DOA
Help me choose

Cursor vs Devin Desktop (Windsurf): which one to choose?

We compare Cursor and Devin Desktop (Windsurf) on price, devices, difficulty and who each one suits, using the data on their DOA pages.

Cursor

VS Code-based editor built for agentic coding: chat with the whole repo as context, autocomplete and a choice of models. Owned by SpaceX since August 2026.

See page Go to the official site ↗

Devin Desktop (Windsurf)

The editor formerly known as Windsurf. Cognition renamed it in June 2026 and replaced its Cascade agent with Devin, which works on your project locally or in the cloud.

See page Go to the official site ↗

DOA verdict for coding

Cursor wins, but only just

81.8 Cursor · 80 Devin Desktop (Windsurf) / 100

Developers who live in the editor. The best agent-plus-editor flow right now.

Why

  • DOA score in coding · Cursor: 98/100 vs 90/100
  • Free version · Devin Desktop (Windsurf): 70/100 vs 55/100
  • Ease of use: tie
  • Devices: tie

Pick Devin Desktop (Windsurf) if…

Developers who want an agent in the repo. If you used Windsurf, everything carries over.

How we decide: this verdict uses a formula of its own for comparisons, different from the DOA score: DOA score in coding (60%), free version (20%), ease of use (10%) and devices (10%). Data from each tool page, reviewed on 13 October 2026. How we calculate the DOA score and the verdict

CursorDevin Desktop (Windsurf)
PriceFreemium

Limited free Hobby. Pro $20, Pro+ $60 and Ultra $200 a month. Teams $40 per user.

Freemium

Free plan. Pro $20 and Max $200 a month; Teams $80 a month plus $40 per seat.

DevicesWindows · Mac · LinuxWindows · Mac · Linux
LevelSome practice neededSome practice needed
What it is forCodingCoding
DOA score83/10069/100
Key features
  • Chat with full-repo context
  • Tab completions and composer/agent
  • Project rules and swappable models
  • Devin agents, local and in the cloud
  • Editor with autocomplete
Pros
  • The best agent-plus-editor flow right now
  • High productivity on mid-size features
  • If you used Windsurf, everything carries over
  • Free tier to try it
Cons
  • Pro is almost required if you code every day
  • Diffs still need disciplined review
  • Cascade is gone: the agent is now Devin
  • Always review the code it writes

On the overall DOA score, Cursor gets 83/100 and Devin Desktop (Windsurf) 69/100. It is an indicative rating: try both on a real task before you pay.

Cursor is a better fit for

  • Developers who live in the editor
  • Startups that want to move tickets faster

Devin Desktop (Windsurf) is a better fit for

  • Developers who want an agent in the repo

More comparisons

Cursor vs GitHub CopilotClaude Code vs CursorClaude Code vs CodexLovable vs BoltBolt vs v0Replit vs LovableClaude Code vs Gemini CLI Alternatives to Cursor Alternatives to Devin Desktop (Windsurf)

All comparisons → All alternatives →