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Cursor vs Windsurf

A detailed side-by-side comparison to help you choose the right tool

Feature Cursor Windsurf
Starting PriceFreeFree
Free TierYesYes
Rating★★★★4.7 ★ Best★★★★4.3
Best ForPower developers wanting AI-first autonomous editing and multi-file refactoring capabilitiesDevelopers wanting an AI-first IDE with agentic multi-step coding at a lower price than Cursor
API Access
Team Collaboration
Templates
Browser Extension
Mobile App
Pros
  • Best multi-file autonomous editing (Composer mode)
  • Repository-wide context understanding
  • Supports multiple AI models on one subscription
  • Cascade agent for multi-step autonomous coding
  • More affordable Teams plan vs. Cursor Business
  • Supercomplete for fast predictions
Cons
  • Standalone IDE — can't be a plugin in existing environments
  • Premium request limits can be hit quickly on Pro
  • Ultra plan at $200/mo is expensive for individuals
  • Self-hosted deployment entering maintenance mode
  • Context window limitations documented for large files
  • Requires Oracle Cloud processing even in privacy mode

Our Verdict

Cursor and Windsurf serve different needs. Cursor has a higher user rating (4.7 vs 4.3). Choose Cursor if you need power developers wanting ai-first autonomous editing and multi-file refactoring capabilities. Choose Windsurf if you need developers wanting an ai-first ide with agentic multi-step coding at a lower price than cursor.