GitHub Copilot vs Windsurf: Pricing, Models and Which to Pick
The most used coding assistant against the editor formerly called Windsurf, compared on October 2026 prices, usage metering, IDE coverage, models and privacy.
By , research by the BestBots team · Updated Oct 19, 2026
Fact checked against each company's published pricing, documentation and verified user ratings. How we score
GitHub Copilot is the better choice for most developers and teams: Pro is $10 with 1,500 published AI credits, Business is a flat $19 a seat, and it works inside nearly every IDE. Windsurf, now Devin Desktop, wins if you want a dedicated AI editor with unlimited free Tab completions, multi agent management and Devin cloud agents on one $20 plan.
Windsurf (Devin Desktop)4.0From $20 per month (per seat subscription plus usage)
Visit Windsurf (Devin Desktop)Side by side
| Spec | GitHub Copilot | Windsurf (Devin Desktop) |
|---|---|---|
| BestBots Score | 4.6 | 4.0 |
| Starting price | $10 per month | $20 per month |
| Pricing model | per seat subscription plus AI credits | per seat subscription plus usage |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Price | $10 per month (Pro); Free plan available | $20 per month (Pro); Free plan available |
| Models | Claude (Opus, Sonnet, Haiku, Fable), GPT 5 and 6 series, Gemini, Grok, Kimi, MAI | OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and SpaceXAI frontier models, SWE-2, open source models such as Kimi |
| IDE support | VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Eclipse, Xcode, Neovim, Zed, GitHub.com | Devin Desktop editor (formerly Windsurf, macOS download), Windsurf for JetBrains, Windsurf Plugin for VS Code |
| Terminal agent | Yes, Copilot CLI on every plan including Free | Not listed; agents run in the editor and Devin Cloud |
| Usage limits | AI credits: Pro 1,500, Pro+ 7,000, Max 20,000 a month; extra $0.01 per credit | Daily and weekly quotas, not published as numbers; extra at API pricing |
| Team plan | Business $19 and Enterprise $39 per seat per month | Teams $80 per month plus $40 per full dev seat |
The short answer
- Copilot is an extension, a CLI and a cloud agent built into GitHub, metered in AI credits except for completions, which are unlimited on paid plans.
- Windsurf (Devin Desktop) is a standalone AI editor from Cognition with an Agent Command Center, metered by daily and weekly quotas that are not published as numbers.
Pick Copilot for price, published limits, IDE choice, GitHub integration and team cost. Pick Windsurf for a dedicated editor, free unlimited Tab, running several agents side by side, or JetBrains users who want the Windsurf agent there.
Pricing
| GitHub Copilot | Windsurf (Devin Desktop) | |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 2,000 completions, 50 chat requests, agent mode, CLI | Unlimited Tab and inline edits, light agent quota |
| Entry | Pro $10 (1,500 credits) | Pro $20 |
| Mid | Pro+ $39 (7,000 credits) | Not applicable |
| Heavy | Max $100 (20,000 credits) | Max $200 |
| Overage | $0.01 per credit | API pricing |
| Team | Business $19 per seat | $80 a month plus $40 per full seat |
| Enterprise | $39 per seat | Custom |
| Limits published | Yes, credits | No |
Prices as listed in October 2026.
One developer, one year. Copilot Pro: $120. Windsurf Pro: $240.
Team of 5. Copilot Business: $95. Windsurf Teams: $280.
Team of 25. Copilot Business: $475. Windsurf Teams: $1,080.
Models and features
| GitHub Copilot | Windsurf (Devin Desktop) | |
|---|---|---|
| Models | Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok, Kimi, MAI | OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, SpaceXAI, open source, SWE-2 |
| Form factor | Extension, CLI, GitHub.com | Standalone editor, JetBrains plugin, VS Code plugin |
| IDEs | VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Eclipse, Xcode, Neovim, Zed | Devin Desktop, JetBrains (Windsurf plugin), VS Code (Windsurf Plugin) |
| Terminal | Copilot CLI on every plan | Not listed |
| Cloud agent | Issue to pull request on GitHub | Devin Cloud |
| Multi agent | Delegate to Claude and Codex on Pro+ and Max | Agent Command Center with ACP agents |
| Code review | Included from Pro | Diff review before push |
| Completions | Unlimited on paid plans | Unlimited on every plan |
| Concurrent sessions | Not listed | Up to 10 on Pro and Max |
Head to head scenarios
Budget individual
Winner: Copilot. $10 against $20, with published credits and models from four labs.
Free autocomplete
Winner: Windsurf. Unlimited Tab completions and inline edits on the Free plan, against Copilot Free's 2,000 completions a month.
Teams of any size
Winner: Copilot. $19 a seat with pooled credits, IP indemnity and policy controls, against $80 plus $40 a seat.
Developers who want a dedicated AI editor
Winner: Windsurf. A full editor with Supercomplete, Fast Context, an agent command center and cloud handoff. Copilot lives inside your existing editor.
Visual Studio, Xcode or Eclipse users
Winner: Copilot. Agent mode runs in all three; Windsurf does not list them.
Predictable budgeting
Winner: Copilot. Credits per plan are published and extra credits cost $0.01. Windsurf's quotas are not stated as numbers.
Running both, and switching
Using both. Some developers keep Copilot for its GitHub integration and cloud agent, and use the free Windsurf plan purely for unlimited Tab completions. Others use Devin Desktop as the editor and keep a Copilot seat for Visual Studio or Xcode projects. Both setups are legitimate and cost $10 to $30 a month.
Moving from Windsurf to Copilot. Install Copilot in VS Code or your JetBrains IDE, sign in with GitHub, and choose a Claude, GPT or Gemini model to match what you used in Windsurf. You will lose the Agent Command Center and Devin Cloud handoff, but gain published credits and the cloud agent on GitHub.
Moving from Copilot to Windsurf. Download Devin Desktop, add the extensions you rely on, and connect GitHub. Expect a usage meter instead of a credit count; watch it for the first few weeks so you know whether Pro is enough or Max at $200 is needed.
What to watch in month one. On Copilot, credits used against your base allotment. On Windsurf, how often you hit the daily or weekly quota and whether switching routine work to SWE-2 keeps you under it.
Privacy
Copilot. GitHub may use interactions from Free, Pro and Pro+ users to train models unless they opt out in settings; it does not use Business or Enterprise data for training. Business adds IP indemnity and a public code duplication filter.
Windsurf. Cognition says inputs and outputs remain your IP, zero data retention is enforced with model providers, every session runs in its own VM, and it holds SOC 2 Type II. Enterprise adds VPC deployment and SSO.
For individuals who care about training, Windsurf's zero retention statement is stronger by default; on Copilot, flip the opt out on day one.
User sentiment
Copilot rates 4.1 from 1,058 reviews on the VS Code Marketplace. The Windsurf Plugin for VS Code rates 4.7 from 1,472, while the Windsurf brand scores 1.4 from 59 on Trustpilot, mostly about pricing and quota changes and support.
Verdict
GitHub Copilot wins four of six scenarios and is the better pick for most developers and nearly every team: half the price to start, published credits, the widest IDE coverage and no team base fee. Windsurf (Devin Desktop) wins for people who want a dedicated AI editor and for free unlimited autocomplete. Full detail in our GitHub Copilot review and Windsurf review.
Frequently asked questions
Is Copilot better than Windsurf?
For most developers, yes on value: Copilot Pro is $10 with 1,500 published AI credits, models from four labs and agent mode in VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Eclipse and Xcode. Windsurf (Devin Desktop) is better if you want a dedicated AI editor, unlimited free Tab completions, multi agent management and Devin cloud agents on one plan.
Is Windsurf free?
Windsurf's Free plan includes unlimited Tab completions and inline edits plus a light agent quota with limited models. Copilot Free includes 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests a month with agent mode and the CLI. For free autocomplete, Windsurf is more generous.
Which is cheaper for teams?
Copilot. Business is $19 per seat with 1,900 pooled credits per user and no base fee. Windsurf Teams is $80 a month plus $40 per full dev seat, so 10 developers cost $190 on Copilot and $480 on Windsurf.
What happened to Codeium?
Codeium became Windsurf, and Cognition has now renamed the Windsurf editor to Devin Desktop. The Windsurf Plugin for VS Code is listed as formerly Codeium and rates 4.7 from 1,472 reviews.
Do both include Claude and GPT?
Yes. Copilot's credits cover Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok and other models. Windsurf Pro's quota covers frontier models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and SpaceXAI plus open source models and Cognition's SWE-2.
Which has clearer limits?
Copilot. It publishes credits per plan (1,500 on Pro, 7,000 on Pro+, 20,000 on Max) and charges $0.01 per extra credit. Windsurf refreshes quotas daily and weekly without publishing a number, and extra usage bills at API pricing.