Windsurf

Windsurf, formerly Codeium, is the AI editor that popularized the idea of an agent that works with you rather than for you. Its Cascade system reads your repository, watches what you are doing in real time, and then plans and executes multi-file changes — editing code, running terminal commands, and fixing its own errors while you stay in the flow of the problem.

Now owned by Cognition, the makers of Devin, Windsurf competes head-to-head with Cursor in 2026’s agentic editor race. Its differentiators are a gentler learning curve, real-time awareness of your keystrokes and preview state, and pricing that has consistently undercut rivals, though 2026’s shift to credit quotas muddied the comparison.

Quota anxiety and a dramatic corporate saga aside, the core experience is excellent. For developers who want an agent-first editor without abandoning a familiar VS Code-style environment, Windsurf is one of the two obvious picks.