Windsurf Review 2026
AI-powered code editor (formerly Codeium) built on VS Code. Features Cascade, an agentic AI that can plan and execute multi-step coding tasks with deep codebase awareness.
Try Windsurf
Start free — no credit card required.
Pricing Model
freemium
Starting Price
Free
Last Updated
February 2026
✅ Pros
- Cheaper than Cursor ($15 vs $20)
- Cascade agent is powerful and improving fast
- Free tier is generous
- VS Code base means familiar UX
❌ Cons
- Cascade less reliable than Cursor's agent
- Smaller community and fewer resources
- Occasional context window issues
- Brand transition (Codeium → Windsurf) caused confusion
Key Features
Windsurf Review 2026
Windsurf (formerly Codeium) is Cursor’s most direct competitor — a VS Code fork with deep AI integration. Its Cascade feature brings agentic coding capabilities at a lower price point than Cursor.
Who is Windsurf best for?
Developers who want agentic AI coding but find Cursor too expensive. Windsurf offers similar capabilities at 75% of the price, with a more generous free tier.
Pricing breakdown
| Plan | Price | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Unlimited autocomplete, limited Cascade |
| Pro | $15/mo | Unlimited Cascade, premium models |
| Teams | $30/user/mo | Admin controls, centralized billing |
Bottom line
Windsurf is the best value in AI coding editors. It’s not quite at Cursor’s level for complex agentic tasks, but the gap is closing fast, and the price advantage is real. A strong choice for developers who want AI-powered coding without the Cursor premium.
Similar Tools
Anthropic API (Claude)
API access to Claude models for coding and reasoning.
Bolt.new
AI app builder that generates and deploys web apps in-browser.
ChatGPT
The most popular AI chatbot for writing, coding, and analysis.
Claude Code
Anthropic's terminal-based agentic coding assistant.
Claude
Anthropic's reasoning-focused AI for analysis and writing.
GitHub Copilot
AI pair programmer that autocompletes code in your IDE.
Cursor
AI-first code editor with deep codebase understanding.
Gemini
Google's AI chatbot with deep Workspace integration.
Lovable
Build full-stack web apps from natural language prompts.
OpenAI API
The most popular AI API — GPT-4o, o1, and DALL-E.
Replit
AI coding agent that builds and deploys apps in the browser.
v0 by Vercel
AI UI generator that creates React components from prompts.