Quick answer
Cursor or Windsurf? Choose Cursor if you want developers — and Lovable/Bolt users after export. Choose Windsurf if you want budget-conscious developers trying agentic coding. In our hands-on testing Cursor scored 8.5/10 vs 7.8/10 — full breakdown below.
At a glance
| Cursor | Windsurf | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Developers — and Lovable/Bolt users after export | Budget-conscious developers trying agentic coding |
| Price from | $20/mo | $15/mo |
| Our score | 8.5 | 7.8 |
| Generates | Anything — it's an editor | Anything — editor-based |
| Code ownership | Yours by definition | Yours by definition |
| Deploy | Bring your own (Vercel etc.) | Bring your own |
Where each one wins
Cursor strengths
- Best agentic coding on real codebases
- Works with any stack
- The natural export path from app builders
Windsurf strengths
- Cheapest serious agentic editor
- Cascade agent handles multi-file edits well
- Clean, focused UX
Cursor weaknesses
- You must read code — not for non-devs
- No hosting/deploy of its own
- Usage limits on heavy agent work
Windsurf weaknesses
- Smaller ecosystem than Cursor
- Model access varies by plan
- Same "read the code" requirement
Pricing side by side
| Plan | Cursor | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|
| Hobby | $0 — Limited completions | $0 — Generous credits for light use |
| Pro | $20/mo — Frontier-model usage limits apply | $15/mo — Cheapest paid agentic editor |
Our verdict
Cursor (8.5/10): Not an app builder — the tool you graduate to when prompting stops being enough.
Windsurf (7.8/10): Cursor's value-priced rival — the smart pick if $20/mo feels steep for agentic coding.
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