Quick Verdict
Cursor Pro and Windsurf Pro are the two leading AI-first coding subscriptions for individual developers. Cursor Pro costs $20/month and bills usage in dollar terms. Windsurf Pro costs $15/month and bills usage in prompt credits. If you want lower baseline cost and a simpler credit model, Windsurf Pro wins. If you want broader model choice and usage-based flexibility, Cursor Pro wins.
Pricing
- Cursor Pro: $20/month or $16/month on annual billing. The annual plan saves $48/year.
- Windsurf Pro: $15/month. Annual billing is not publicly listed — monthly-only pricing applies.
Windsurf Pro is $5/month cheaper at the monthly rate. However, Cursor Pro’s annual option brings it to $16/month, narrowing the gap significantly for users willing to commit.
Model Access
- Cursor Pro gives access to the full frontier-model catalog: OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, and xAI models on eligible providers. This includes Claude Sonnet 4, Claude Opus 4, OpenAI o3-pro, GPT-4.1, and Gemini 2.5 Pro as examples of available models.
- Windsurf Pro offers access to Windsurf’s own SWE-1.5 model family alongside premium third-party models including Claude and GPT families. BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) options for Claude 4 Sonnet/Opus variants are also available.
Cursor Pro has a wider model-choice surface if you want to mix and match frontier models per task. Windsurf Pro’s SWE-1.5 models are purpose-built for software engineering workflows.
Usage Limits
- Cursor Pro includes $20/month in API usage credit. Once depleted, on-demand usage continues at API rates. Max Mode supports up to 1M token context windows on eligible models.
- Windsurf Pro includes 500 prompt credits/month. Add-on credit packs are available at $10 per 250 credits with automatic refill options.
Cursor’s dollar-denominated usage makes cost forecasting cleaner for developers tracking API spend. Windsurf’s credit system is more predictable for users who want a fixed monthly allowance before top-ups.
Who Should Choose Each
Choose Cursor Pro if you:
- Want the broadest frontier-model selection (GPT, Claude, Gemini, xAI) in a single IDE
- Prefer dollar-based usage tracking with on-demand continuation
- Value annual billing discount ($16/month vs $20/month monthly)
- Run complex, long-context coding sessions with Max Mode (up to 1M tokens)
Choose Windsurf Pro if you:
- Prefer a lower monthly baseline cost ($15/month vs $20/month)
- Want purpose-built software engineering models (SWE-1.5 family)
- Like a credit-based usage model with predictable top-up pricing
- Are evaluating with the 2-week trial that includes 100 prompt credits
For a deeper coding workflow comparison, see Cursor vs Windsurf for Coding, or see the full ranking at best AI plans for coding. Need more than standard Cursor Pro? See Cursor Pro+ vs Windsurf Pro for the mid-tier upgrade comparison. Comparing against a general AI chatbot instead? See Google AI Plus vs Windsurf Pro.