4.3/5

The local agent is the core of the product. In 2026 Cascade gave way to Devin Local, token-efficient and able to spin up subagents on long tasks. It shares its architecture with the Devin CLI. Cascade's old Memories and Workflows were replaced by rules and skills: instruction files you write once and the agent rereads on every task.

The second big addition is local-to-cloud handoff. Start a task on your laptop, hand it to Devin Cloud, and it keeps going after you close the lid, with the same context. Each subagent can open its own pull request. The command center lays these sessions out in columns, like a task board.

Third, model choice. Fusion pairs a frontier "lead" model (Claude, for example) with a cheaper "sidekick" (SWE-2) that does the execution, so you keep most of the quality for part of the cost. And with ACP (Agent Client Protocol), you can run third-party agents such as Codex or Claude's agent from the same window.

Why not higher than 4.3? Reliability doesn't always keep up: users describe tasks that stop halfway and crashes that wipe a session's context. And retiring Cascade forced anyone calling it from scripts to rewire them.

Verdict

One of the most complete agents on the market, across local, cloud and third-party agents.

Free trial

Sold on the details? Start a Windsurf trial.

Try Devin Desktop for free→

Criterion 04 · Customer support

Can you count on Windsurf's support?

3.5/5

For how-to questions, the docs usually do the job. They were fully moved under the Devin brand and cover quotas, models, security and migrating from Windsurf, with a candid FAQ on what changed. You can check your usage from the editor's status bar ("Plan Info") or from your account settings.

Money problems are the weak spot. Public reviews in 2026 mention slow replies, charges after cancellation and Pro upgrades that left accounts on Free. The vendor didn't solicit those reviews and they skew toward unhappy customers, but the volume and the tone show up everywhere.

Teams promises priority support and Enterprise a dedicated account manager. One fair point: during the pricing overhaul, Cognition added a free week to paid subscriptions and offered refunds on unused credits.

Why 3.5? Current documentation and clear commitments on legacy plans, but a billing experience that cost a lot of trust.

Verdict

Good on documentation, shaky as soon as money is involved.

Criterion 05 · Integrations

Does Windsurf plug into your tools?

4.0/5

Yes, mostly through MCP (Model Context Protocol), the standard that lets the agent read from or act in another tool. The official list covers Slack, Microsoft Teams, Linear, Notion, Atlassian (Jira, Confluence), Datadog, Sentry, Figma, Vercel and Stripe. In practice, the agent can read a Linear ticket, pull the error from Sentry and propose the fix without you leaving the editor.

For languages, the editor ships the usual servers: Pyright for Python, gopls for Go, rust-analyzer for Rust, clangd for C and C++, Prettier for formatting. And since it still runs VS Code extensions, most of your setup carries over.

The weak point is other IDEs. Windsurf also shipped as a JetBrains plugin. That plugin is now in maintenance mode, and Cognition warns newer JetBrains releases can break it; the recommended path is ACP. On data, there's SOC 2 Type II, but no EU hosting announced, and on individual plans training on your data stays on until you turn it off.

Why 4.0? The MCP catalog covers what a team needs, but the slow exit from JetBrains and an opt-out privacy setting cost a point.

Verdict

Well connected to team tools, less so to JetBrains IDEs.

Windsurf is now Devin Desktop

What changes for you

The rename shipped as an automatic update. Your plan, price, extensions and settings came along. But four things need action on your side, especially if you've used Windsurf for a while.

Cascade is replaced by Devin Local

Biggest change

Cascade is no longer the default agent: Devin Local takes over, at the same pricing. It uses fewer tokens and can launch subagents. If you called Cascade from a script or a CI pipeline, point those calls at the new agent or they'll fail.

New agent: Devin Local
Pricing: Unchanged
To do: Update your scripts

Your Memories become rules

Cascade's Memories and Workflows are replaced by rules and skills: instruction files versioned with your code. That's more reliable, because you control what the agent keeps. Long-time users had noticed Memories over-fitting to early sessions anyway. Copy your key conventions into a rule now.

Replaced by: Rules and skills
Upside: You control the context

surf becomes devin-desktop

The app is now called Devin, and the devin-desktop terminal command installs from the command palette. The old surf and windsurf commands still ship, but an alias saves you surprises. "Migrate from Windsurf" copies your extensions to ~/.devin/extensions/.

Command: devin-desktop
Extensions: ~/.devin/extensions/

On JetBrains? Move to ACP

The Windsurf plugin for IntelliJ, PyCharm or WebStorm is in maintenance mode: still available, but a JetBrains update can break it. Cognition recommends connecting Devin over ACP, which has a JetBrains setup guide. If your team lives in JetBrains, switch before the next major release.

Plugin: Maintenance mode
Fix: Devin over ACP

What the docs and forums know

Six ways to make your quota last

Windsurf's quota drains by the day and by the week, in tokens. These settings come from the official docs and from developers who use it every day.

Don't cancel your $15 legacy Pro

Biggest saving

Pre-increase subscribers keep their price indefinitely: $15 for Pro, $30 per seat for legacy Teams, SSO included. Cancelling, even for a few weeks, puts you back at $20. If you're taking a break, keep the subscription active.

Legacy Pro: $15/mo
New Pro: $20/mo

Use SWE models for routine work

The docs say it themselves: renaming, documenting or fixing a test only needs an SWE-family model. SWE-2 is free on individual plans for a limited time, and free models don't count. Save Claude or GPT for work that needs real reasoning.

SWE-2: Free for now
List price: $3 / $15 per million

Turn on Fusion instead of one big model

Fusion gives the thinking to a frontier model and the execution to a cheaper one. On a long task, the usage gap versus a frontier model doing everything is significant.

Lead: A frontier model
Sidekick: SWE-2

One frontier model per task

Back-to-back requests to the same model hit the cache, so what it has already read costs much less. Switching models mid-task makes it reread everything at full price. Pick your model at the start and open a new session to switch.

Why: Cache reads are cheaper
Avoid: Switching mid-task

Close files and keep sessions short

Every request carries the chat history and your open files. A session that runs all day gets more expensive with each message. For a quick question, start a fresh session and keep only the relevant files open.

Counts toward quota: History and files
Habit: One session per task

Opt out of training on day one

On paid individual plans, your data can be used for training until you opt out. Go to Data Controls and turn it off: that also enables zero data retention with the model providers. On Teams, only an admin can do it.

Where: Data Controls
On Teams: Admin only

Not sold on Windsurf?

Five Windsurf alternatives worth a look

If the unpredictable quota or the change of owner bothers you, each of these does one thing better. Every card also states its limit. The ranking is editorial: a sponsored placement is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score. For the full list, see our Windsurf alternatives.

Cursor: the most complete AI editor

Most complete

Cursor is still the benchmark for agentic editors: cloud agents, Bugbot for pull request reviews, project rules. Our score: 4.0/5. But it's now sold inside the X subscription, and Claude or GPT cost extra at API rates. Read our Cursor review.

Its limit: the serious tier costs $30, with no third-party models included.

Price: Free $0, Plus $8, Premium $30
Score: 4.0/5
Limit: Third-party models extra

Claude Code: if you mostly code with Claude

For Claude

Anthropic's coding agent, in the terminal or your editor, included with Claude Pro at $20 a month. Our score: 4.4/5. For the same price as Windsurf Pro, you get Claude without sharing a quota with other models. Read our Claude Code review.

Its limit: one model vendor and a rawer interface.

Price: In Claude Pro at $20
Score: 4.4/5
Limit: One vendor

GitHub Copilot: the lowest bill

Cheapest

Copilot Pro costs $10 a month and includes $15 in AI credits across several models. It runs in VS Code, JetBrains and most editors, which makes it the best fallback if Windsurf's JetBrains plugin breaks on you.

Its limit: a less capable agent for sweeping changes across a whole project.

Price: Free $0, Pro $10, Pro+ $39
Included: $15 in credits on Pro
Limit: Lighter agent

Zed: the fast editor where you bring your keys

Zed is an independent, very fast editor that takes your own API keys or external agents. Personal is free, Pro is $10 a month with $5 in tokens. You pay the model provider directly, with no hidden quota.

Its limit: it isn't VS Code, so your extensions don't come along.

Price: Personal $0, Pro $10
Models: Your API keys
Limit: No VS Code extensions

Cline: the open-source extension, no subscription

Open source

Cline is a free VS Code extension. Plug in your API keys (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google) and pay only for what you use. It's the most transparent option if Windsurf's unpublished quota bugs you.

Its limit: no cloud agents, and an API bill with no ceiling unless you set one.

Price: Free extension
You pay: Model calls
Limit: No cloud agents

Do you make a tool in this category? Email us: hello@hackceleration.com

Who is it for?

Is Windsurf right for you?

Three profiles, three answers. Then six checks before you pay.

Yes, if you want an agent for big changes

A developer who hands multi-file edits to AI, wants to read a plan before each action and likes pushing long tasks to the cloud. $20 Pro covers most days. If you want help rolling it out to your team, see our Windsurf agency.

Careful if your budget is fixed to the dollar

The quota isn't published and drains daily. Start on Free, then do a month of Pro before you even look at $200 Max. To learn how to keep usage in check, there's our Windsurf training.

No, if your team lives in JetBrains

The plugin is in maintenance mode. Until you've moved to ACP, GitHub Copilot or Claude Code fit more easily into IntelliJ or PyCharm.

Did you check whether you're still on the $15 legacy Pro before touching your subscription?
Did you opt out of training in Data Controls?
Did you copy your key Memories into a rule?
Did you update scripts that called Cascade?
Did you check "Plan Info" after a week of real use?
Did your legal team sign off on the lack of EU hosting?

Get straight to it

What are you actually here for?

You want every optionWindsurf alternatives

Tools that beat it on one specific point, and who they suit.

You want the full rankingBest AI coding tools

Our pick of today's coding editors and agents.

You're torn with CursorCursor review

The other big agentic editor and its new pricing.

You mostly code with ClaudeClaude Code review

Anthropic's agent, included in Claude Pro.

You want it set up for youWindsurf Agency

What we set up on Windsurf for your team.

You'd rather learn to drive itWindsurf Training

An expert opens Windsurf with you and starts from your real project.

FAQ · 10 questions

Frequently asked questions

What happened to Windsurf?
Cognition, the maker of Devin, acquired Windsurf and renamed it Devin Desktop in 2026. It's the same editor, updated automatically, with your extensions, settings and plan intact. windsurf.com now redirects to devin.ai, and the JetBrains plugin keeps the Windsurf name.
How much does Windsurf cost in 2026?
$0 to $200 a month for individuals: Free at $0, Pro at $20, Max at $200, before tax. Teams pay $80 a month plus $40 per developer seat, and Enterprise is custom. Beyond the included quota, usage is billed at the chosen model's public API price.
Is Windsurf free?
Yes, the Free plan is still there, no credit card required. It gives you unlimited Tab completions and inline edits, but a light agent quota and a single model, SWE-1.6. Enough to judge the editor, not to work with the agent all day.
Why did Windsurf Pro go from $15 to $20?
The increase came with the 2026 overhaul: monthly credits were replaced by daily and weekly quotas, with OpenAI, Claude, Gemini and Grok models included. Subscribers from before the increase keep $15 Pro indefinitely, as long as they don't cancel.
What happens when I hit my Windsurf quota?
Two options: wait for the daily or weekly reset, or buy extra usage at API rates on Pro, Teams and Max. In the meantime, free models still work without touching the quota.
Windsurf vs Claude Code: which one?
Windsurf if you want a visual editor with Tab completions, a free plan and several model vendors. Claude Code if you're comfortable in the terminal and code mostly with Claude: it's included in Claude Pro at $20, with no quota shared across vendors. Our scores: 3.8/5 for Windsurf, 4.4/5 for Claude Code. Plenty of developers run both.
Windsurf vs Cursor: which one should you pick?
Windsurf if you want the big models included in a $20 Pro and an agent that shows its plan. Cursor if you want Bugbot on your pull requests and more knobs to turn, and you accept paying extra for Claude or GPT. Our scores: 3.8/5 for Windsurf, 4.0/5 for Cursor.
Windsurf vs GitHub Copilot?
Copilot if you want the lowest bill and a solid JetBrains plugin: Pro at $10 with $15 in AI credits. Windsurf if you want an agent that handles big multi-file changes and cloud agents. For light use, Copilot costs half as much.
Does Windsurf train on my code?
By default, yes on individual plans. Paid users can opt out in Data Controls, which also enables zero data retention with model providers. On Teams, only an admin can do it. On Enterprise, Cognition never trains without written consent.
Is Windsurf worth it in 2026?
Yes, if you want an agentic editor with Claude, GPT and Gemini included for $20 a month and you can live with an unpublished quota. No, if you need a bill you can predict to the dollar or your team lives in JetBrains. Start on Free, run one month of Pro, then check "Plan Info" before committing to anything bigger.

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