Windsurf vs OpenRouter
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 | OpenRouter |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 88 | 84 |
| Pricing | Free tier with 25 credits/month. Pro at $15/month with 500 credits. Teams at $30/user/month. Enterprise pricing is custom. | Prepaid credits at provider rates with a 5.5% purchase fee. Free models available with rate limits. No subscription required. |
| 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 building apps who want to avoid vendor lock-in to a single LLM provider, Teams experimenting across multiple models with a single billing account, Indie developers and startups that want access to many models without separate provider contracts |
| Platforms | mac, windows, linux | web, api |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Languages | en | en |
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| Visit site | Get started |
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
- Pricing
- Prepaid credits at provider rates with a 5.5% purchase fee. Free models available with rate limits. No subscription required.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Best for
- Developers building apps who want to avoid vendor lock-in to a single LLM provider, Teams experimenting across multiple models with a single billing account, Indie developers and startups that want access to many models without separate provider contracts
- Platforms
- web, api
- API
- Yes
- 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
84Choose OpenRouter if:
- You are Developers building apps who want to avoid vendor lock-in to a single LLM provider
- You are Teams experimenting across multiple models with a single billing account
- You are Indie developers and startups that want access to many models without separate provider contracts
- You want to start free
FAQ
- What is the difference between Windsurf and OpenRouter?
- 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. OpenRouter is unified api gateway giving access to 300+ language models across 60+ providers including gpt, claude, gemini, and llama, with automatic fallbacks, smart provider routing, and cost optimization.
- Which is cheaper, Windsurf or OpenRouter?
- Windsurf: Free tier with 25 credits/month. Pro at $15/month with 500 credits. Teams at $30/user/month. Enterprise pricing is custom.. OpenRouter: Prepaid credits at provider rates with a 5.5% purchase fee. Free models available with rate limits. No subscription required.. Windsurf has a free plan. OpenRouter 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 OpenRouter best for?
- OpenRouter is best for Developers building apps who want to avoid vendor lock-in to a single LLM provider, Teams experimenting across multiple models with a single billing account, Indie developers and startups that want access to many models without separate provider contracts.