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Windsurf vs GitHub Copilot: 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.

The short answer

Choose Windsurf if…

  • Windsurf Pro costs $20/month and offers full model availability and increased quotas for agent coding.
  • you prefer a dedicated IDE experience with unlimited inline edits and tab completions on the free plan.

Choose GitHub Copilot if…

Our pick for most people

  • GitHub Copilot Pro costs $10/month and provides unlimited inline suggestions and access to advanced agent features.
  • you want the lowest entry price for unlimited inline suggestions or need deep integration with GitHub workflows.

Bottom line: GitHub Copilot is the better value for most developers, offering unlimited inline suggestions for just $10/month.

Key differences

  • Windsurf Pro costs $20/month, while GitHub Copilot Pro costs $10/month. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (github.com), checked Sep 25, 2026.Go to sources ↓
  • Windsurf offers a free plan with unlimited inline edits and tab completions, whereas GitHub Copilot's free plan limits inline suggestions to 2,000 per month. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (github.com), checked Sep 25, 2026.Go to sources ↓
  • Windsurf charges $200/month for its Max tier with significantly higher quotas, while GitHub Copilot's Max tier is $100/month. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (github.com), checked Sep 25, 2026.Go to sources ↓
  • GitHub Copilot includes code review and cloud agent features in its paid tiers, which are not explicitly listed as included in Windsurf's Pro plan. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (github.com), checked Sep 25, 2026.Go to sources ↓
  • Windsurf's free plan includes limited model availability, while GitHub Copilot's free plan includes limited chat and agent usage. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (github.com), checked Sep 25, 2026.Go to sources ↓

Plans and limits side by side

PlansWindsurfGitHub Copilot
Free planFree $0Quota Light, Model availability Limited, Inline edits Unlimited, Tab completions UnlimitedFree $0Inline suggestions 2,000 per month, Chat requests 50 per month
Paid plansPro $20/moQuotas Increased, Model availability Full, SWE-2 Free in Devin Desktop and CLI Free throu…Max $200/moQuotas Significantly higherPro $10/moInline suggestions UnlimitedPro+ $39/moMax $100/mo
Business plansTeams $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 · Windsurf checked Sep 27, 2026 · GitHub Copilot checked Sep 27, 2026.

Our tests

We have not run our task suite on Windsurf or GitHub Copilot yet, so this comparison has no test scores.

What users say

Windsurf

Reddit users have expressed frustration with Windsurf's pricing changes, with one user noting they cancelled their subscription due to the impact of these changes RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/windsurf, posted Mar 20, 2026See the report ↓. Another user mentioned that they cancelled their subscription after an abrupt update, indicating dissatisfaction with the new pricing structure RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/windsurf, posted Mar 25, 2026See the report ↓. Some users feel that Windsurf is destroying its reputation by changing its pricing model from credits to a quota system RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/windsurf, posted Mar 23, 2026See the report ↓. One user highlighted that the new quota system drains limits quickly, making it difficult to use the tool effectively HNUser report · mixed · Hacker NewsPosted Mar 19, 2026See the report ↓. Despite these complaints, some users still find value in Windsurf for its JetBrains support and decent performance on large codebases HNUser report · mixed · Hacker NewsPosted Mar 19, 2026See the report ↓.

Reports cited (4)
  1. Negative · Reddit · r/windsurf · · Open thread ↗ ↩ text
    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
  2. Negative · Reddit · r/windsurf · · Open thread ↗ ↩ text
    … Who else cancelled their subscription after that abrupt update? I never post on Reddit, but this annoyed the %$# out of me. I’m not an engineer, I’m just a vibe coder. I haven't spent thousands on this tool, just enough to learn and let my imagination run wild with crazy, stupid projects. …
  3. Negative · Reddit · r/windsurf · · Open thread ↗ ↩ text
    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. …
  4. Mixed · Hacker News · · Open thread ↗ ↩ text
    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. …

GitHub Copilot

Reddit users have reported issues with GitHub Copilot's pricing, with one user cancelling their Pro plan after running out of credits RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/GithubCopilot, posted Jun 2, 2026See the report ↓. Another user mentioned cancelling their Pro+ plan, indicating dissatisfaction with the cost RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/GithubCopilot, posted Jun 1, 2026See the report ↓. Some users have noted that GitHub Copilot's pricing for Claude models increased significantly, leading to higher costs for users RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/ClaudeAI, posted Apr 27, 2026See the report ↓. One user reported that their enterprise employer disabled the Opus models due to the pricing change, affecting their development workflow RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/GithubCopilot, posted Jun 3, 2026See the report ↓. Despite these issues, some users still find GitHub Copilot useful for its integration with GitHub workflows and its ability to assist with coding tasks HNUser report · positive · Hacker NewsPosted Sep 16, 2026See the report ↓.

Reports cited (5)
  1. Positive · Hacker News · · Open thread ↗ ↩ text
    … And for what it’s worth I just watched GitHub Copilot figure something out. So your definition is once again lacking.
  2. Negative · Reddit · r/GithubCopilot · · Open thread ↗ ↩ text
    … *(this is not about self-promotion, feel free to also make new "cancel copilot" posts of your own!)* I canceled my Copilot Pro plan yesterday after running 2 requests for 15% of my credits.
  3. Negative · Reddit · r/GithubCopilot · · Open thread ↗ ↩ text
    Watch me cancel my Pro + plan [18+ restricted][Satisfying]
  4. Negative · Reddit · r/ClaudeAI · · Open thread ↗ ↩ text
    GitHub Copilot 9x price increase for Claude models So it seems that GitHub Copilot is increasing their costs by 900% for Claude models starting in June: See for the details, and for the full press release with all their fancy words trying to hide that it’s just a 900% increase. …
  5. Negative · Reddit · r/GithubCopilot · · Open thread ↗ ↩ text
    My big enterprise employer have just disabled the Opus models, citing the pricing change. Had a great few months with Opus 4.6 and accelerated my development a lot but now I must return back to the business as usual.

Questions people ask

Is GitHub Copilot cheaper than Windsurf?

Yes, GitHub Copilot Pro is $10/month, while Windsurf Pro is $20/month.

Does Windsurf have a free plan?

Yes, Windsurf offers a free plan with unlimited inline edits and tab completions, but limited model availability.

What is the main difference between GitHub Copilot Pro and Pro+?

GitHub Copilot Pro+ includes additional features like cloud agent and delegated tasks to third-party coding agents, which are not included in the Pro plan.

Can I use Windsurf for free?

Yes, Windsurf offers a free plan with limited model availability and unlimited inline edits and tab completions.

Does GitHub Copilot support code review?

Yes, GitHub Copilot Pro and higher tiers include code review features.

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.

Windsurf

GitHub Copilot

Each tool's verdict and plans

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
Visit Windsurf(opens in a new tab) Full Windsurf verdict →

GitHub Copilot

DEPENDS DEPENDS — worth it for some people

Paying is worth it if you need unlimited inline suggestions or advanced agent features; otherwise, the free plan or a cheaper alternative may suffice.

Based on pricing, docs & user reports — not yet tested by us

Cheapest paid
$10/mo
What's free
$0
Our test score
—

Free

$0

Pro

$10/mo

Pro+

$39/mo

Max

$100/mo
Visit GitHub Copilot(opens in a new tab) Full GitHub Copilot verdict →

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