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Cursor vs Windsurf vs Cline: Honest Comparison for AI Coders (2026)
Cursor (Agentdex profile), Windsurf and Cline (Agentdex profile) are the three names AI coders compare most when picking an AI coding setup, but they are not three versions of the same thing. Cursor is a paid AI editor. Windsurf is now called Devin Desktop (Agentdex profile) and has become a hub for Cognition's Devin agents. Cline is a free, open-source agent that runs inside the editor you already use. This guide compares the three side by side as they are on October 24, 2026, so you can pick the right type of tool first and the right product second. It is based on each product's official pricing pages and documentation, not on our own benchmark runs.
Key Takeaways
- Windsurf is now Devin Desktop. Cognition renamed it on June 2, 2026, and its Cascade agent was replaced by Devin Local. "Windsurf" searches now lead to Devin Desktop.
- Pick by how you want to pay. Cursor and Devin Desktop are subscriptions with usage quotas. Cline is free software; you pay your model provider, or use Cline's credits or ClinePass ($9.99/month).
- Cursor is the most polished all-in-one editor, with Cursor's own Grok and Composer models included and third-party models on Premium ($30/month) at API list price.
- Devin Desktop suits people who want frontier models included in a $20/month Pro plan and easy hand-off to cloud agents.
- Cline suits people who want full control of models, costs and data, and to stay in VS Code, JetBrains or even Cursor itself.
The three at a glance
| Cursor | Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) | Cline | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | AI code editor (VS Code fork) | AI editor and hub for Devin agents | Open-source agent for your editor, terminal or desktop |
| Made by | Anysphere, owned by SpaceX | Cognition | Cline |
| Free option | Free plan, limited agent and chat | Free plan, light quota with unlimited Tab and inline edits | Free and open source (Apache 2.0); pay for models |
| Main paid plan | Premium $30/month (Plus $8 for Cursor models only) | Pro $20/month | None required; ClinePass $9.99/month is optional |
| Top individual plan | Ultra $200/month | Max $200/month | Not applicable |
| Models | Grok and Composer included; Claude, Gemini, GPT at API list price on Premium+ | Frontier models included within Pro quotas | Any provider with your own key, Cline credits or local models |
| Usage limits | Weekly pool | Daily and weekly quotas | Whatever you choose to spend |
| Cloud agents | Premium and above | Devin Cloud on Pro | Cline Cloud Agents from app.cline.bot |
| Editor | Cursor only | Devin Desktop; JetBrains plugin in maintenance mode | VS Code, Cursor, JetBrains, CLI, Cline Desktop |
Prices from cursor.com/pricing, devin.ai/pricing and cline.bot as of October 24, 2026. Check each page before you buy.
Three different philosophies
Cursor: one editor that does everything
Cursor rebuilt VS Code around AI. Tab completions, inline edits, a multi-file agent, cloud agents, Automations and Bugbot code review all live in one product, and most VS Code extensions carry over. Since SpaceX bought it, Cursor's own models are the Grok family and Composer 2.5, which are covered by your plan's weekly pool. Claude, Gemini and GPT models are available on Premium and above but are billed separately at API list price, and OpenAI plans to stop supplying Cursor with a proposed cutoff of November 12, 2026. Our guide What AI does Cursor use? explains the model lineup.
Trade-off: the smoothest experience of the three, but you are inside one vendor's editor and model choices.
Devin Desktop: an editor built around agents
Windsurf started as Codeium's editor, became Windsurf in April 2025, came under Cognition in July 2025 and was renamed Devin Desktop on June 2, 2026. Devin Local now does the in-editor agent work that Cascade used to, and Devin Cloud on the Pro plan takes longer tasks off your machine. The free plan keeps unlimited Tab completions and inline edits, which is generous if you mainly want autocomplete. Our Windsurf vs Cursor comparison goes deeper on those two.
Trade-off: frontier models included in a $20 plan is good value, but the product is changing fast and is increasingly centered on Devin. The JetBrains plugin is in maintenance mode.
Cline: an agent you own
Cline is not an editor. It is an open-source agent that you add to VS Code, Cursor or JetBrains, or run as a CLI, desktop app or cloud agent. You bring your own model: Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter, Amazon Bedrock and many others, or a local model through Ollama or LM Studio. Plan mode lets it read and propose before Act mode changes anything, and it asks for approval before edits and commands unless you auto-approve them. Our Cline guide covers setup in detail.
Trade-off: the most control and transparency, but no flat subscription to cap costs, and you pick and tune models yourself.
Cost: what a month really looks like
The sticker prices are close, so look at what each price covers.
- Cursor Premium ($30): four times the Plus usage on Cursor's own models. Every Claude or Gemini request is extra, at API rates. Good value if you are happy with Grok and Composer; less predictable if you want Claude all day.
- Devin Desktop Pro ($20): frontier models included until you hit daily or weekly quotas, then extra usage at API pricing. Predictable for moderate use.
- Cline: $0 for the software. A light month on a cheap model can cost very little; a heavy month of agent runs on a frontier model can cost more than either subscription, because agents read many files and loop over many turns. ClinePass ($9.99/month) gives more usage on selected open coding models.
We do not publish "average monthly cost" figures because usage varies too much by project and model. Set a budget in whichever tool you choose and watch the usage dashboard for the first two weeks.
Which one should you pick?
| If you... | Pick |
|---|---|
| Want one polished app and do not want to think about models | Cursor |
| Want Claude or GPT included in a flat $20 plan | Devin Desktop |
| Want to keep VS Code or JetBrains and choose any model | Cline |
| Need local models or strict control over where code goes | Cline |
| Are on a $0 budget | Cline with a free or local model, or the Cursor and Devin Desktop free plans to try them |
| Want to hand long tasks to cloud agents | Any of the three; Devin Desktop and Cursor make it most turnkey |
You can combine them
These tools are not mutually exclusive. Cline installs inside Cursor from Open VSX, so a common setup is Cursor for Tab completions and quick edits, with Cline for agent tasks on a model of your choice. Rules files also travel: Cline reads .cursorrules, .windsurfrules and AGENTS.md as well as its own .clinerules/ folder, so the conventions you write for one tool can guide the others. Our Cursor rules guide shows how to write them.
Where each falls short
- Cursor: third-party models cost extra on top of the plan; the Plus plan is limited to Cursor's own models; the OpenAI cutoff removes GPT models.
- Devin Desktop: recent rebrand and agent change mean older Windsurf tutorials are out of date; JetBrains support is in maintenance mode.
- Cline: costs can spike with frontier models; more setup; no built-in flat-rate safety net unless you use ClinePass.
FAQ
Is Windsurf still available?
Windsurf was renamed Devin Desktop on June 2, 2026. The product continues under that name from Cognition, with Devin Local replacing the Cascade agent.
Is Cline better than Cursor?
Neither is better for everyone. Cline gives more control over models, costs and data and runs in the editor you already use. Cursor is more polished and includes its own models in a subscription. Our Cline vs Cursor comparison covers the details.
Which is cheapest for vibe coding?
Cline is the only one with free software and no subscription, so with a free or local model your cost can be close to zero. With frontier models, a capped subscription such as Devin Desktop Pro ($20) or Cursor Plus ($8, Cursor models only) can be cheaper for heavy use.
Can I use Cline inside Cursor or Devin Desktop?
Cline installs in VS Code-based editors that use Open VSX, which includes Cursor. Check the extensions view in your editor to confirm it is available.
Which one works with JetBrains IDEs?
Cline has a JetBrains plugin. The Windsurf JetBrains plugin is in maintenance mode, and Cursor is its own editor rather than a JetBrains plugin.
Written by Agentdex Editorial. Agentdex is an independent directory reviewing AI coding tools; we are not affiliated with the companies mentioned. Prices and features are as of October 24, 2026, from official sources linked above. Always confirm on the vendor's site.