Windsurf vs Cline
A side-by-side comparison to help you choose the right tool.
88
Windsurf scores higher overall (88/100)
But the best choice depends on your specific needs. Compare below.
| Feature | Windsurf | Cline |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 88 | 81 |
| Pricing | Free tier with 25 credits/month. Pro at $15/month with 500 credits. Teams at $30/user/month. Enterprise pricing is custom. | The Cline extension is free and open source. You pay only for the underlying model usage via your own Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter, or other provider key. Cline also offers an optional managed inference plan billed per token. |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Developers who want AI-powered coding across multiple IDEs, not just one editor, Teams working on complex multi-file refactoring and large codebases, Enterprise teams needing FedRAMP, HIPAA, or ITAR compliance, Cost-conscious developers who want Cursor-level features at a lower price | developers who already pay for Claude or OpenAI API access, engineers who want a transparent, open-source alternative to Cursor, teams that need an agent that can plan, edit files, and run commands, tinkerers who want full control over models and prompts |
| Platforms | mac, windows, linux | vscode, jetbrains, cli |
| API | Yes | No |
| Languages | en | en |
| Pros |
|
|
| Cons |
|
|
| Visit site | Visit site |
Windsurf
88
- Pricing
- Free tier with 25 credits/month. Pro at $15/month with 500 credits. Teams at $30/user/month. Enterprise pricing is custom.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Best for
- Developers who want AI-powered coding across multiple IDEs, not just one editor, Teams working on complex multi-file refactoring and large codebases, Enterprise teams needing FedRAMP, HIPAA, or ITAR compliance, Cost-conscious developers who want Cursor-level features at a lower price
- Platforms
- mac, windows, linux
- API
- Yes
- Languages
- en
Cline
81
- Pricing
- The Cline extension is free and open source. You pay only for the underlying model usage via your own Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter, or other provider key. Cline also offers an optional managed inference plan billed per token.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Best for
- developers who already pay for Claude or OpenAI API access, engineers who want a transparent, open-source alternative to Cursor, teams that need an agent that can plan, edit files, and run commands, tinkerers who want full control over models and prompts
- Platforms
- vscode, jetbrains, cli
- API
- No
- Languages
- en
88Choose Windsurf if:
- You are Developers who want AI-powered coding across multiple IDEs, not just one editor
- You are Teams working on complex multi-file refactoring and large codebases
- You are Enterprise teams needing FedRAMP, HIPAA, or ITAR compliance
- You want to start free
81Choose Cline if:
- You are developers who already pay for Claude or OpenAI API access
- You are engineers who want a transparent, open-source alternative to Cursor
- You are teams that need an agent that can plan, edit files, and run commands
- You want to start free
FAQ
- What is the difference between Windsurf and Cline?
- Windsurf is windsurf is an ai-native code editor with agentic capabilities that understands your entire codebase and applies multi-file changes autonomously. ranked #1 in ai dev tool power rankings, it offers broader ide compatibility than cursor at a lower price point. Cline is an open-source ai coding agent that runs inside vs code, jetbrains, and a cli, with bring-your-own-key inference so you only pay for the model tokens, not a subscription.
- Which is cheaper, Windsurf or Cline?
- Windsurf: Free tier with 25 credits/month. Pro at $15/month with 500 credits. Teams at $30/user/month. Enterprise pricing is custom.. Cline: The Cline extension is free and open source. You pay only for the underlying model usage via your own Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter, or other provider key. Cline also offers an optional managed inference plan billed per token.. Windsurf has a free plan. Cline has a free plan.
- Who is Windsurf best for?
- Windsurf is best for Developers who want AI-powered coding across multiple IDEs, not just one editor, Teams working on complex multi-file refactoring and large codebases, Enterprise teams needing FedRAMP, HIPAA, or ITAR compliance, Cost-conscious developers who want Cursor-level features at a lower price.
- Who is Cline best for?
- Cline is best for developers who already pay for Claude or OpenAI API access, engineers who want a transparent, open-source alternative to Cursor, teams that need an agent that can plan, edit files, and run commands, tinkerers who want full control over models and prompts.