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AI Tool Comparison
Continue vs Windsurf
A side-by-side breakdown to help you pick the right tool for your workflow.
Continue
Plug any LLM into VS Code or JetBrains and swap models mid-conversation without leaving your editor. Acquired by Cursor in 2026, the project is winding down with a July 15, 2026 data export deadline.
Coding
free
Windsurf
An agentic coding IDE pairing an editor with autonomous coding agents — renamed Devin Desktop after Cognition AI's acquisition, keeping the same editor and Claude/GPT/Gemini model choice.
Coding
freemium
Bottom Line
Windsurf edges ahead on rating (4.7 vs 4.5), but the right pick still comes down to which workflow you're running.
Choose Continue if…
Code Completion
Choose Windsurf if…
Coding
| Attribute | Continue | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Coding | Coding |
| Pricing | free | freemium |
| Pricing Detail | Free (open source) — hosted plans discontinued post-acquisition | Free / $20/mo Pro / $40/seat Teams / $200/mo Max |
| Rating |
Key Features
Continue
- Multi-model support
- VS Code and JetBrains
- Local LLM integration
- Codebase indexing
- Inline edit commands
- Custom context providers
Windsurf
- Cascade AI agent
- Multi-step task execution
- Full codebase awareness
- Terminal integration
- VS Code based
Pros
Continue
- •Fully open-source with active development
- •Works with local models for complete privacy
- •Supports JetBrains, unlike most AI coding tools
Windsurf
- •Excellent autonomous coding agent
- •Tracks what it changed and why
- •Good free tier
- •Handles complex multi-file refactors
Cons
Continue
- Setup requires API key configuration
- No built-in free model tier
Windsurf
- Agent can go off-track on complex tasks
- Newer product with occasional instability
- Less plugin ecosystem than VS Code