Comparison

Cursor vs GitHub Copilot vs Windsurf

A side-by-side look at three popular AI coding assistants and editors, drawn from their index records.

At a glance

Three AI coding tools from different vendors. Sourced rows carry a per-product verification state; record-based rows use the record dates shown.

Scrolling keeps every product column reachable

Cursor vs GitHub Copilot vs Windsurf
Dimension	Cursor	GitHub Copilot	Windsurf
Company	Anysphere	GitHub (Microsoft)	Cognition
Category	Coding & Developer Tools	Coding & Developer Tools	Coding & Developer Tools
Business model	Freemium	Freemium	Freemium
Licence	—	—	—
Pricing	Checked 2026-11-02: Free; Plus USD 8/month; Premium 30; Super 100; Ultra 200. Teams starts at USD 30 per seat/month. Plus excludes third-party models. Individual Premium, Super and Ultra bill third-party models at API list prices; Teams and Enterprise may add a Cursor Token Rate for eligible models. Prices exclude tax; annual billing is separate. Pricing ↗	Checked 2026-11-02: personal Pro USD 10/month, Pro+ USD 39/month and Max USD 100/month, plus a limited Free tier. Model-backed chat and agents use GitHub AI Credits; additional usage can be purchased. Base credits match the subscription price, while the extra flex allotment can change. These are individual-plan prices, not organization seat prices. Pricing ↗	Checked 2026-11-02: current public Devin plans are Free, Pro USD 20/month, Max USD 200/month, and Teams USD 80/month plus USD 40 per full developer seat. Extra paid-plan usage is available at API pricing. Existing Windsurf plans keep their existing terms; the expired October promotion is not included. Pricing ↗
Documentation	Documentation ↗	Documentation ↗	Documentation ↗
Launched	2023-03	2022-06	2024-11
Availability	Global	Global	Global
Form factor	Desktop editor, terminal CLI and cloud agents Source ↗ Verified 2026-11-02	Editor extensions, GitHub and CLI Source ↗ Verified 2026-11-02	Devin Desktop IDE (formerly Windsurf) Source ↗ Verified 2026-11-02
Typical job	Multi-file edits and agents Not independently verified — Editorial characterisation written to compare the products; no single vendor page states it in these words.	Inline completion and chat Not independently verified — Editorial characterisation written to compare the products; no single vendor page states it in these words.	Agentic edits in-editor Not independently verified — Editorial characterisation written to compare the products; no single vendor page states it in these words.
Vendor home	Anysphere Source ↗ From the product record	GitHub / Microsoft Source ↗ From the product record	Cognition (Devin Desktop) Source ↗ From the product record
Free tier	Yes — current plan name Free, with limited agent/chat usage Source ↗ Verified 2026-11-02	Yes — Copilot Free Source ↗ Verified 2026-11-02	Yes — current public Devin Free plan; existing Windsurf contracts keep their terms. Source ↗ Verified 2026-11-02
Billing and usage limits	Free; Plus USD 8/month; Premium USD 30/month; Teams from USD 30/seat/month. Third-party model usage costs extra on eligible plans. Source ↗ Verified 2026-11-02	Limited Free; individual Pro USD 10/month, Pro+ USD 39/month and Max USD 100/month. Chat and agents use GitHub AI Credits; paid-plan completions do not. Extra usage can be purchased. Source ↗ Verified 2026-11-02	Current public Devin plans: Pro USD 20/month; Max USD 200/month; Teams USD 80/month plus USD 40/full developer seat. Extra usage at API pricing; legacy Windsurf contracts retain their terms. Source ↗ Verified 2026-11-02
Editor and integration	Desktop editor, terminal CLI and cloud agents Source ↗ Verified 2026-11-02	VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Xcode and Vim/Neovim extensions, plus GitHub and CLI access Source ↗ Verified 2026-11-02	macOS, Windows and Linux IDE with Devin Local; legacy JetBrains plugin is maintenance-only, with Devin over ACP recommended. Source ↗ Verified 2026-11-02
Updated	2026-11-02	2026-11-02	2026-11-02

Fields taken from the product records use the record dates shown. Sourced claims are labelled per product: verified against the linked page on the date shown, taken from the product record without re-checking, or not independently verified.

Quick answer

Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf can be used free of charge to start.

Where they differ — the rows worth reading first: Runs on, Launched.
Identical on the record: Business model, Licence, Where it runs, Works offline.

When to choose each

Cursor — When you want an AI-native editor with multi-file agents and are willing to switch from VS Code/JetBrains as the home IDE.
GitHub Copilot — When you want completion, chat and supported agent modes inside your existing editor and GitHub workflow.
Windsurf — When you want Devin Desktop’s standalone IDE, Devin Local and Agent Command Center, while keeping existing Windsurf settings.

Each tool on the record

Cursor

Cursor is made by Anysphere. The record lists it as Freemium, first recorded in 2023, and fit for Writing new code, Editing an existing codebase, Reviewing diffs and pull requests, Running an agent from the terminal. Its values below carry their own source and date.

Cursor is listed under Coding & Developer Tools: AI tools for code completion, review, and software development workflows.

Company: Anysphere
Category: Coding & Developer Tools
Business model: Freemium
Licence: proprietary
Launched: 2023-03
Availability: Global
Tasks it fits: Writing new code, Editing an existing codebase, Reviewing diffs and pull requests, Running an agent from the terminal
How you use it: Code editor
Runs on: Windows, macOS, Linux, Web, Terminal
Where it runs: Vendor cloud
Works offline: Not recorded
Commercial use: Permitted

Pricing on the record: Checked 2026-11-02: Free; Plus USD 8/month; Premium 30; Super 100; Ultra 200. Teams starts at USD 30 per seat/month. Plus excludes third-party models. Individual Premium, Super and Ultra bill third-party models at API list prices; Teams and Enterprise may add a Cursor Token Rate for eligible models. Prices exclude tax; annual billing is separate.

Sources on the record: Official website, Documentation, Official pricing, AI Coding Agent for Building Ambitious Software | Cursor, Current plan and model pricing, Cloud Agents API v1 (public beta), Official downloads.

Not recorded for Cursor: Works offline. An empty field is reported as unknown rather than guessed.

GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot is made by GitHub (Microsoft). The record lists it as Freemium, first recorded in 2022, and fit for Writing new code, Editing an existing codebase, Reviewing diffs and pull requests. Its values below carry their own source and date.

GitHub Copilot is listed under Coding & Developer Tools: AI tools for code completion, review, and software development workflows.

Company: GitHub (Microsoft)
Category: Coding & Developer Tools
Business model: Freemium
Licence: proprietary
Launched: 2022-06
Availability: Global
Tasks it fits: Writing new code, Editing an existing codebase, Reviewing diffs and pull requests
How you use it: Editor extension
Runs on: VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, Vim, Neovim, Web, Terminal
Where it runs: Vendor cloud
Works offline: Not recorded
Commercial use: Not recorded

Pricing on the record: Checked 2026-11-02: personal Pro USD 10/month, Pro+ USD 39/month and Max USD 100/month, plus a limited Free tier. Model-backed chat and agents use GitHub AI Credits; additional usage can be purchased. Base credits match the subscription price, while the extra flex allotment can change. These are individual-plan prices, not organization seat prices.

Sources on the record: Official website, GitHub Copilot (Wikipedia), Plans and pricing, Individual usage-based billing and AI credits, Installing Copilot in supported editors.

Not recorded for GitHub Copilot: Works offline, Public API, Commercial use. An empty field is reported as unknown rather than guessed.

Windsurf

Windsurf is made by Cognition. The record lists it as Freemium, first recorded in 2024, and fit for Writing new code, Editing an existing codebase, Reviewing diffs and pull requests. Its values below carry their own source and date.

Windsurf is listed under Coding & Developer Tools: AI tools for code completion, review, and software development workflows.

Company: Cognition
Category: Coding & Developer Tools
Business model: Freemium
Licence: proprietary
Launched: 2024-11
Availability: Global
Tasks it fits: Writing new code, Editing an existing codebase, Reviewing diffs and pull requests
How you use it: Full IDE
Runs on: macOS, Windows, Linux
Where it runs: Vendor cloud
Works offline: Not recorded
Commercial use: Not recorded

Pricing on the record: Checked 2026-11-02: current public Devin plans are Free, Pro USD 20/month, Max USD 200/month, and Teams USD 80/month plus USD 40 per full developer seat. Extra paid-plan usage is available at API pricing. Existing Windsurf plans keep their existing terms; the expired October promotion is not included.

Sources on the record: Devin Desktop (windsurf.com now redirects here), Devin Desktop documentation, Devin pricing, Windsurf to Devin Desktop transition FAQ.

Not recorded for Windsurf: Works offline, Public API, Commercial use. An empty field is reported as unknown rather than guessed.

Frequently asked questions

Which of these has been available longest?

GitHub Copilot — first recorded in 2022.

Which of these can I start using for free?

Free to start: Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf.

Which of these is open source?

None of these is open source; every tool in this comparison is proprietary.

Which of these works offline?

None of these is recorded as working offline.

Which of these has a public API?

A public API is recorded for Cursor.

Which of these can be used commercially?

Commercial use is recorded as allowed for Cursor.

Which platforms do these run on?

Recorded platforms — Cursor: Windows, macOS, Linux, Web, Terminal · GitHub Copilot: VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, Vim, Neovim, Web, Terminal · Windsurf: macOS, Windows, Linux.

Can any of these be self-hosted or run locally?

None of these is recorded as self-hosted or local; all run as a hosted service.

Can I keep using VS Code with all three?

Copilot offers a VS Code extension. Cursor and Devin Desktop (the current name for Windsurf) are standalone editors; they also have other agent entry points, so check the specific integration you need.

Does this page score coding quality?

No. It describes form factor and workflow from each record. Quality claims belong in benchmarks, not this index.

How to use a comparison

Start from the task, not the brand: filter the index by what you need to get done.
Check the evidence: a value marked “verified” names the source page and the date it was checked.
Prefer the vendor’s own page for the final decision: prices and limits change without notice.

Related guides

Sources and record dates

Record dates describe index updates, not independent product tests. Check linked documentation for current features and pricing.