Best Windsurf Alternatives of 2026
Seven AI editors and coding agents to consider instead of Windsurf (now Devin Desktop), ranked on price, usage transparency, models and IDE fit.
By , research by the BestBots team ยท Updated Oct 19, 2026
Fact checked against each company's published pricing, documentation and verified user ratings. How we score
GitHub Copilot is the best Windsurf alternative for most developers: $10 a month with 1,500 published AI credits, unlimited completions, models from four labs and flat $19 team seats. If you want another dedicated AI editor at Windsurf's $20 price, Kiro publishes its credits and adds spec mode, and Cline is the best free option.
Our top picks
Why look beyond Windsurf
Windsurf, now Devin Desktop from Cognition, is a good value editor on paper: $20 Pro includes frontier models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and SpaceXAI, free SWE-2, unlimited Tab completions and Devin Cloud. People still look elsewhere for these reasons:
Unpublished quotas. Allowances refresh daily and weekly, but Cognition never states them as a number, so you cannot compare them with Copilot's 1,500 credits or Kiro's 1,000.
Pricing churn. Trustpilot shows 1.4 from 59 reviews, with about 93% one star, mostly about sudden quota changes, charges after cancellation and unanswered support email.
The rename. windsurf.com redirects to devin.ai, and docs and plan names now say Devin.
Team base fee. Teams costs $80 a month plus $40 per full seat, so three developers pay $200 a month.
No standalone CLI. Cognition does not list a terminal agent for Windsurf.
How to choose an alternative
Want an extension, not an editor? Copilot, Claude Code, Codex and Cline plug into VS Code; Copilot, Claude Code and JetBrains AI into JetBrains.
Want another AI editor? Kiro and Cursor are standalone Code OSS style editors.
Want numbers? Copilot and Kiro publish credits; JetBrains AI prices credits at $1 each; Cline shows every token.
Want the same models in the flat fee? Copilot and Kiro include Claude and GPT. Cursor does not; it bills them at API list price.
Our picks, in detail
- Starting price
- $10 per month
- Models
- Claude (Opus, Sonnet, Haiku, Fable), GPT 5 and 6 series, Gemini, Grok, Kimi, MAI
- IDE support
- VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Eclipse, Xcode, Neovim, Zed, GitHub.com
- Free plan
- Yes
Copilot Pro is $10 a month, half of Windsurf Pro, and publishes exactly what you get: 1,500 AI credits a month with unlimited completions and models from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and xAI. Teams pay a flat $19 a seat with no base fee, against Windsurf's $80 plus $40 per seat.
Pros
- Lowest paid entry among major agents at $10 a month, plus a usable free plan
- Agent mode in VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Eclipse and Xcode, plus a CLI
- Model menu spans Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and xAI on every plan
- Cloud agent turns an issue into a pull request on GitHub
- Highest VS Code Marketplace rating in this group: 4.1 from 1,058 reviews
Cons
- Agent work draws down metered AI credits; heavy users will pay $0.01 per extra credit
- Delegating to third party agents such as Claude and Codex needs Pro+ at $39
- Per GitHub's FAQ, interaction data from individual plans may be used by GitHub, while Business and Enterprise data is not used to train models
Skip it if you want a dedicated AI editor rather than an extension and CLI.
- Starting price
- $20 per user per month
- Models
- Auto, Claude Opus 5 and Sonnet 5, GPT 5.6 Sol, Terra and Luna, DeepSeek, MiniMax, GLM, Qwen
- IDE support
- Kiro IDE (Code OSS based, Open VSX plugins), web, mobile, ACP compatible IDEs
- Free plan
- Yes
Kiro is a Code OSS based agent IDE like Windsurf, at the same $20 price, but it lists its credits (1,000 on Pro) and a flat $0.04 overage. It adds spec mode, hooks, a CLI, Kiro Web cloud sandboxes and mobile, with Claude, GPT 5.6 and open weight models.
Pros
- Every plan lists its monthly credits, and add-on credits cost a flat $0.04
- Spec mode writes requirements, design and tasks before code, and hooks automate repeat work
- IDE, CLI, Kiro Web cloud sandboxes and mobile share one subscription
- Model menu spans Claude, GPT 5.6 and low cost open weight models
- Enterprise content is not used for service improvement and can be encrypted with customer managed keys
Cons
- Credits per task vary by model and task size, so monthly capacity is hard to predict
- Free and individual plan content may be used for service improvement unless you opt out
- Unused plan credits expire at month end
- Trustpilot shows only 7 reviews, too few to rate
Skip it if you want unlimited Tab completions on a free plan; Kiro Free is 50 credits.
- Starting price
- $8 per month
- Models
- Grok 4.7, 4.6, 4.5 and Composer 2.5 included; Claude, GPT, Gemini at API list price on Premium and up
- IDE support
- Cursor editor (desktop), Cloud Agents, mobile
- Free plan
- Yes
Cursor is the editor most Windsurf users compare against: agent, CLI, Cloud Agents, Automations, Bugbot code review and Origin hosting in one app, with a weekly pool and per tier multiples (4x, 15x, 50x) instead of an unstated quota.
Pros
- Full editor, CLI, Cloud Agents and Automations under one plan
- Bugbot code review and Origin code hosting included from Premium
- Weekly usage refresh, so one heavy day does not burn the month
- Very wide third party model menu at API list price, including Claude Opus 5.5 and GPT 5.6
Cons
- Included usage covers Cursor's own models only; Claude, GPT and Gemini are billed extra from prepaid credit
- The $8 Plus plan has no third party models, Cloud Agents or Bugbot
- Pricing is bundled with Grok and X features most developers do not need
- Trustpilot 1.5 from 348 reviews, with billing and support complaints
Skip it if you used Windsurf for Claude or GPT in the flat fee; Cursor bills those at API list price.
- Starting price
- $20 per month
- Models
- Claude Opus, Sonnet and Haiku; Fable via usage credits
- IDE support
- VS Code, Cursor (extension), JetBrains, desktop app, web
- Free plan
- No
Windsurf has no standalone CLI listed; Claude Code is terminal first, with VS Code, JetBrains, desktop and web surfaces on one Claude plan from $20. Max at $100 or $200 gives flat heavy use.
Pros
- Included with every paid Claude plan, so the $20 Pro seat also covers the Claude chat apps
- Runs in the terminal, VS Code, JetBrains, a desktop app and the web from one subscription
- Max plans at $100 and $200 add 5x or 20x Pro usage plus monthly API credits
- CLI, VS Code and JetBrains can also run on third party providers or an API key
Cons
- Not available on the free Claude plan
- Subscription use is limited to Claude models; no GPT or Gemini option
- Usage is metered per 5 hour session with no published message count
- VS Code Marketplace rating is 3.7 from 829 reviews, below GitHub Copilot's 4.1
Skip it if you want several labs' models on one plan.
- Starting price
- $20 per month
- Models
- GPT 6.1 Sol, GPT 6 Sol, GPT 6 Astra, GPT 6 Luna
- IDE support
- IDE extension, desktop app, web, iOS
- Free plan
- Yes
Codex comes with ChatGPT Plus at $20 and covers the CLI, IDE extension, desktop, web and iOS, with cloud tasks and automatic GitHub code review. Pro from $100 currently has no 5 hour limit.
Pros
- Bundled with ChatGPT Plus, so one $20 seat covers chat and coding
- Runs in the CLI, IDE, desktop app, web and iOS
- Pro plans currently have no 5 hour limit
- API key mode for CI and automation at API rates
Cons
- Usage per 5 hours varies widely by model and task, and weekly limits may apply
- Free and Go access is desktop only and subject to rollout
- Subscription use is limited to OpenAI models
- VS Code Marketplace rating 2.9 from 722 reviews
Skip it if you want an editor; Codex is an agent that plugs into your editor.
- Starting price
- $0 per month plus model usage
- Models
- Any provider: Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter, Bedrock, Vertex, Groq, DeepSeek and more
- IDE support
- VS Code, CLI, desktop app (beta), Cline Cloud in the browser; JetBrains on Enterprise
- Free plan
- Yes
Cline is free and open source, with no quota to guess at: you pay your model provider per token and can see every request. It runs in VS Code, the CLI, a desktop beta and Cline Cloud.
Pros
- Free and open source, with about 71k GitHub stars shown on its site
- Bring your own keys from almost any model provider, so no vendor lock in
- Inference bought through Cline is sold at cost
- VS Code Marketplace rating 4.0 from 323 reviews
- Cline Cloud runs up to 10 parallel sessions in cloud sandboxes and pushes to a cline/ branch
Cons
- No plan cap: costs track tokens, so heavy agent use on frontier models can get expensive
- JetBrains extension, SSO and team management are Enterprise features
- Desktop app is still a beta (version 0.0.48 in October 2026)
Skip it if you want a fixed monthly bill.
- Starting price
- $10 per month
- Models
- Claude Opus, Sonnet and Fable, Gemini 3.1 Pro and 3.8 Flash, GPT 6 Astra and 6.1 Sol, Grok 4.7, BYOK and local
- IDE support
- JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm and others), Air
- Free plan
- Yes
If you used Windsurf for JetBrains, JetBrains AI and the Junie agent are native to IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm and the rest, with $1 credits, free Junie Lite and bring your own key at zero markup.
Pros
- Credits are priced at a flat $1 each, so spend is easy to forecast
- Junie Lite is free in every JetBrains account, and BYOK runs at provider rates with zero markup
- Junie runs in the IDE, a CLI, GitHub Actions and GitLab CI
- Detailed code data is never collected from commercial users without explicit consent; SOC 2 certified
Cons
- Included usage is small: 10 credits on $10 AI Pro, 35 on $30 Ultimate
- Tied to JetBrains IDEs; no VS Code extension
- JetBrains Marketplace votes average about 2.1 from 1,439 for AI Assistant and 2.9 from 509 for Junie
- Enterprise credit counts are not disclosed yet
Skip it if you need much included usage; AI Pro has 10 credits a month.
Price comparison
| Tool | Entry paid | Heavy | Team, 10 seats a month | Free plan | Usage stated as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windsurf (Devin Desktop) | $20 | $200 | $480 | Yes | Not published |
| GitHub Copilot | $10 | $39 or $100 | $190 | Yes | 1,500 to 20,000 credits |
| Kiro | $20 | $100 or $200 | $200 | Yes | 1,000 to 10,000 credits |
| Cursor | $30 (Premium) | $100 or $200 | $300 plus usage | Limited | 4x, 15x, 50x Plus |
| Claude Code | $20 | $100 or $200 | $250 ($200 annually) | No | 5 hour window |
| Codex | $20 | $100, $200 or $500 | $250 ($200 annually) | Desktop only | 5 hour estimates |
| Cline | $0 plus tokens | Token bill | Enterprise | Yes | Tokens |
| JetBrains AI | $10 | $30 | $200 (AI Pro, orgs) | Yes | $1 credits |
Prices as listed on each vendor's pricing page or docs in October 2026.
What you give up
Windsurf's mix is hard to copy exactly: frontier models from four labs on a $20 plan, unlimited Tab completions even on Free, free SWE-2, cloud handoff to Devin, an Agent Command Center that can run Codex, Claude Agent and OpenCode next to its own agents, and plugins for JetBrains and VS Code (the VS Code plugin rates 4.7 from 1,472 reviews). If your only complaint is the missing quota number, try a month while watching the usage meter before you switch.
How we picked
We compared AI editors and agents that cover Windsurf's jobs (completions, editor agent, cloud handoff, multi agent management) using published facts: pricing pages and docs opened in October 2026, plus public review listings with at least 10 reviews. We did not run benchmarks. Devin is left out because it shares Windsurf's plan. Order is editorial and no vendor paid for placement. See how we score and the best AI coding agents ranking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Windsurf?
GitHub Copilot for most developers: $10 a month with 1,500 published AI credits, unlimited completions, models from four labs and no team base fee. If you want another dedicated AI editor at the same $20, Kiro publishes its credits and adds spec mode; Cursor is the most complete editor but bills third party models extra.
Is Windsurf the same as Devin Desktop?
Yes. Cognition says Devin Desktop is the new name for Windsurf, and windsurf.com redirects to devin.ai. Plans, pricing, extensions and settings carried over in an over the air update.
Is there a free Windsurf alternative?
Cline is free and open source; you pay only for model tokens. Copilot Free includes 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests a month, Kiro Free includes 50 credits, and JetBrains AI Free includes Junie Lite and 3 credits.
Cursor or Windsurf in 2026?
Windsurf Pro at $20 includes frontier models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and SpaceXAI in its quota. Cursor Premium at $30 includes only Cursor's Grok and Composer models and bills Claude, GPT and Gemini at API list price, but adds Bugbot and states tiers as usage multiples. See our Cursor vs Windsurf comparison.
What is the best Codeium alternative?
Codeium became Windsurf, which is now Devin Desktop; the Windsurf Plugin for VS Code is the old Codeium extension and rates 4.7 from 1,472 reviews. If you want to leave the product line entirely, GitHub Copilot is the closest extension based alternative, with unlimited completions on Pro at $10.
Why are people leaving Windsurf?
On Trustpilot, Windsurf scores 1.4 from 59 reviews, with complaints about sudden pricing and quota changes, quotas that run out fast, billing after cancellation and slow support. The recent rename to Devin Desktop has also moved docs and plan names.