Cursor vs Windsurf (now Devin Desktop)
Pick Cursor. It's our S-tier AI editor and the most polished one for everyday shipping. Windsurf still works well, but it's now Devin Desktop under Cognition and its roadmap is in flux, so it sits at B-tier.
Pick Cursor. It's our S-tier AI editor and the most polished one for everyday shipping. Windsurf still works well, but it's now Devin Desktop under Cognition and its roadmap is in flux, so it sits…
| Tool | Tier | Use case | What it is | Why this tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cursor | S | AI IDEs & editors | AI-native code editor with agent mode and tab completion. | The most polished AI editor for everyday shipping. |
| Windsurf (Devin Desktop) | B | AI IDEs & editors | The Windsurf AI IDE, now part of Cognition. windsurf.com redirects to Devin Desktop. | Still a capable editor, but its direction is in flux after the merger. |
How they differ
Status
Cursor is an independent, AI-native editor. Windsurf became part of Cognition, and windsurf.com now redirects to Devin Desktop.
Daily editing
Both are VS Code-style editors with an agent mode. Cursor's tab completion and agent are the reason it's S-tier.
Risk
With Windsurf you're betting on how Cognition merges it with Devin. Cursor's direction is clearer.
Which should you pick?
- Choose Cursor if you want the safest, most polished AI editor today.
- Choose Windsurf (Devin Desktop) if you already use it and like it, or you plan to adopt Cognition's Devin agent.
Also worth a look: GitHub Copilot (A) · Cline (A) · Google Antigravity (A).