Comparison · Prices verified

Cursor vs Windsurf vs GitHub Copilot (2026): Which AI Coding Tool Wins?

Our verdict

GitHub Copilot is the best value for most developers in 2026: $10 a month gets you Claude, GPT and Gemini inside the editor you already use, and Business at $19 a seat is the cheapest way to give a team AI with SSO and IP indemnity. Pick Windsurf (Devin Desktop) to run several agents in parallel, and Cursor if you want a dedicated AI-first editor and are happy working with Grok.

Cursor

Free / from $8/mo

AI-first code editor built on VS Code with advanced codebase understanding, multi-file editing, and intelligent code generation. Perfect for developers seeking AI-powered pair programming.

Read our review Official site ↗

Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

Free / from $20/mo

AI code editor from Cognition, renamed Devin Desktop in 2026. A full IDE plus a command center for running local and cloud coding agents side by side, with frontier models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google included on Pro.

Read our review Official site ↗

GitHub Copilot

Free / from $10/mo

GitHub's AI coding assistant for the editor you already use (VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Xcode, Neovim and more), plus github.com and the terminal. Agent mode, a cloud agent that opens pull requests, and code review, with models from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and xAI.

Read our review Official site ↗

Side by side

What it is
Cursor: An AI-first code editor
Windsurf (Devin Desktop): An IDE plus a command center for coding agents
GitHub Copilot: An assistant for the editors you already use, plus github.com and the CLI
Owner
Cursor: SpaceX (SpaceXAI), since August 2026
Windsurf (Devin Desktop): Cognition, the makers of Devin
GitHub Copilot: GitHub (Microsoft)
Works in
Cursor: Cursor's own editor
Windsurf (Devin Desktop): Devin Desktop's own editor
GitHub Copilot: VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Xcode, Eclipse, Neovim, Zed
Free plan
Cursor: Limited agent and Chat requests
Windsurf (Devin Desktop): Light agent quota, unlimited Tab and inline edits
GitHub Copilot: 2,000 inline suggestions a month, limited chat and agent use
Cheapest paid plan
Cursor: Plus, $8/mo: Grok models only
Windsurf (Devin Desktop): Pro, $20/mo
GitHub Copilot: Pro, $10/mo ($15 of AI credits)
Claude and GPT
Cursor: Premium ($30/mo) and up, billed separately at API list price
Windsurf (Devin Desktop): Included in the Pro quota
GitHub Copilot: Included on every paid plan, metered in AI credits
Top individual plan
Cursor: Ultra, $200/mo
Windsurf (Devin Desktop): Max, $200/mo
GitHub Copilot: Max, $100/mo ($200 of AI credits)
Cloud agent
Cursor: Premium and up
Windsurf (Devin Desktop): Pro and up (Devin Cloud)
GitHub Copilot: Pro and up: assign an issue, get a pull request
Other agents
Cursor: Cursor's own Agent
Windsurf (Devin Desktop): Codex, Claude Agent and OpenCode via the Agent Client Protocol
GitHub Copilot: Claude and Codex agents on Pro+ and Max (preview)
AI code review
Cursor: Bugbot, Premium and up
Windsurf (Devin Desktop): Not listed as a separate feature
GitHub Copilot: Pull request and diff reviews, Pro and up
Team plan
Cursor: $30+ per user/mo, with SAML/OIDC SSO
Windsurf (Devin Desktop): $80/mo + $40 per full dev seat; SSO on Enterprise
GitHub Copilot: Business $19 per user/mo: IP indemnity, SAML SSO with GitHub Enterprise Cloud

Which should you choose?

Choose GitHub Copilot if…

  • You want Claude, GPT and Gemini for the lowest monthly price.
  • You use JetBrains, Visual Studio or Xcode and don't want to switch editors.
  • Your team lives on GitHub and needs SSO, IP indemnity and budget controls.
  • You want an agent that turns issues into pull requests.

Choose Windsurf (Devin Desktop) if…

  • You want to run several agents in parallel and review their work.
  • You want to mix Devin, Codex and Claude Agent in one workspace.
  • You prefer one flat plan with frontier models included.

Choose Cursor if…

  • You want a dedicated AI-first editor and are happy with Grok on the $8 plan.
  • You want Bugbot code review and cloud automations in the same product.
  • Your team wants SSO on a standard per-seat plan without GitHub Enterprise Cloud.

Three different bets

These three tools no longer compete on the same terms:

  • GitHub Copilot lives inside your existing editor and on github.com. It’s the safe, cheap default, and the only one of the three that works in JetBrains, Visual Studio and Xcode.
  • Windsurf, now Devin Desktop, is Cognition’s bet on agents: a full IDE built around dispatching and reviewing several coding agents at once.
  • Cursor, now owned by SpaceX, is still the most polished AI-first editor, but its plans now revolve around Grok, with other models billed on top.

Price: what $10, $20 and $30 buy

For a solo developer who wants Claude or GPT, the order is clear:

  1. Copilot Pro, $10, with $15 of AI credits a month across Claude, GPT, Gemini and more.
  2. Devin Desktop Pro, $20, with frontier models included in a quota that refreshes daily and weekly.
  3. Cursor Premium, $30, plus API list price for any non-Grok model.

If Grok is good enough for you, Cursor Plus at $8 undercuts them all.

Heavy users should watch the meters. Copilot counts usage in AI credits and you can buy more, Devin Desktop sells extra usage at API pricing, and Cursor bills third-party models separately from day one.

Agents

  • Copilot shines when your work starts in GitHub. Assign an issue and its cloud agent researches, codes and opens a pull request, then Copilot can review it. Pro+ and Max can also hand work to Claude or Codex agents (in preview).
  • Devin Desktop is the best place to run several agents at once, mixing Devin, Cascade, Codex, Claude Agent and OpenCode, and review the results side by side.
  • Cursor has a strong in-editor agent, with cloud agents, automations and Bugbot reviews on Premium and up.

Teams

Copilot Business is the cheapest team option at $19 a seat, with IP indemnity, admin and budget controls and pooled credits. SAML SSO needs GitHub Enterprise Cloud. Cursor Teams costs $30+ a seat with SSO included. Devin Desktop Teams costs $80 a month plus $40 per full seat, and keeps SSO for Enterprise.

The bottom line

  • Most developers: start with GitHub Copilot Pro. It’s the cheapest way to get frontier models and you keep your editor.
  • Agent-heavy workflows: Devin Desktop if you want to run agents in parallel.
  • AI-first editor fans who are fine on Grok: Cursor.

Just choosing between the two standalone editors? Read Cursor vs Windsurf.

How we compared

Prices, plans and features come from each company’s own pricing and product pages, checked on 15 October 2026 and listed in the sources below. Plans in this market change often, so check the official pages before you buy, and tell us if something has changed.

Frequently asked questions

Which is cheapest: Cursor, Windsurf or Copilot?

Cursor Plus is the cheapest paid plan at $8 a month, but it only includes Grok models. If you want Claude or GPT, GitHub Copilot Pro is cheapest at $10 a month, followed by Devin Desktop Pro at $20 and Cursor Premium at $30 plus separate model usage.

Do I have to switch editors?

Only for Cursor and Windsurf, which are their own editors. GitHub Copilot works inside VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, Xcode, Eclipse, Neovim and Zed.

Which is cheapest for a team of five?

On list prices: GitHub Copilot Business costs $95 a month (5 × $19), Cursor Teams from $150 (5 × $30, plus third-party model usage), and Devin Desktop Teams $280 ($80 plus 5 × $40).

Which one has the best agent?

They lean different ways. Copilot turns GitHub issues into pull requests, Devin Desktop is built for running several agents side by side, and Cursor offers a polished in-editor agent with cloud automations on Premium.

How much do they cost in the UAE?

All three bill in US dollars. At the fixed rate of 3.6725 AED per dollar, GitHub Copilot Pro ($10) is about AED 37 a month, Devin Desktop Pro ($20) about AED 73, and Cursor Premium ($30) about AED 110. Copilot Business is about AED 70 per user. Add the UAE's 5% VAT where it applies.

Is Windsurf the same as Devin Desktop?

Yes. Cognition renamed Windsurf to Devin Desktop in June 2026, and windsurf.com now redirects to devin.ai.

Sources

Published October 15, 2026. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.

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