Windsurf Pricing 2026: Plans, Credits & What You Actually Pay
A transparent breakdown of Windsurf's Free, Pro, and Teams plans — Cascade credit limits, model access, and how the real cost compares to Cursor. No marketing fluff, just the numbers you need to decide.
💰 Quick Pricing Summary
Free: $0/mo (unlimited autocomplete, limited Cascade credits). Pro: $15/mo, or $10/mo billed annually (higher Cascade credit limits + frontier model access). Teams: $35/user/mo (everything in Pro + admin dashboard, SSO, default privacy mode).
No credit card required for Free. Pro undercuts Cursor Pro ($20/mo) by $5/month.
Not sure if Windsurf is right for you?
Compare Windsurf with other AI code editors before you commit. See side-by-side feature breakdowns, pricing differences, and which tool fits your workflow best.
Windsurf Subscription Plans Comparison
| Feature | Free | Pro | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price | $0 | $15 | $35 |
| Annual Price | Free forever | $10/mo (billed annually) | Per-user, billed annually or monthly |
| Autocomplete | ✅ Unlimited | ✅ Unlimited | ✅ Unlimited |
| Cascade Credits | Limited/mo | Higher limit | Higher limit |
| Frontier Models | ❌ Base models only | ✅ Claude 3.7, GPT-4o | ✅ Claude 3.7, GPT-4o |
| Privacy Mode | Opt-in | Opt-in | ✅ Default |
| Admin Dashboard | ❌ No | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| SSO & Centralized Billing | ❌ No | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| VS Code Compatibility | ✅ Full | ✅ Full | ✅ Full |
Pricing as of July 2026. Windsurf has adjusted credit allocations multiple times — check codeium.com/windsurf for current limits.
Understanding Each Plan
Free Plan — $0/month
A genuinely usable entry point, not a time-limited trial. No credit card required.
What you get:
- Unlimited autocomplete powered by Codeium's base models
- A limited monthly allotment of Cascade agent credits
- Full VS Code compatibility (extensions, settings, keybindings)
- Codebase indexing
What you don't get:
- Access to frontier models (Claude 3.7, GPT-4o) for Cascade
- Priority Cascade throughput
Best for: Developers evaluating Windsurf before committing, hobby projects, and light Cascade usage a few times a week.
Pro Plan — $15/month
The plan most regular users land on — significantly higher Cascade limits and access to frontier models.
What you get:
- Unlimited autocomplete
- Higher monthly Cascade credit limits
- Access to Claude 3.7 Sonnet and GPT-4o for agentic tasks
- Priority Cascade throughput
- Advanced codebase indexing and full Flow state features
Best for: Developers using Cascade daily for real feature work, large refactors, or full CRUD implementations. $5/month cheaper than Cursor Pro.
Teams Plan — $35/user/month
Everything in Pro, plus the controls organizations need to standardize on Windsurf.
What you get:
- All Pro features for every seat
- Team admin dashboard with usage analytics
- Privacy mode enabled by default (no opt-in required)
- SSO and centralized billing
- Priority support
Best for: Engineering teams that need visibility into AI usage across the org, or organizations with data-handling requirements that mandate default privacy mode.
How Cascade Credits Actually Work
✅ Doesn't Use Credits
- Inline autocomplete: Unlimited on every plan, including Free
- Codebase indexing: Runs continuously, no credit cost
- Simple chat questions: Light Q&A about your code
💳 Uses Credits
- Cascade agentic runs: Multi-step planning and execution
- Multi-file edits: Larger tasks consume more credits than small ones
- Frontier model calls: Claude 3.7/GPT-4o requests (Pro/Teams only)
Pro tip: Reserve Cascade for genuinely multi-step tasks — full feature implementations, refactors, migrations. For quick single-line fixes, rely on unlimited autocomplete instead and your monthly credits will stretch much further.
Real-World Cost Examples
Scenario 1: Side-Project Developer
Usage: A few hours a week, occasional Cascade runs for small features
Recommended plan: Free ($0/mo)
Why: Unlimited autocomplete covers most day-to-day coding; the Free tier's Cascade allotment is enough for light, occasional agentic tasks.
Scenario 2: Full-Time Developer
Usage: Daily Cascade use for feature implementation and refactors
Recommended plan: Pro ($15/mo)
Why: Higher credit limits and frontier model access pay for themselves quickly once Cascade becomes part of your daily workflow. Still $5/month cheaper than Cursor Pro.
Scenario 3: 10-Person Engineering Team
Usage: Org-wide adoption, compliance requirements for code privacy
Recommended plan: Teams ($350/mo for 10 seats)
Why: Default privacy mode, SSO, and centralized billing simplify procurement and satisfy most internal security reviews without extra configuration.
Windsurf Pricing vs Competitors
| Tool | Entry Plan | Paid Plan | Free Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windsurf | $0/mo (unlimited autocomplete) | $15/mo (Pro, frontier models) | ✅ Generous |
| Cursor | Free (limited) | $20/mo (Pro) | Limited |
| GitHub Copilot | Free (limited) | $10/mo (Pro) | Limited |
| Cline | Free (open-source) | BYOK API costs (no subscription) | ✅ Full features |
Looking for alternatives? Compare Windsurf to other AI code editors.
Which Windsurf Plan Should You Choose?
Choose Free if:
- You're just evaluating Windsurf against Cursor or Copilot
- You use Cascade a few times a week, not daily
- Base models are good enough for your typical tasks
Choose Pro ($15/mo) if:
- You use Cascade daily for real feature work
- You want access to Claude 3.7 Sonnet and GPT-4o
- You're hitting the Free tier's credit limit regularly
- You want a cheaper alternative to Cursor Pro
Choose Teams ($35/user/mo) if:
- You need to standardize AI tooling across an engineering org
- You require default privacy mode without manual opt-in
- You need SSO and centralized billing for procurement
- You want usage analytics across your team
Not sure? Start with Free. It's a genuinely usable tier — try Cascade on a real feature for a week before deciding whether Pro's higher limits and frontier models are worth $15/month to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Windsurf cost per month?
Is Windsurf free to use?
What are Cascade credits and how do they work?
Is Windsurf cheaper than Cursor?
What do you get with Windsurf Teams?
Can I run out of Cascade credits?
Which Windsurf plan should I choose?
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