Hobby
$0
Comparison · prices checked every day
Cursor vs Windsurf: which is worth paying for?
The current plans and our verdict on each tool, side by side. Prices come from each vendor's own pricing page and are checked every day.
Prices, verdicts, test results or user reports behind this comparison changed on Sep 28, 2026. We are re-checking it; the plan table below always shows the current prices.
The short answer
Choose Cursor if…
- you want a free plan with Composer and limited agent requests
- you prefer per-token pricing with extended agent limits on the $20/month Pro plan
- you need centralized team billing and SSO on the $40/month Standard plan
Choose Windsurf if…
- you want unlimited inline edits and tab completions on the free plan
- you prefer a fixed $20/month Pro plan with increased quotas and full model access
- you need significantly higher quotas on the $200/month Max plan
Bottom line: Cursor suits those who prefer per-token usage and team features, while Windsurf appeals to users wanting fixed quotas and unlimited basic edits.
Key differences
- Cursor offers a free Hobby plan with limited agent requests and Composer access. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (cursor.com), checked Sep 26, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- Windsurf offers a free plan with light quotas, limited model availability, and unlimited inline edits. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (windsurf.com), checked Sep 25, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- Cursor Pro costs $20/month for extended agent limits and frontier model access. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (cursor.com), checked Sep 26, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- Windsurf Pro costs $20/month for increased quotas and full model availability. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (windsurf.com), checked Sep 25, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- Cursor Teams start at $40/month per user for centralized billing and SSO. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (cursor.com), checked Sep 26, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- Windsurf Teams cost $80/month for up to 200 users and priority support. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (windsurf.com), checked Sep 25, 2026.Go to sources ↓
Plans and limits side by side
| Plans | Cursor | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Hobby $0Agent requests Limited, Access Composer | Free $0Quota Light, Model availability Limited, Inline edits Unlimited, Tab completions Unlimited |
| Paid plans | Pro $20/moAgent limits Extended, Grok limits Generous, Models Access to frontier models, Grok Bot A…Pro+ $60/moUltra $200/mo | Pro $20/moQuotas Increased, Model availability Full, SWE-2 Free in Devin Desktop and CLI Free throu…Max $200/moQuotas Significantly higher |
| Business plans | Teams Standard $40/user/moBilling Centralized team billing and administration, Marketplace Team marketplace for int…Teams Premium $120/user/moEnterprise CustomUsage Pooled usage, Billing Invoice/PO billing, Management SCIM seat management, Access c… | Teams $80/user/moUsers Up to 200, Support PriorityEnterprise CustomSupport Highest priority, Account management Dedicated, SSO SAML/OIDC, Admin controls Cen… |
From each vendor's own pricing page · Cursor checked Sep 28, 2026 · Windsurf checked Sep 27, 2026.
Our tests
We have not run our task suite on Cursor or Windsurf yet, so this comparison has no test scores.
What users say
Cursor
One Reddit user notes that Cursor Implied Success Without Evidence, stating that not one of 100 selected commits even built RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/programming, posted Jan 16, 2026See the report ↓. Another user on Hacker News reports that installing Cursor on iOS irreversibly changes privacy settings HNUser report · negative · Hacker NewsPosted Jun 30, 2026See the report ↓. A Reddit reviewer says Cursor just sent a new tab key and it is pretty cool RedditUser report · positive · Redditr/cursor, posted Feb 8, 2026See the report ↓. A Hacker News user says Cursor is worth it because Grok 4.6 is around Opus 4.6 but you get much more usage with it than with Claude Code HNUser report · positive · Hacker NewsPosted Sep 3, 2026See the report ↓. Another Reddit user asks if Cursor randomly replies in Chinese RedditUser report · mixed · Redditr/cursor, posted Feb 21, 2026See the report ↓. A Hacker News user says Cursor charges the Cursor Token Rate for BYOK HNUser report · mixed · Hacker NewsPosted Aug 29, 2026See the report ↓. Another user says Cursor is worth it because you get much more usage with it than with Claude Code HNUser report · positive · Hacker NewsPosted Sep 3, 2026See the report ↓.
Reports cited (6)
Cursor just sent me a new “tab” key, honestly it’s pretty cool
Cursor is worth it because Grok 4.6 is around Opus 4.6 but you get much more usage with it than with Claude Code.
Cursor Implied Success Without Evidence | Not one of 100 selected commits even built
Tell HN: Installing Cursor on iOS irreversibly changes your privacy settings. Just hit this today and I'm furious. I installed the Cursor iOS app to see what it had. I've been on Privacy Mode (Legacy) for a long time, which is the "Do not store my code" setting. …
Cursor randomly replies in Chinese This was during a normal work day yesterday. I glanced down and it just started this chat off in a new language. Maybe I hit a stray key? Seems like Chinese (based on Google translate) which I don't speak, nothing in the context window in Chinese characters AFAIK
Cursor charges the “Cursor Token Rate” for BYOK
Windsurf
A Reddit user says they cancelled their subscription after an abrupt update RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/windsurf, posted Mar 20, 2026See the report ↓. A Hacker News user says most devs moved to Cursor or Codex but they still see Windsurf mentioned HNUser report · mixed · Hacker NewsPosted Mar 19, 2026See the report ↓. A Reddit user says they want to cancel Windsurf RedditUser report · mixed · Redditr/windsurf, posted Mar 21, 2026See the report ↓. A Hacker News user says they pay for it because they were grandfathered from old prices but now use it just to burn weekly tokens HNUser report · negative · Hacker NewsPosted Sep 10, 2026See the report ↓. A Reddit user says Windsurf had one job to be the reliable alternative but they sold out to funnel power users into the $200 Max tier RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/windsurf, posted Mar 19, 2026See the report ↓. A Hacker News user says Anthropic cuts off users who get close to building competing AI like Windsurf HNUser report · negative · Hacker NewsPosted Aug 17, 2026See the report ↓. A Reddit user says Windsurf is destroying its reputation with disguised new pricing changes RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/windsurf, posted Mar 23, 2026See the report ↓.
Reports cited (7)
Upvote if you cancelled your subscription or plan to let's visualize the impact of their pricing changes. i cancelled mine today as it was about to refresh in two days
I pay for it (mostly because they grandfathered me from the old prices)! I used to use windsurf as my main editor until they changed their pricing model. Now i use it just to burn my weekly tokens on fable/astra if i remember to that on a task and that's it.
… Windsurf had one job be the reliable, transparent alternative and they sold us out just to try and funnel power users into that ridiculous new $200 Max tier. I am never touching this IDE again. Have fun losing your core builders.
… Anthropic cuts off users who get close to building competing AI (OpenAI, Windsurf, xAI), its terms block using Claude outputs to train competitors, it secretly degraded outputs for AI development work (Fable), and it trains on public and copyrighted data while blocking reciprocal use. 2. …
Windsurf is simply destroying its reputation with these disguised new pricing changes. Windsurf is literally destroying its own reputation with these new pricing changes. If you’re seeing this, it’s because this is honestly my last resort. …
Ask HN: Who is still using Windsurf and why?. Most devs I know moved to Cursor or Codex. But I still see Windsurf mentioned here and there. I get why someone might stick with it — JetBrains support, slightly cheaper, decent on large codebases. …
Just Upvote if you want to cancel the windsurf!
Questions people ask
Which tool has a better free plan?
Cursor offers a free Hobby plan with limited agent requests and Composer access. Windsurf offers a free plan with light quotas, limited model availability, and unlimited inline edits.
What is the price of the standard paid plan?
Both Cursor Pro and Windsurf Pro cost $20/month.
Does Windsurf have a team plan?
Yes, Windsurf Teams cost $80/month for up to 200 users and priority support.
Does Cursor have a team plan?
Yes, Cursor Teams start at $40/month per user for centralized billing and SSO.
Sources
Drafted with AI from these pages, our tests and the linked user reports, and checked automatically against them before publishing: every price, score and report above is tied to the tool it is about.
Cursor
- Pricing page · checked Sep 26, 2026cursor.com/pricing ↩ text
- Pricing pagecursor.com/help/account-and-billing/pricing
Windsurf
- Pricing page · checked Sep 25, 2026windsurf.com/pricing ↩ text
Each tool's verdict and plans
Cursor
DEPENDS DEPENDS — worth it for some people Re-checking after a price change
Paying $20/month unlocks extended agent limits and frontier models, but per-token costs can make it pricey for heavy users.
Based on pricing, docs & user reports — not yet tested by us
- Cheapest paid
- $20/mo
- What's free
- $0
- Our test score
- —
Pro
$20/mo
Pro+
$60/mo
Ultra
$200/mo
Teams Standard
$40/user/mo
Teams Premium
$120/user/mo
Enterprise
Custom
Windsurf
DEPENDS DEPENDS — worth it for some people Re-checking after a price change
Windsurf Pro offers full model access for $20/month, but the new quota system drains limits quickly for some users.
Based on pricing, docs & user reports — not yet tested by us
- Cheapest paid
- $20/mo
- What's free
- $0
- Our test score
- —
Free
$0
Pro
$20/mo
Max
$200/mo
Teams
$80/user/mo
Enterprise
Custom
How we make money
The "Visit" buttons go through shouldipay.ai/go/ and may be affiliate links, but commissions never decide a verdict or a comparison: the evidence does. Affiliate disclosure