Software · head to head
Amp vs Windsurf
The short version
- Only Windsurf has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Amp purchased credits expire 12 months after purchase and subscription usage expires monthly, and Enterprise workspaces are billed at a 50 percent markup over individual and team rates, as of August 2026.; Windsurf recently rebranded to Devin Desktop, creating product identity confusion
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Amp and Windsurf actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Amp
Nothing recorded that Windsurf does not also cover.
Only in Windsurf
- Cascade AI agent
- Agentic programming
- Context-aware assistance
- Automated command execution
- Multi-file understanding
- Intelligent code generation
- Real-time debugging
- Integrated terminal
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Amp
No use cases recorded yet. See the Amp review.
Windsurf
- Agentic developmentnot Amp
- AI-assisted codingnot Amp
- Complex project managementnot Amp
- Automated coding tasksnot Amp
- Learning new codebasesnot Amp
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Amp
- Purchased credits expire 12 months after purchase and subscription usage expires monthly, and Enterprise workspaces are billed at a 50 percent markup over individual and team rates, as of August 2026.
Windsurf
- Recently rebranded to Devin Desktop, creating product identity confusion
- Cascade agent reached end-of-life on July 1, 2026, requiring migration to Devin Local
- Free tier quota runs out quickly for active developers, within a couple days of coding
- Pricing increased significantly in March 2026 overhaul, moving from credit-based to daily/weekly quotas
- OpenAI acquisition raises concerns about long-term product direction diverging from Codeium's vision
Pricing, plan by plan
Amp
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Amp review.
Windsurf
Free- FreeFree
- Light daily and weekly quotas
- Unlimited tab autocomplete
- Access to Cascade AI agent
- Pro$20/month
- Standard quotas
- Windsurf proprietary SWE model
- Cloud sessions for background work
- Max$200/month
- Heavy daily quotas
- Long agent sessions
- Frontier third-party models
- Teams$40/month-per-user
- All Pro features
- Centralized billing
- Usage analytics
Which should you pick?
Choose Amp if
Nothing in the data separates Amp from Windsurf on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Choose Windsurf if
- You need cascade ai agent.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on macOS, Linux, Windows.
- You also want agentic programming.
Questions people ask
- Is Amp or Windsurf better?
- Neither clearly leads. Amp starts at On request and Windsurf at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Amp or Windsurf?
- Windsurf has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Amp and Free for Windsurf.
- Does Amp or Windsurf run on more platforms?
- Amp runs on Web. Windsurf runs on macOS, Linux, Windows.
- Can I use Windsurf for free?
- Yes. Windsurf has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Amp starts at On request.
- What can Amp do that Windsurf cannot?
- Windsurf covers Cascade AI agent, Agentic programming, Context-aware assistance, Automated command execution.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Windsurf: Does Windsurf support MCP (Model Context Protocol) integrations?
Yes. Windsurf supports MCP with integrations for 21 third-party tools for extending functionality and connecting to external systems.
SourceWindsurf: What is Windsurf's current status as of 2026?
Windsurf rebranded to Devin Desktop in June 2026 and is backed by OpenAI after its 2025 acquisition. Cascade reached end-of-life on July 1, 2026, with Devin Local as the Rust-rewritten successor.
Source