Side-by-side comparison of two listed Dev Tools — real listing data only, no paid placement.
On record, they differ in: platforms (Cursor 3 official install links found vs Windsurf 1 — store/installer links only); unique tags (Cursor 2: #editor #agents vs Windsurf 2: #ide #autocomplete); category rank (Cursor #29 vs Windsurf #44). Same pricing model (Freemium) and category (Dev Tools). Listing facts only — not a recommendation.
AI-native code editor built for agentic development
Cursor is a VS Code-derived editor rebuilt around AI: codebase-aware chat, multi-file edits, background agents and tab completions trained for real refactors. It has become the reference tool for AI-first software development.
Published 2026-08-06 · Links checked 2026-09-14
Agentic AI code editor with deep codebase awareness
Windsurf (formerly Codeium) is an AI-native IDE whose Cascade agent understands your whole repo, edits across files, runs commands and previews results — plus plugins bringing its autocomplete to other editors.
Published 2026-08-06 · Links checked 2026-09-16
| Cursor | Windsurf | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |
| Category | Dev Tools | Dev Tools |
| Rank in Dev Tools | Position #29 of 77 | Position #44 of 77 |
| Alternatives listed | 8 → | 6 → |
| Shared tags | #ai-coding | |
| Unique tags | #editor #agents | #ide #autocomplete |
| Platforms | iOS · macOS · Web app (installable) | macOS |
| Pricing page | Official pricing page | Official pricing page |
| Documentation | cursor.com/docs | Not detected on official site (checked 2026-09-17) |
| Company | Cursor | Not detected on official site (checked 2026-09-17) |
| Founded | 2023 | Not detected on official site (checked 2026-09-17) |
| In their own words | Built to make you extraordinarily productive, agents turn ideas into code. Accelerate development by handing off tasks to Cursor.— official site (homepage description), checked | Manage fleets of local and cloud agents from one surface. Plan, delegate, review, and ship without leaving your editor.— official site (homepage description), checked |
| Official channels | X (Twitter)LinkedInGitHubYouTubedeclared on cursor.com via schema.org sameAs | — |
| Official website | cursor.com | windsurf.com |
| Site preview | ||
Rank = neutral rotation by listing ID, not a quality score · how it works
Only platforms with an official store or installer link are listed; others may exist.
Cursor is Freemium; Windsurf is Freemium. Both are listed in Dev Tools on ToolDock.
What they have in common: #ai-coding
Cursor is listed as freemium (free tier alongside paid plans); Windsurf is listed as freemium (free tier alongside paid plans). Pricing label set at listing time; official pricing page linked where verified — see each official website for current details.
Both are Dev Tools listed on ToolDock, and they share the tag ai-coding.
ToolDock keeps a tag-matched alternatives list for each: see Cursor alternatives and Windsurf alternatives.