Windsurf

Windsurf, the AI editor that competed with Cursor, now sits inside Devin. Opening windsurf.com sends you to devin.ai, and Devin's documentation describes "Devin Desktop", an AI IDE whose package name and config folder still say windsurf. Plans are Free, Pro $20, Max $200 and Teams. Third-party coverage dates the rename to June 2026. Checked 31 October 2026.

At a glance

What happened to Windsurf

For a year the name Windsurf meant one thing: the editor most often listed beside Cursor. In 2025 its ownership changed hands, with Cognition agreeing to acquire it according to news coverage. In 2026 the branding followed. We confirmed three things on 31 October 2026 ourselves:

1. windsurf.com/pricing returns a permanent redirect to devin.ai/pricing.
2. docs.windsurf.com redirects to docs.devin.ai/desktop.
3. The Devin Desktop getting-started page still references the old name in its repository URLs, a transitional windsurf package and the ~/.codeium/windsurf config folder.

Devin's release notes for 2026 mention Devin Desktop on three dates (30 September, 2 October and 9 October) for syncing messages, the release channel setting and user preferences across the web app and devices. They do not discuss the rename.

The practical reading: if you used Windsurf, you probably already have Devin Desktop installed, and your work carries over. If you are looking for Windsurf as a product to evaluate, evaluate Devin Desktop.

What Devin Desktop is

Devin's docs describe it as "a next-generation AI IDE built to keep you in the flow." The pieces, from the getting-started page:

• A start page built around the agent input, with recent sessions and projects, and options to open a project, clone a repository or connect over SSH.
• Agent Command Center, where you browse all sessions.
• An upgraded terminal.
• Devin Settings, a quick panel in the status bar plus a full settings page.
• The command palette, opened with Cmd+Shift+P on Mac or Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows and Linux.
• Devin Desktop Next, an opt-in prerelease channel.
• Devin Local, the agent that runs on your machine. The docs call it the "next-generation agent harness, shared with Devin CLI."

MCP servers extend the agent, and rules and AGENTS.md files steer its behaviour. Both are covered under Devin Local customizations in the docs.

The shape of the product is a code editor plus an agent manager. That is a different centre of gravity from the older editor-first Windsurf. It is also what Cursor has been moving toward, with its own cloud agents.

Install

Mac and Windows: download the installer from the official download page. Linux has three routes:

# Debian and Ubuntu: add the signed apt repository, then
sudo apt install devin-desktop

# Fedora, CentOS, RHEL: import the signing key, add the repo, then
sudo dnf install -y devin-desktop

There is also a tar build, which the docs say does not self-update. Minimums: glibc 2.28 or newer for the tar build, Ubuntu 20.04 and Debian 10 for deb, Fedora 36, CentOS 8 and RHEL 8 for rpm.

First run: sign in with a Devin account or use a Devin API key. The installer can add a devin-desktop terminal command.

The Devin CLI

The same harness runs in the terminal as the Devin CLI:

curl -fsSL https://cli.devin.ai/install.sh | bash   # macOS, Linux, WSL
brew install --cask devin-cli                        # macOS
devin

Windows has an installer and a PowerShell script. The CLI can implement features, fix bugs, review code and automate tasks, and it can create, steer and resume Devin Cloud sessions from the terminal. The docs list a limitation: it does not yet support Knowledge, Playbooks or Secrets from your Devin account. Compare with Claude Code and OpenCode, which live in the terminal first.

Plans and prices

From devin.ai/pricing and the self-serve billing docs on 31 October 2026:

Important details:

• One quota covers Devin sessions, the Devin CLI and Devin Desktop. It "refreshes automatically on a daily and weekly basis." The pages give no numbers for the quota.
• On Teams, a full seat ($40 a month) includes Desktop. A flex seat is free but has no Desktop access and draws on a shared on-demand credit pool.
• Extra usage on Pro is billed at API pricing.
• The pricing FAQ suggests smaller models such as Haiku, GPT 5.2 Mini and Kimi K2.5 for routine tasks to stretch your allowance.

Compare with Cursor's plans: Free, Plus $8, Premium $30, Super $100, Ultra $200. The two ladders are close in shape at the top end: $200 for heavy use. See AI coding agent pricing compared.

What it does well

• Agent management. The command center and shared quota treat the editor, CLI and cloud agent as one product. If you want to start a task locally and hand a longer one to the cloud, that is built in; the CLI's handoff command is documented.
• Model range. Pro lists models from several labs plus Cognition's own SWE-2, which the release notes describe as "Cognition's next-generation software engineering model" in a research preview since 21 September 2026.
• Free tier with Tab. Free gives unlimited Tab completions and inline edits, which many rivals charge for.
• A path from editor to team. SSO, admin dashboards and a dedicated deployment option exist on higher plans.

Limits and open questions

• Naming churn. The product has changed name, agent and docs location within a year. Old guides, extensions and forum answers use the Windsurf name.
• Unpublished quotas. You cannot compare the Free or Pro allowance with Cursor or Copilot numerically from the page.
• Privacy terms. Cognition's security page says that by default it "may use your data for model training purposes", and that on paid plans you can opt out in Data Controls, which then enables zero data retention with model providers. On Teams only an administrator can opt out; Enterprise is never trained on without written consent. The page speaks of Devin services in general, so we cannot say how it applies to Devin Desktop on the Free plan.
• Proprietary. Unlike Cline or OpenCode, you cannot read the source.
• Cascade users. If you relied on Cascade-specific features, check what Devin Local covers.

Local agent or cloud agent

Devin Desktop sits between two ways of running an agent, and the quota covers both.

Devin's docs also describe "Local Hands for Devin Cloud Sessions", a way for a cloud session to use a connected local machine. We have not read that page, so we cannot say what it exposes of your machine.

For a team, the useful workflow is a split: do the thinking and small changes locally with Devin Local, send well-defined tickets to the cloud agent, then review the pull requests. Our Devin page covers the cloud side.

How to judge it in a week

Treat the first week as a measurement, not a switch.

1. Install on the Free plan and open a real repository.
2. Run the same three tasks you would give any agent: a bug fix, a small feature, a refactor.
3. Watch for the day the quota runs out. That tells you more than the plan table.
4. Try one task through the CLI and one through the editor, to see whether the shared harness behaves the same.
5. Look at the diffs, not the chat, and count your corrections.
6. If you move to Pro, check what the on-demand usage costs at API pricing for your habits.

Keep your AGENTS.md and MCP servers in one place so a second tool can be trialled the same way. Our guide to choosing an AI coding agent has a longer method.

Moving in or out

From Windsurf. The docs show configuration import and a legacy auth path. Devin CLI can read configuration from other tools, including Windsurf, according to the docs index. Your AGENTS.md and rules should still apply.

To another agent. Your project rules are the portable part. Move shared instructions to AGENTS.md; most tools read it. Re-add MCP servers with the new tool's command. See Cursor alternatives for the options and what carries over.

Versus the others

Common questions from Windsurf users

Do I need to reinstall? The docs describe a transitional windsurf package and an automatic update path, so most users will find the editor already renamed. Check the About screen for the product name.

Will my extensions work? Devin Desktop is described as an AI IDE with a command palette and settings panel in the familiar style, and secondary coverage says settings and extensions carried over. Test your essential extensions after the update.

Is my old subscription still valid? The docs mention Legacy Windsurf Enterprise and Legacy Windsurf Auth, so older plans appear to have a defined path. Check your billing page before assuming a price.

Can I use Devin Desktop without the cloud agent? Yes. Devin Local runs on your machine, and the Free plan lists unlimited Tab completions and inline edits.

Our take

This is an editorial reading of vendor pages, not a hands-on test.

Windsurf's story is a reminder that an AI editor is a service, not a fixed product. The name, agent and docs all moved in a few months, and the new framing is the agent, not the editor. If you were a Windsurf user, nothing forces you to move. If you are choosing today, treat Devin Desktop as one of the three or four agent IDEs worth a trial, alongside Cursor, Antigravity and Kiro, and judge it on the same terms: the billing unit, the models you can reach, the data terms and how much of the product you can leave with.

The free tier makes a trial cheap. The unpublished quotas make planning hard, so run a week on real tasks and watch when the limit hits.

Checklist

• Confirm whether you already have Devin Desktop under the old Windsurf name
• Check which plan covers your use: Free, Pro, Max or a Teams full seat
• Move shared rules into AGENTS.md
• Re-add MCP servers and test one
• Read the data and retention terms for your plan
• Try the Devin CLI if you prefer the terminal
• Re-check pricing on devin.ai the day you subscribe