Who should choose Cursor or Windsurf?
Choose Windsurf if you want unlimited inline edits and Tab completions on a free plan, with a path to more agent usage. Choose Cursor if Composer, its cloud-agent workflow, or its listed team access controls matter more. Neither free plan promises unlimited agent use, so test the work you actually do before upgrading.
Cursor Hobby includes Composer and limited Agent requests, with no credit card required. Individual extends Agent limits and adds cloud agents, frontier-model access, and tools for customizing agent workflows. For groups, Cursor Teams and Enterprise add different levels of administration and access control.
Windsurf Free makes its editing allowances particularly clear: inline edits and Tab completions are unlimited, while agent coding has a light quota and model availability is limited. Pro increases usage quotas, opens full model availability, and adds access to Devin Cloud agents. Its Teams and Enterprise plans address different collaboration and administration needs.
Cursor vs Windsurf plans and usage limits
Both editors offer a free plan. Their named individual and team subscriptions are billed per seat, and the supplied plan data lists monthly billing without an annual billing option for those paid plans. Both also offer Enterprise plans with custom terms. The useful question is which specific limit or feature would prompt you to change plans.
Cursor Hobby gives you access to Composer and limited Agent requests. Cursor Individual extends Agent limits and includes access to frontier models, Grok Bot, MCPs, skills, hooks, and cloud agents. Bugbot is listed as available with usage-based billing, so do not treat it as an unrestricted included feature. Individual is the relevant step if limited Hobby Agent requests are what hold you back.
Cursor Teams adds centralized billing and administration, a team marketplace, shared team context for cloud agents and automations, usage analytics, team-wide privacy mode, and SAML/OIDC SSO. Cursor Enterprise lists pooled usage, invoice and purchase-order billing, SCIM seat management, repository, model, and MCP access controls, audit logs, service accounts, priority support, and account management. Those Enterprise distinctions matter most when an organization needs to manage access and oversight.
Windsurf Free includes unlimited inline edits and Tab completions, but its agent coding quota is light and its model availability is limited. Windsurf Pro increases usage quotas, provides full model availability and access to Devin Cloud agents, and lists extra usage available at API pricing. If you expect to exceed the included quota, check how that extra usage applies rather than assuming Pro provides unlimited agent work.
Windsurf Max includes everything in Pro with higher usage quotas. Consider it when the Pro quota, rather than model or cloud-agent access, is your constraint. Windsurf Teams includes Pro features plus sharing and collaboration, centralized billing, an admin dashboard with analytics, and priority support; it supports up to 200 users. Windsurf Enterprise lists SAML/OIDC SSO, centralized enterprise admin controls, a dedicated deployment option, dedicated account management, and the highest priority support.
Neither free plan removes agent limits. Cursor describes Hobby Agent requests as limited, and Windsurf describes its Free agent coding quota as light. The supplied data does not give comparable free-agent counts, so it does not support a claim that either free quota is larger. What it does establish is that Windsurf explicitly lists unlimited free inline edits and Tab completions, while Cursor explicitly includes Composer on Hobby.
Cursor vs Windsurf agent and editing features
For a solo developer, the paid individual plans unlock different named capabilities. Cursor Individual includes cloud agents, frontier-model access, and MCPs, skills, and hooks. Windsurf Pro includes access to Devin Cloud agents and full model availability alongside increased usage quotas. Both offer a path beyond limited free agent work, but their feature descriptions are not interchangeable.
In particular, Windsurf’s “full model availability” and Cursor’s “access to frontier models” do not establish access to the same models or comparable allowances. Likewise, listing cloud agents on Cursor Individual and Devin Cloud agents on Windsurf Pro confirms access, not identical behavior, quotas, or setup. If delegated coding is central to your work, evaluate the tasks you intend to hand off in each editor.
For frequent small changes, Windsurf Free gives you a clear distinction: inline edits and Tab completions are listed as unlimited, while agent coding has a light quota. For heavier agent use, Windsurf raises quotas on Pro and Max, while Cursor extends Agent limits on Individual. None of these descriptions promises unlimited agent tasks on those plans.
The listed features also cannot tell you which editor writes better code, feels faster, or handles a specific language better. Try both free plans on a project that resembles your normal work, then consider an upgrade for a limitation you actually encounter.
Cursor Teams vs Windsurf Teams for collaboration
Cursor Teams explicitly lists shared team context for cloud agents and automations, team-wide privacy mode, usage analytics, and SAML/OIDC SSO. If your group needs any of those at the named team tier, they are concrete reasons to evaluate Cursor. Cursor Enterprise adds more granular repository, model, and MCP access controls, along with audit logs and service accounts.
Windsurf Teams lists sharing and collaboration, centralized billing, an admin dashboard with analytics, and priority support. Its SAML/OIDC SSO and dedicated deployment option are listed under Enterprise rather than Teams. That difference in plan placement matters if single sign-on is a requirement. If shared cloud-agent context is decisive, Cursor Teams is the team plan here that explicitly lists it.
A missing highlight is not proof that a capability is unavailable. Windsurf Teams does not list team-wide privacy mode, and Cursor Teams does not list a dedicated deployment option. Verify any security, deployment, or procurement requirement that is not explicitly covered rather than inferring support or absence from a short plan description.
Frequently asked questions
Cursor or Windsurf: which is better for an individual developer?
Windsurf is a useful starting point if unlimited free inline edits and Tab completions matter to you. Cursor is a better fit to evaluate if you want Composer on the free plan or its specific Individual agent features; neither editor’s plan details establish which produces better code.
Is Cursor or Windsurf better on the free plan?
Windsurf Free explicitly includes unlimited inline edits and Tab completions, with a light agent coding quota. Cursor Hobby includes Composer and limited Agent requests without a credit card requirement; the available data does not provide comparable agent quotas.
Is Cursor worth it compared with Windsurf?
Cursor Individual is worth evaluating if extended Agent limits, cloud agents, frontier-model access, or MCPs, skills, and hooks match your workflow. Windsurf Pro is the alternative to assess if increased quotas, full model availability, or access to Devin Cloud agents matter more.
Which is better for Java, Cursor or Windsurf?
The supplied Cursor and Windsurf plan features do not establish a Java-specific advantage for either editor. Try the free plans on your Java project before choosing based on language support or coding quality.
Which has team single sign-on, Cursor or Windsurf?
Cursor lists SAML/OIDC SSO on Teams, while Windsurf lists it on Enterprise. Check the rest of each plan’s administration features against your organization’s requirements before choosing.
Bottom line
- Pick Windsurf if you want unlimited free inline edits and Tab completions, then a Pro path to increased agent quotas, full model availability, and Devin Cloud agents.
- Pick Cursor if Composer, extended Agent limits, cloud agents, or MCPs, skills, and hooks are more important. Account for Bugbot’s separate usage-based billing if it is part of your decision.
- Pick Cursor Teams if team-wide privacy mode, shared cloud-agent context, or SAML/OIDC SSO at the team tier is decisive. Pick Windsurf Teams if its sharing, admin dashboard, and Pro features cover your group; evaluate Windsurf Enterprise if you require its listed SSO or dedicated deployment option.
Windsurf wins as the starting recommendation for a solo developer because its free editing allowances are explicit and its Pro upgrade addresses agent usage and model availability. Cursor remains the stronger choice to evaluate when its particular agent workflow or team controls are the reason you are shopping.