Cline vs Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

Both are in our AI IDEs & editors tier list: Cline is A-tier and Windsurf (Devin Desktop) is B-tier.

No editor verdict yet. This page shows the data side by side; the tiers come from our AI IDEs & editors tier list.

Cline vs Windsurf (Devin Desktop), side by side
Field	Cline	Windsurf (Devin Desktop)
Tier	A	B
Why this tier	It is the best free, model-agnostic agent inside VS Code. You bring your own API key, so you control which model you pay for.	It is still a capable editor. Windsurf is now part of Cognition and its direction is in flux after the merger, so it sits at B-tier while that settles.
Best for	A free, model-agnostic agent inside VS Code Bringing your own API key	Existing Windsurf users who like it Teams planning to adopt Cognition's Devin agent
Skip if	You want one subscription with models included You don't use VS Code	You want an editor with a clear roadmap today You're choosing your first AI editor
Plans	Not verified	Devin Desktop Pro: $20/mo Devin Desktop Max: $200/mo Sources
Free tier	Yes: Open-source software (Apache-2.0); you pay your model provider (source: github.com/cline/cline, checked 17 Oct 2026)	Yes: Free plan: $0, light agent quota, limited model availability, unlimited inline edits and Tab completions (source: devin.ai/pricing, checked 17 Oct 2026)
Key facts	Open source: yes (Apache-2.0)	Not verified
Last checked	16 Oct 2026	16 Oct 2026
Tier history	A since 14 Oct 2026: Initial ranking at launch	B since 14 Oct 2026: Initial ranking at launch
Recent patch notes	Not verified	Devin Desktop v3.11.238: Cyber Verification Program switch (30 Oct) Devin Desktop v3.11.234: lower memory use in Devin Local (29 Oct) Devin Desktop v3.11.231: consistent Allow and Reject buttons (28 Oct)

Tools last checked 16 Oct 2026. Tiers are editorial opinion: how we rank · More AI IDEs & editors comparisons · All comparisons