Consider Cursor when…
Shortlist Cursor when you mainly use its own models and want cloud agents, automations, and Bugbot code review in the same subscription.
Explore Cursor alternativesFIND YOUR FIT
Cursor vs Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)
Cursor vs Windsurf (now Devin Desktop): compare two AI code editors by model access, usage quotas, and agent features, from official pricing and docs.
The decision in brief
Both are desktop AI editors with completions and a coding agent, and Windsurf now ships as Devin Desktop. The practical difference is model access: Cursor's paid pool covers its own models and charges third-party models at API rates, while Devin Desktop's paid plans include frontier models from several providers within a daily and weekly quota.
A focused editorial selection based on the linked official documentation. Fit notes are our judgment, rather than firsthand benchmark results or a universal ranking. How we select and verify information.
Compare the working details
| Decision factor | Cursor | Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) |
|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Agent-led coding in a desktop editor, with cloud agents, automations, and AI code review on higher plans. | An AI-first editor with Tab completions and a local agent, plus a view for managing several agents and cloud sessions at once. |
| Working setup | Install the desktop app on macOS, Windows, or Linux, open a project, describe a change to the Agent, then review the diff and run the tests. | Install it on macOS, Windows, or Linux, import your VS Code or Cursor settings during onboarding, then work with the agent in the editor. |
| Pricing model | A free plan with limited Agent and Chat use. Paid plans share a weekly usage pool for Cursor's own models; third-party models such as Claude, GPT, and Gemini are not in the pool and are billed at API list price from prepaid credit on Premium and above. Teams plans are per seat. | A free plan with a light agent quota, limited models, and unlimited Tab completions. Paid plans add frontier models from several providers within a quota that refreshes daily and weekly, with extra usage at API pricing; team plans add a per-seat charge. |
| What to verify | The entry paid plan covers Cursor's own models only; if you rely on Claude, GPT, or Gemini, price that usage separately at API rates. | Quotas refresh daily and weekly and cost per message varies by model; run a typical day's work before relying on the included allowance. |
Which belongs on your shortlist?
Consider Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) when…
Shortlist Devin Desktop when you switch between Claude, GPT, Gemini, and other models day to day and want that usage inside one plan quota.
Run the same evaluation in both
- Use the same repository and a task that touches at least three files and needs a new test.
- Run it with the model you would use day to day, and note whether that model draws from the included quota or from separate credit.
- Record how much of each tool's allowance one task used, then estimate a full working week.
Try the same task before you choose
Make one change in a small codebase
Use the same fictional repository in each candidate: a small invoicing API with a list endpoint, a test suite, and one failing test. Ask each tool to add a CSV export for invoices, fix the failing test, and leave a fictional .env file untouched. Compare the result, how much you had to steer it, and what the run cost.
Every check starts as Not run. Record your own observations; these are evaluation criteria, rather than completed product tests. Your worksheet stays in this page and can be downloaded.
| Task and expected observation | Cursor | Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) |
|---|---|---|
| Ask how the invoice list endpoint works A correct explanation that names the route, handler, and test files without you pointing to them. | ||
| Ask for a plan before any edits A short plan listing the files to change and the test to add, which you can adjust before it starts. | ||
| Add the CSV export and its test Changes across the route, handler, and tests that follow the existing code style, shown as a reviewable diff. | ||
| Run the test suite The tool runs the tests, reads the failure, fixes the originally failing test, and reports all tests passing. | ||
| Check what it touched The fictional .env file is unread and unchanged, and every command it ran needed or respected your approval settings. | ||
| Have a second person review the change A teammate can follow the diff and commit message, and the change could be opened as a pull request. | ||
| Record usage for the task Note the model used and how much quota, credit, or API spend the task consumed, then estimate a clearly labelled working week. |
0 of 14 checks have an observation. An observation does not imply a passed test.
Sources and check dates
Provider documentation supports the product and billing descriptions. Confirm current limits and terms before choosing a plan.
Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)
Checked
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