The price gap that used to make this an easy call is gone. As of March 2026, Windsurf dropped its credit system for a quota model and set Pro at $20/month — exactly [Cursor](/entry/cursor-vs-anthropic-which-pricing-model-fits-your-ai-powered-workflow) Pro. Both went to $40/seat for Teams, and both added a $200 power tier.
| Pro | Team | Power | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windsurf | $20/mo | $40/seat | Max $200/mo |
| Cursor | $20/mo | from $40/seat | Ultra $200/mo |
So the decision moved to everything else. Two things separate them:
IDE support. Cursor is a VS Code fork — you use Cursor or you don't get Cursor. Windsurf ships 40+ plugins: [JetBrains](/entry/jetbrains-vs-vs-code-vs-zed-what-your-editor-costs-in-2026), Vim, Neovim, Xcode, and more. If you're a JetBrains user or you don't want to leave your editor, Windsurf works where Cursor requires switching.
The billing rhythm. Cursor's monthly credit pool means you can burn through it hard one week and idle the next; Windsurf's daily/weekly quotas are more predictable but less flexible. And Windsurf bundles unlimited access to SWE-1.5, Cognition's own coding model that runs much faster than Sonnet — so you get more model access at the same price.
Compliance, if it matters to you: Windsurf carries SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP/DoD, ITAR; Cursor has SOC 2 only.
At $20 either way, pick Cursor if you're happy in a VS Code fork and want the tightest agent-in-editor experience — it's still the one most people reach for. Pick Windsurf if you live in JetBrains or another editor, want predictable usage limits, or need the heavier compliance certifications.