AI CODING

Cursor vs Windsurf (now Devin Desktop): Which Should You Choose in 2026?

Compare Cursor and Windsurf (now Devin Desktop) for AI-assisted coding in 2026 — pricing, ownership, model supply, and IDE support.

LAST VERIFIED OCT 202610 EVIDENCE ITEMSCONDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONMETHODOLOGY

Short Answer

Pick Cursor if your work lives in a VS Code-style editor and you want the largest community, rules ecosystem, and a mature inline-edit loop. Note that since 12 Oct 2026 it is sold as part of The X Subscription, and third-party frontier models (Claude, GPT, Gemini) are billed at API rates on top of your plan.
Pick Windsurf — now Devin Desktop — if you want an agent command center that orchestrates local and cloud agents from one surface, or you still work in JetBrains (the Windsurf for JetBrains plugin remains downloadable).
METHODOLOGY

Compares Cursor and Windsurf (now Devin Desktop) as they stand in October 2026, with emphasis on the ownership, pricing and model-supply changes that invalidated the previous version of this page. VERSIONS REFERENCED: Cursor (sold within The X Subscription since 12 Oct 2026) · Windsurf, rebranded Devin Desktop (2 Jun 2026, current model SWE-2)

Our Recommendation

VS CODE / WEB DEV
Cursor

Tightest VS Code-style integration, mature inline edits, largest rules/community library.

JETBRAINS / MULTI-IDE
Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

Official FAQ confirms Windsurf for JetBrains (IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, and more) continues to be available for download.

MULTI-AGENT / CLOUD DELEGATION
Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

Agent Command Center with Spaces and Kanban view; supports Codex, Claude Agent, OpenCode and Cascade via the Agent Client Protocol.

YOU DEPEND ON THE NEWEST OPENAI MODELS
Verify before committing — neither is a safe bet

OpenAI notified Cursor on 2026-08-28 of a planned 2026-11-12 cutoff for direct supply (BYOK reportedly unaffected; OpenAI models ≈5% of Cursor traffic). On Cursor, third-party models are now metered at API pricing rather than included.

NOT A STRICT EITHER/OR — THE TWO CAN BE COMBINED

Comparison at a Glance

DimensionCursorWindsurf
OwnershipAnysphere → acquired by SpaceX (~$60B all-stock, early Aug 2026)Codeium → renamed Windsurf (Apr 2025) → acquired by Cognition (Jul 2025) → renamed Devin Desktop (2 Jun 2026)
Product formOwn editor (VS Code fork) + CLI + cloud agentsStandalone IDE (VS Code fork) + Agent Command Center + cloud agents
Entry paid planPart of The X Subscription: Plus $8/mo (Grok models only)Devin Desktop Pro $20/mo
Next tier高级 (Premium) $30/moMax $200/mo
Top individual tierUltra $200/mo— (Max is the top listed individual plan)
Team pricing$30 / $100 / $200 per seat/mo$80/mo + $40/mo per full dev seat
Third-party frontier modelsNot in the included pool; Premium+ billed at API list price from prepaid creditsExtra usage purchasable at API pricing
BYOK (own API key)Teams/Enterprise: API price + $0.25/M tokens Cursor Token rate; personal plans exemptMulti-agent support incl. Codex, Claude Agent, OpenCode, Cascade
OpenAI supply risk2026-08-28 notice; planned cutoff 2026-11-12; ≈5% of traffic; BYOK reportedly unaffectedNo comparable direct-supply dependency disclosed
JetBrains IDEsNot supported (bound to its own editor)Windsurf for JetBrains plugin continues to be available
Usage refresh cadenceWeekly pool, shared with GrokDaily and weekly quota refresh
Verdict freshnessOct 2026 — ownership and pricing changed twice in 2026Oct 2026 — brand and pricing migrated to Devin Desktop

SOURCE: CURSOR OFFICIAL DOCS & PRICING PAGE (ACCESSED 18 OCT 2026) · WINDSURF PRICING PAGE (NOW RESOLVES TO DEVIN PRICING, 18 OCT 2026) · DEVIN DESKTOP OFFICIAL FAQ.

Why Each One Wins

Model Supply & Continuity Risk

  • Cursor: OpenAI notified Cursor on 2026-08-28 of a planned 2026-11-12 end to direct model supply (the longest notice the contract allows), with no new models supplied beforehand. The reported trigger is SpaceX's acquisition of Anysphere (~$60B all-stock, early Aug 2026). Key distinction: this cuts the official direct contract — BYOK is reportedly still usable, and OpenAI models are ≈5% of Cursor traffic. Anthropic was reported to be adding capacity, with no publicly confirmed arrangement.
  • Windsurf (Devin Desktop): No comparable direct-supply cutoff disclosed. Windsurf's own trajectory changed via ownership: Cognition acquired the product, brand, IP and remaining team in Jul 2025 after Google hired away its CEO, co-founder and dozens of core researchers (~$2.4B), and rebranded it as Devin Desktop on 2 Jun 2026.
Verdict: Neither is risk-free, but the risks are different in kind: Cursor's is a dated model-supply cutoff (11-12); Windsurf's is a completed platform migration you must be willing to adopt.

Pricing & Billing Predictability

  • Cursor: Now sold as part of The X Subscription across five tiers: Free $0, Plus $8/mo, 高级 (Premium) $30/mo, Super $100/mo, Ultra $200/mo; Teams $30 / $100 / $200 per seat per month; Enterprise custom. Annual: Plus $80/yr, 高级 $300/yr, Super $1,000/yr, Ultra $2,000/yr. The included usage is a weekly pool shared with Grok. Critically, third-party models (Claude, GPT, Gemini) are not in the included pool — from Premium up they are billed at API list price against prepaid credits. Plus and Free have no third-party models at all.
  • Windsurf (Devin Desktop): Free $0; Pro $20 per month; Max $200 per month; Teams $80/mo + $40/mo per full dev seat; Enterprise custom. Usage allowance refreshes on a daily and weekly basis, and extra usage can be purchased at API pricing. SWE-2 is the current flagship model and was free in Devin Desktop and CLI through 16 Oct 2026.
Verdict: Cursor is cheaper to enter ($8) but only if you stay on Grok; the moment you want Claude/GPT/Gemini you move to $30/mo plus metered API costs. Windsurf's $20 Pro is the more predictable single-line item.

IDE Integration

  • Cursor: Ships its own editor built as a VS Code fork, plus a CLI and a Slack integration. Deeply integrated, but you work inside Cursor's app — there is no JetBrains build.
  • Windsurf (Devin Desktop): Standalone IDE including syntax highlighting, autocomplete and debugging, plus the Agent Command Center. The Windsurf for JetBrains plugin (IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, and more) continues to be available for download per the official FAQ. Supports multiple agents over the Agent Client Protocol.
Verdict: Windsurf wins on breadth — it is the only one of the two you can keep using inside JetBrains, which is decisive for JVM/Python shops that will not switch editors.

Limitations (both)

  • Cursor: Third-party models now metered at API pricing instead of included; no JetBrains support; OpenAI direct supply faces a planned 2026-11-12 cutoff.
  • Windsurf (Devin Desktop): Brand migrated into Devin Desktop — existing users get an over-the-air update, but the product's identity is now tied to Devin's roadmap; smaller community than Cursor.
Verdict: Each has real gaps — pick by IDE plus whether you accept metered third-party model costs.

Trade-offs

Choose Cursor, you give up…

  • JetBrains IDE support (IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm)
  • Included usage for Claude / GPT / Gemini — now billed at API list price from Premium up
  • The Windsurf multi-agent command-center surface

Choose Windsurf (Devin Desktop), you give up…

  • The largest community and rules ecosystem in AI coding
  • Independence from Devin's platform roadmap — Windsurf is now Devin Desktop
  • Continuity of the product name and branding you may have standardised on internally

Supporting Evidence

Cursor is sold as part of The X Subscription; third-party models (Claude, GPT, Gemini) are not in the included usage pool and are billed at API list price from Premium upward. Plus and Free have no third-party models.
VERIFIED
OCT 2026
The X Subscription tiers: Free $0, Plus $8/mo, 高级 $30/mo, Super $100/mo, Ultra $200/mo; Teams $30/$100/$200 per seat per month; annual $80 / $300 / $1,000 / $2,000.
VERIFIED
OCT 2026
Cursor's included usage is a weekly pool shared with Grok (Grok Chat, Imagine, Voice, Grok Bot); legacy Pro / Pro+ / Ultra / Start and Teams Standard/Premium seats remain available unchanged with two monthly pools plus on-demand usage.
VERIFIED
OCT 2026
On Teams/Enterprise plans, third-party model requests incur a $0.25 per million token Cursor Token rate on top of API pricing, applying to both extra usage and BYOK; personal plans are exempt.
VERIFIED
OCT 2026
Windsurf has been rebranded as Devin Desktop; the site now states 'Devin Desktop is the new name for Windsurf', delivered as an over-the-air update that preserves plan, pricing, extensions and settings, including legacy Windsurf Enterprise plans.
VERIFIED
OCT 2026
Devin Desktop pricing: Free $0, Pro $20 per month, Max $200 per month, Teams $80/mo + $40/mo per full dev seat, Enterprise custom; usage allowance refreshes daily and weekly; SWE-2 free in Devin Desktop and CLI through 16 Oct 2026.
VERIFIED
OCT 2026
Windsurf for JetBrains (IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, and more) continues to be available for download after the Devin Desktop rebrand.
VERIFIED
OCT 2026
The Windsurf plugin is still distributed under the Windsurf name on the JetBrains Marketplace.
VERIFIED
OCT 2026
Cursor announced on 2026-10-12 that it is folded into The X Subscription, unifying Grok, Cursor and X Premium plans; existing Cursor subscribers may keep their current plan or switch, with third-party models moved to API-based billing.
VERIFIED
OCT 2026
OpenAI notified Cursor on 2026-08-28 of a planned 2026-11-12 termination of direct model supply; BYOK reportedly remains usable and OpenAI models are ≈5% of Cursor traffic. SpaceX completed an all-stock acquisition of Anysphere (~$60B) in early Aug 2026.
VERIFIED
OCT 2026

⚠ 每条证据均带抓取日期;产品定价与所有权在 2026 年内已多次变更,订阅前请以官网页面为准。

Limitations & Known Caveats

  • 本页此前依赖的定价与性能数据(两款产品的月费对比、SWE-bench Verified 分数、补全延迟、IDE 覆盖数量与长上下文上限)全部来自 2026-05 的单一第三方来源(Tech Insider / UIBakery),未获任一方官方背书;且 Windsurf 侧模型已更换为 SWE-2,该组对比不再代表当前产品,故整段移除而非沿用。
  • Windsurf 定价来自 windsurf.com/pricing,该 URL 现已解析为 Devin 定价页;部分第三方评测仍列出 Windsurf Pro $15 / Teams $30 / Enterprise $60 的旧价格,与官网现行口径不一致,本页以官网为准。
  • Cursor 定价与计费口径来自官方 Docs 与定价页(2026-10-18 抓取),但该页面当前同时承载 The X Subscription 的 Grok/X 权益说明,套餐权益可能在推广期内继续调整。
  • OpenAI → Cursor 断供为「拟定」状态(拟定 2026-11-12),截至本次核实(2026-10-18)尚未生效;Anthropic 对 Cursor 的算力支持仅有报道、无公开确认方案。落地后须复核本页表述。
  • 未做实际动手测试:本页为公开定价、官方 FAQ 与已核实报道的文档化对比,不含自有基准测试。
  • 两侧产品的所有权与品牌在 2026 年内均发生变更(Cursor→SpaceX;Windsurf→Cognition/Devin Desktop),本页结论的有效期短于常规决策页,建议按月复核。

Alternatives

Cursor · Windsurf (Devin Desktop) · GitHub Copilot · Claude Code

Bottom Line

Which should you choose?

Choose Cursor if…
  • You work primarily in a VS Code-style editor (JS/TS/Python web work).
  • You want the largest community and rules library.
  • You are comfortable with third-party frontier models being metered at API pricing.
Choose Windsurf if…
  • You use JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm) and will not switch editors.
  • You want to orchestrate multiple local and cloud agents from one command center.
  • You prefer one predictable $20/mo line item over a $30/mo plan plus metered model costs.
Still unsure? Choose Cursor for a mature VS Code-style coding loop with the biggest ecosystem; choose Windsurf (now Devin Desktop) for JetBrains support and multi-agent orchestration. If you depend on the newest OpenAI models, verify supply terms before committing — that is the one point where neither option is currently safe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Windsurf still called Windsurf?

No. Windsurf was rebranded as Devin Desktop on 2 Jun 2026 after Cognition acquired the product, brand, IP and remaining team in Jul 2025. The official FAQ states 'Devin Desktop is the new name for Windsurf', and the Windsurf for JetBrains plugin remains available for download. The Windsurf plugin listing also still exists on the JetBrains Marketplace.

Which is cheaper?

Cursor is cheaper to enter at Plus $8/mo, but Plus includes Grok models only. To use Claude, GPT or Gemini you need 高级 (Premium) at $30/mo, and those models are then billed at API list price against prepaid credits. Windsurf (Devin Desktop) is $20/mo for Pro with daily and weekly quota refresh. For most teams the honest comparison is $30/mo + metered usage versus $20/mo flat.

Does Cursor still support JetBrains IDEs?

No. Cursor ships its own editor (a VS Code fork) with a CLI and Slack integration; there is no JetBrains build. Windsurf for JetBrains remains downloadable, which is the main reason JetBrains-heavy teams pick it.

Will Cursor lose access to OpenAI models?

OpenAI notified Cursor on 2026-08-28 of a planned 2026-11-12 termination of direct supply, and reportedly will not provide new models before then. The cutoff applies to the official direct contract — BYOK (your own API key) was reported to remain usable, and OpenAI models are about 5% of Cursor traffic. This is a planned date, not yet in effect as of 18 Oct 2026.

Why were the old benchmark numbers removed?

The previous version of this page compared SWE-bench Verified scores and completion latency for both tools, citing a single third-party test from May 2026. Neither vendor published those figures, and Windsurf has since moved to the SWE-2 model, so they no longer describe the current products. They were removed rather than carried forward.

How should I choose between them today?

Decide on two questions. First, which editor you will not give up: if it is JetBrains, Windsurf (Devin Desktop) is the only option of the two. Second, whether you need third-party frontier models: if yes, budget for Cursor's $30/mo Premium tier plus metered API costs. If neither applies, Cursor's ecosystem and community are the safer default.

How Airdix Makes Decisions

⚖

Independence guarantee: recommendations are based only on criteria and evidence. A product can pay for visibility, but never for a recommendation. Every claim is traced to a source and marked with a verification date. Recommendation ≠ Paid Placement

Compares Cursor and Windsurf (now Devin Desktop) as they stand in October 2026, with emphasis on the ownership, pricing and model-supply changes that invalidated the previous version of this page.

DATA COLLECTED

Pricing and product facts taken from vendor-owned pages: Cursor Docs (models-and-pricing) and cursor.com/pricing; Windsurf/Devin Desktop site and windsurf.com/pricing; Devin Desktop official FAQ. Ownership and supply-cutoff timeline cross-checked against press coverage (IT之家, 51CTO) and the previously audited record in docs/18 §24.17. All sources retrieved 18 Oct 2026.

TESTED ON

No hands-on testing performed for this revision — it is a documented comparison of published pricing, official FAQ statements and verified reporting.

HOW TO VERIFY

Open cursor.com/pricing and windsurf.com/pricing to confirm current tiers; check the Devin Desktop FAQ for the JetBrains statement; re-run the same multi-file refactor in both tools and compare billed usage.

KNOWN LIMITATIONS

Pricing and plan entitlements change frequently and may differ by rollout cohort; the OpenAI cutoff date is planned, not executed. Figures sourced from a single vendor page are not independently reproduced.

LAST AUDITED

OCT 2026 · REWORK — ownership, pricing and supply-risk rewrite

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