Head-to-head comparison
Cursor vs Devin Desktop (Windsurf)
Cursor and the former Windsurf, now Devin Desktop, are active coding environments for supervised development. The main differences are their agent workflows, model access, and usage rules rather than a large overall score gap.
Updated
Cursor
Free plan · from $8/mo
An AI coding editor for people who want to inspect, steer, and maintain real code.
Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)
Free plan · from $20/mo
The former Windsurf editor now combines local coding and cloud agents under Devin Desktop.
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Category by category
| Category | Cursor | Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease for Beginners · 25% Both require comfort with project files, code review, and development tools rather than hiding the implementation. Cursor 6.4Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) 6.5Winner: Tie | 6.4 | 6.5 | Tie |
| Speed to MVP · 20% Both support agent-assisted implementation and parallel work without a meaningful speed-score gap. Cursor 8.3Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) 8.3Winner: Tie | 8.3 | 8.3 | Tie |
| Full-Stack Capability · 15% Both operate on real codebases and tools, leaving infrastructure choices to the project. Cursor 8.7Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) 8.7Winner: Tie | 8.7 | 8.7 | Tie |
| Customization & Control · 15% Cursor’s rules and integrations and Devin Desktop’s ACP agent support both provide strong code control. Cursor 9.4Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) 9.2Winner: Tie | 9.4 | 9.2 | Tie |
| Deployment & Hosting · 10% Both have cloud development tools, but neither establishes an all-inclusive production hosting workflow. Cursor 6.7Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) 6.8Winner: Tie | 6.7 | 6.8 | Tie |
| Pricing Value · 10% Devin Desktop’s Pro access compares favorably with Cursor’s new model restrictions, although quotas remain difficult to budget. Cursor 7.0Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) 7.5Winner: Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) | 7.0 | 7.5 | Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) |
| Community & Support · 5% Both publish help and higher-tier assistance, without a meaningful support-score separation. Cursor 8.0Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) 8.1Winner: Tie | 8.0 | 8.1 | Tie |
The verdict
Choose Cursor for its configurable editor and code-review workflow. Choose Devin Desktop for its local-and-cloud agent command center. Test the exact models and quotas you need before committing; neither is a fully managed no-code hosting service.
How to choose
Cursor and Devin Desktop both make sense when you want to remain involved with the code. Cursor emphasizes a configurable editor with rules, extensions, and local or remote work. Devin Desktop combines editor access with its Agent Command Center, shared Spaces, and ACP-compatible agents. Neither product should be evaluated as if it were a guided hosted app builder.
Budget fit can be more decisive than the small score difference. Cursor’s new subscriptions use a weekly pool and separate eligible third-party model charges; existing customers can keep legacy plans unless they switch. Devin Desktop refreshes quotas daily and weekly, with extra usage available at API prices. A builder who works in concentrated bursts should pay particular attention to those limits. On both, review a plan and small changes before delegating larger work.
FAQ
What happened to Windsurf?
Windsurf became Devin Desktop under Cognition. The editor remains active with local and cloud agent-management capabilities.
Did the SpaceX acquisition close Cursor?
No. Cursor remains active under its existing product name after the acquisition.
Is the lowest subscription the best model value?
Not necessarily. New Cursor Plus excludes third-party models, while Devin Desktop uses daily and weekly quotas without exact public token allowances. Compare the specific model workflow you need.