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Software · head to head

Baseten vs Windsurf

B

Baseten

Software

Inference is everything

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Windsurf logo

Windsurf

Software

The agentic IDE

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Windsurf has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Baseten gPU compute is billed per minute by hardware class, from $0.01052 per minute on a T4 up to $0.16633 per minute on a B200, so costs vary by which accelerator a workload lands on, as of August 2026.; Windsurf recently rebranded to Devin Desktop, creating product identity confusion

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Baseten and Windsurf actually diverge.

Attributes where Baseten and Windsurf differ
AttributeBasetenWindsurf
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelusage-basedUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebmacOS, Linux, Windows
FoundedUnknown2021

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 Baseten

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.

Baseten

No use cases recorded yet. See the Baseten review.

Windsurf

  • Agentic developmentnot Baseten
  • AI-assisted codingnot Baseten
  • Complex project managementnot Baseten
  • Automated coding tasksnot Baseten
  • Learning new codebasesnot Baseten

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Baseten

  • GPU compute is billed per minute by hardware class, from $0.01052 per minute on a T4 up to $0.16633 per minute on a B200, so costs vary by which accelerator a workload lands on, 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

Baseten

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Baseten 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 Baseten if

Nothing in the data separates Baseten from Windsurf on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Baseten review

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.
Windsurf review

Questions people ask

Is Baseten or Windsurf better?
Neither clearly leads. Baseten 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, Baseten or Windsurf?
Windsurf has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Baseten and Free for Windsurf.
Does Baseten or Windsurf run on more platforms?
Baseten 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. Baseten starts at On request.
What can Baseten 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.

Source
Windsurf: 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
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