Windsurf

What is Windsurf?

Windsurf started life as Codeium, a popular free AI coding assistant extension, and in late 2024 the company shipped its own editor: a full IDE built on a fork of VS Code. The editor keeps the familiar layout and extensions you already use, then layers an aggressive agentic workflow on top. The centerpiece is Cascade, a conversational agent that can plan, edit and execute across your whole project.

The big idea behind Windsurf is flow: instead of ping-ponging between asking the AI a question and pasting results, Cascade works alongside you in one surface. It can read your codebase, make edits, run terminal commands and explain what it did, which makes multi-file changes feel like delegating to a careful teammate.

In July 2025, Cognition AI, the startup behind the Devin software engineer agent, acquired Windsurf and shut down the Codeium extension, betting on the editor as its developer-facing product. The tool remains popular for its free tier and its agentic features.

Key Features

• Cascade: a single agent for chat, edits and terminal commands
• Deep codebase awareness with indexing and context retrieval
• Supercomplete, predictive multi-line completions
• VS Code extension compatibility and settings import
• Multi-file edits with a live diff review
• Built-in model choices including Claude and GPT models
• Free tier that includes access to agent features

How to get started

Download Windsurf from the official site and install it, then sign in with an account to unlock the AI features. On first launch you can import your VS Code settings and extensions, and the onboarding points you at Cascade. Open a project, let it index, and ask Cascade to make a change; the agent will show you its plan and edits as it works.

• Download and install Windsurf
• Create an account and sign in
• Import VS Code settings and extensions if you want
• Open a project and let the indexer finish
• Ask Cascade to make a change and review the diff

Use cases

• Agentic feature development with Cascade handling multiple files
• Getting answers about unfamiliar codebases
• Running and fixing commands from within the editor
• Rapid prototyping with AI-generated code
• Everyday editing with strong completions on a free tier

Pricing and licensing

Windsurf is proprietary and freemium. The free plan includes a monthly allowance of AI credits, which covers completions, chat and Cascade usage for many developers, while the Pro plan raises limits and unlocks priority access and extra features. There are also team and enterprise options.

After the Cognition acquisition the product direction shifted toward agentic workflows, and the pricing structure was adjusted a few times. The official website is the best source for current credits, limits and prices.

Pros and cons

Windsurf's appeal is the agentic flow: Cascade genuinely works like a teammate that edits, runs and iterates, and the VS Code foundation keeps the learning curve low. The free tier is one of the most generous in the AI editor space, which makes it easy to try seriously.

The trade-offs are stability and continuity. The product went through a rebrand and an acquisition in quick succession, which unsettled some users, and the Codeium extension's shutdown forced existing users to migrate. As with all AI editors, code leaves your machine for processing unless you configure enterprise controls.

Alternatives

• Cursor: the other major AI-first VS Code fork
• VS Code with GitHub Copilot: free editor plus the classic assistant
• Claude Code: terminal agent that pairs well with any editor
• Zed: fast native editor with built-in AI
• Continue: open-source assistant that runs in your existing editor