Cursor: A Comprehensive Standalone Tool for Developers
Cursor, developed by the company of the same name, is a versatile standalone tool designed to cater to developers on various operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. It supports a wide array of large language models (LLMs) such as GPT-4, GPT-4 Turbo, GPT-4o, GPT-5 (High MAX), Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Gemini, cursor-small, and Supermaven. Cursor is especially notable for its custom model, ‘cursor-small’, and offers an extensive context window of up to 1 million tokens. This tool stands out with features like agentic editing across multiple files and full terminal access, enhancing productivity through predictive edits. Cursor is committed to privacy, adhering to a standard privacy policy and holding certifications like SOC2 Type II for enterprise-level security. With a seamless migration process and a pricing plan that ranges from a free tier to $20 per month, Cursor presents a cost-effective solution for developers seeking robust capabilities.
Pros
- ✓ Supports a wide range of LLMs.
- ✓ Offers a custom model for specific needs.
- ✓ Large context window of 1M tokens.
- ✓ Provides full terminal access and multi-file editing.
- ✓ Affordable pricing with a free tier available.
Cons
- ✕ Limited local inference capabilities.
- ✕ Privacy mode is standard, with no advanced options.
Windsurf: Flexible and User-Friendly Developer Tool
Windsurf is a standalone application tailored for developers across Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms. Developed by Windsurf, it supports the SWE-1.5 model and allows users to integrate their own models, offering flexibility and customization. The tool’s context window can handle up to 200,000 tokens, which is ample for most development tasks. Windsurf is equipped with features like multi-file agentic editing and full terminal access, ensuring a smooth and efficient workflow. The tool adheres to a standard privacy policy and has achieved SOC2 Type II certification for enterprise security. With a seamless migration capability, it offers a free tier and an upgraded plan at $30 per month, making it a viable option for developers looking for a customizable and secure environment.
Pros
- ✓ Allows integration of user-provided models.
- ✓ Multi-file editing and full terminal access.
- ✓ Enterprise security with SOC2 Type II certification.
- ✓ Seamless migration process.
Cons
- ✕ Higher pricing compared to similar tools.
- ✕ Smaller context window compared to Cursor.
Comparison Table
| Feature | Cursor | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture Type | standalone | standalone |
| Supported Os | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Developer | Cursor | Windsurf |
| Supported Llms | GPT-4, GPT-4 Turbo, GPT-4o, GPT-5 (High MAX), Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Gemini, cursor-small, Supermaven | SWE-1.5, User-provided models |
| Custom Model | cursor-small | SWE-1.5 |
| Context Window | 1M tokens | 200k tokens |
| Agentic Editing | Yes, multi-file | Yes, multi-file |
| Terminal Access | Full | Full |
| Privacy Mode | Standard Privacy Policy | Standard Privacy Policy |
| Certifications | SOC2 Type II (Enterprise) | SOC2 Type II (Enterprise) |
| About Price | Free – $20/mo | Free – $30/mo |
| Config File | .cursorrules | .windsurfrc |
| Migration | Seamless | Seamless |
Conclusion
Both Cursor and Windsurf offer robust solutions for developers with unique features and capabilities. Cursor excels with its extensive support for LLMs and a large context window, making it suitable for complex tasks. Windsurf, on the other hand, provides flexibility with user-provided models and strong security certifications, although it comes at a slightly higher cost. Choosing between them depends on specific needs such as budget, context window requirements, and model flexibility.