Windsurf

What is Windsurf?

Windsurf is an agentic AI code editor, built by the team behind Codeium, in which an agent called Cascade understands a whole codebase and makes multi-file edits. It is now owned by Cognition, the company behind Devin.

Key capabilities of Windsurf

• Cascade agent: Plans and applies edits across files and keeps awareness of what the developer is doing.
• Tab autocomplete: Fast completions that predict the next edit as well as the next token.
• Codebase context retrieval: Indexes the repository so the agent can reference relevant files.
• Command execution: Cascade can run terminal commands and react to the output.
• Live previews: Preview a running web app in the IDE and send elements back to the agent.

How Windsurf works

A developer describes a task in the Cascade panel, and the agent searches the indexed codebase, proposes edits across files, runs commands and checks results. Edits appear as diffs to accept or reject. Usage is governed by daily and weekly quotas that vary by plan rather than monthly credits, according to third-party reporting of the March 2026 change.

Who uses Windsurf?

Professional developers, startups and engineering teams who want an AI-first editor rather than a plugin use it. Enterprises evaluate its self-hosted and admin controls, and students may qualify for a discounted plan.

Windsurf pricing

Third-party sources report Free at $0, Pro at $20 per month, Max at $200 per month and Teams at $40 per user per month, with custom Enterprise pricing and annual billing discounts. Check the vendor pricing page for current quotas.

Windsurf alternatives

Cursor is the closest AI-native editor and also forks VS Code, GitHub Copilot adds agent features inside existing IDEs, and Claude Code works from the terminal. Windsurf is differentiated by its Cascade agent and its JetBrains plugin.