Windsurf (by Codeium) and Cursor are the two AI-first code editors developers actually argue about. Both are VS Code-based, both have an agent that can edit across your codebase — so how do you choose? Here's where they differ.
At a glance
| Cursor | Windsurf | |
|---|---|---|
| Base | VS Code fork | VS Code-based (Codeium) |
| Agent | Composer — powerful, controllable | Cascade — strong autonomous multi-step flow |
| Strength | Ecosystem, community, fine control | Hands-off agentic editing, context retention |
| Rules | .cursorrules | Rules / memories |
| Pricing | Free tier + paid | Free tier + paid |
How to choose
- Pick Cursor if you want the most popular option, the biggest community of tips/rules, and fine-grained control over what the AI does.
- Pick Windsurf if you want the agent to take the wheel more — running multi-step changes with less hand-holding.
- Honestly? They're close enough that personal feel decides it. Both have free tiers — spend an afternoon in each.
If you want lighter or open-source options too, see Cursor alternatives (Zed, Cline, Aider, Continue).
The thing both get wrong
Whichever you choose, the generated code is optimized to run, not to be secure. Both Windsurf and Cursor will happily hardcode an API key or skip an auth check if you don't catch it — the risks in Is Cursor safe? and the vibe coding security guide. Review the diffs, and scan what you ship: Nurbak checks your deployed app for exposed secrets and missing auth in seconds, free.