Cursor vs Codex vs Windsurf: Which AI Coding Tool to Pick

Pick Cursor if you want one coding agent that spans an editor, a command line and cloud agents, and you are happy to pay by usage for non-Grok models. Pick Codex if you already pay for ChatGPT and want a coding agent included in that plan. Pick Windsurf if you want the cheapest paid plan with a wide choice of models and an editor that still feels like a normal IDE. Windsurf is now sold under a new name, Devin Desktop, which matters when you go looking for it.

Two things changed this year and both affect the choice. Windsurf was renamed, and Cursor was acquired. Both are covered below, along with what each plan costs.

Cursor vs Codex vs Windsurf at a glance

	Cursor	Codex	Windsurf (Devin Desktop)
Made by	Anysphere, now part of SpaceX	OpenAI	Cognition
Where you use it	Desktop app, CLI, cloud agents	ChatGPT plans: web, CLI, IDE extension, iOS	Desktop app (an IDE) with Devin cloud agents
Free option	Free plan, limited agent requests	Free and Go plans	Free plan, light agent quota
Cheapest paid plan	Plus, $8 a month (Grok models only)	Go, $8 a month	Pro, $20 a month
Typical solo plan	Premium, $30 a month	Plus, $20 a month	Pro, $20 a month
Top individual tier	Ultra, $200 a month	Pro, from $100 a month	Max, $200 a month
Team plan	Teams, from $30 per user a month	Business, $20 per user a month billed annually	Teams, $80 a month plus $40 per full seat

Prices are from each company’s pricing page as of November 2026 and are explained in the pricing section.

Cursor

Cursor describes itself as “your coding agent for building ambitious software”. Its navigation lists agents, cloud agents, a command-line tool, a marketplace and a code review product, so it is a family of tools rather than a single editor. Its changelog for early November 2026 mentions voice chat with agents (in the Agents Window, the IDE, on the web and in the iOS app) and a way to build apps and deploy them with a shareable link.

Cursor’s own blog dated 14 August 2026 says Cursor “has officially been acquired by SpaceX”. The pricing page now sells plans through X Subscription Corp and bundles Grok models into the same usage pool as Cursor. If you plan to use Cursor with models from other companies, read the pricing notes below first.

For privacy, the pricing page says that with Privacy Mode switched on, code data is not used for training by Cursor or its model providers.

If you want background on how Cursor works day to day, our earlier Cursor guide to AI code generation covers the editor, although the plans have changed since it was written.

Codex

Codex is OpenAI’s coding agent, and it is sold as part of ChatGPT rather than as a separate product. On the Plus plan, OpenAI lists Codex on the web, in the command line, as an IDE extension and on iOS. If you would rather use your own API key, the pricing page says the command line, SDK and IDE extension work that way, but without the cloud features.

That bundling is the main reason to pick it. If a ChatGPT plan is already on your card, Codex costs nothing extra until you hit the usage limit.

Our earlier post on OpenAI Codex describes the first version of the product. Treat the pricing page as the current source.

Windsurf (now Devin Desktop)

On 2 June 2026, according to Cognition’s FAQ, Windsurf became Devin Desktop. The FAQ calls it “the new name for Windsurf”: the same IDE and features under the Devin brand, delivered as an over-the-air update, with existing plans and pricing unchanged. The main view is now an Agent Command Center, and the product page says you can manage other agents and frontier models in one place through the Agent Client Protocol (ACP).

The pricing page lists unlimited Tab completions and unlimited inline edits on every individual plan, including Free. Paid plans add access to cloud agents (Devin Cloud), and Pro includes free use of Cognition’s own SWE-2 model.

If your company blocks software by name, the FAQ warns that an allowlist containing only “Windsurf” may need updating.

Pricing side by side

These are the plans as listed in November 2026. Pricing changes often, so check each page before you pay: Cursor, Codex and Windsurf.

Cursor

• Free: $0, limited agent requests.
• Plus: $8 a month, an introductory plan that includes Grok models only.
• Premium: $30 a month, four times the usage of Plus, plus cloud agents and automations, code hosting, AI code reviews and third-party models at API list price.
• Super: $100 a month, 15 times the usage of Plus, with priority model access at peak times.
• Ultra: $200 a month, 50 times the usage of Plus.
• Teams: from $30 per user a month with pooled usage. Enterprise is custom.

Usage is a pool shared across Cursor and Grok that refreshes weekly. Third-party models are not covered by the plan allowance: they are billed separately at API list price, and you can set spending caps.

Codex

• Free ($0) and Go ($8 a month): the page lists a model in the desktop app, subject to rollout.
• Plus: $20 a month, Codex on the web, CLI, IDE extension and iOS, with extra usage available through ChatGPT credits.
• Pro: from $100 a month, with $100, $200 and $500 tiers.
• Business: $20 per user a month billed annually (minimum two users), or $25 a month billed monthly.
• Enterprise and Edu: contact sales.

OpenAI gives Plus users estimated limits as messages per five-hour period, and they vary a lot by model. Pro has no five-hour limit, though weekly limits may apply. OpenAI says these figures are estimates, not fixed limits.

Windsurf

• Free: $0, light quota for agents, limited model availability.
• Pro: $20 a month, with frontier models from OpenAI, Claude, Gemini and SpaceXAI plus open-source models, and extra usage bought at API pricing.
• Max: $200 a month, with significantly higher quotas.
• Teams: $80 a month for the team plus $40 a month per full developer seat, up to 200 users.

The usage allowance on paid plans refreshes daily and weekly. Windsurf’s FAQ suggests smaller models for routine tasks to make the allowance last longer.

How they differ in practice

How you pay. Codex rides on a ChatGPT subscription, so one bill covers chat and coding. Windsurf’s Pro plan has the simplest price at $20 and lets you buy more usage at API rates. Cursor’s structure is the most layered: the plan buys a usage pool tied to Grok, while other companies’ models are billed by use on top.

Which models you get. Windsurf lists models from several companies on Pro. Cursor’s cheapest paid plan is Grok-only, and its pricing page says third-party models stay available at API list price. Codex uses OpenAI models.

Where the work happens. Cursor and Windsurf both centre on a desktop app with agents that can run locally or in the cloud. Codex works from the web, the command line, an IDE extension and a phone, so it suits people who already live in another editor.

Who owns the product. SpaceX owns Cursor, OpenAI makes Codex, and Cognition makes Windsurf. Commentary on the SpaceX deal has asked whether Cursor will stay neutral about models, and the pricing page’s Grok focus is the visible sign of that question. Whether it matters depends on how much you care which models write your code.

Which should you choose?

• You already pay for ChatGPT: try Codex first. Plus at $20 a month includes it, and you can add credits if you hit the limit.
• You want an all-in-one agent app and cost control matters less: Cursor’s Premium plan at $30 a month is the entry point for cloud agents and code review. Set a spending cap if you use third-party models.
• You want the lowest-priced paid plan with many models: Windsurf Pro at $20 a month. Existing Windsurf users do not need to change anything after the rename.
• You are on a team: compare Codex Business ($20 per user, billed annually), Cursor Teams (from $30 per user) and Windsurf Teams ($80 plus $40 per seat). The structures differ, so work out your own headcount.
• You are a student or hobbyist on a budget: all three have a free plan. Start there, because every free plan limits agent use.

For a wider list, including GitHub Copilot and others, see our roundup of the best AI coding assistants and the GitHub Copilot guide.

FAQ

Is Windsurf the same as Devin Desktop?

Yes. Cognition’s FAQ says Devin Desktop is the new name for Windsurf, the same IDE and features, with plans and pricing unchanged.

Who owns Cursor now?

Cursor’s blog says it was acquired by SpaceX, announced on 14 August 2026.

Is Codex free?

OpenAI lists a Free plan at $0 and a Go plan at $8 a month, both with limited access. Plus at $20 a month is the plan that lists the web, command line, IDE extension and iOS.

Can I use my own API key with Codex?

OpenAI’s pricing page says an API key works for the command line, SDK and IDE extension, billed at API pricing, but without cloud features.