Anyone searching for a Windsurf review in late 2026 is looking at a renamed product. Cognition bought Windsurf in July 2025 and, on June 2, 2026, turned it into Devin Desktop: an editor whose default screen is a board of agents, not a file tree.
Key Takeaways
- Windsurf is now Devin Desktop. — Cognition rebranded the editor on June 2, 2026 through an over-the-air update. Settings, plans and extensions carry over.
- Cascade is gone; Devin Local replaced it. — The default view is an Agent Command Center board for local and cloud agents. Scripts and rules that named Cascade need repointing.
- Quotas, not credits. — Free, Pro $20, Max $200 and Teams at $80 plus $40 per seat, as published in November 2026. The page does not quantify the quotas.
What happened to Windsurf?
On July 14, 2025, Cognition signed a definitive agreement to acquire Windsurf, including its IP, product, trademark and brand, $82M of ARR and more than 350 enterprise customers (Cognition). The deal followed Windsurf's CEO and some researchers leaving for Google under a separate licensing agreement.
On June 2, 2026, Cognition announced that Windsurf is now Devin Desktop. The default view is an Agent Command Center, a Kanban board of local and cloud agent sessions, with Spaces that group sessions, PRs, files and context. Devin Local, rewritten in Rust, replaced Cascade as the local agent. Devin Desktop also runs third-party agents such as Codex, Claude Agent and OpenCode through the Agent Client Protocol. The migration FAQ says settings move automatically, that pricing did not change, and that the Windsurf JetBrains plugin is in maintenance mode.
How does Windsurf score?
WTF Radar scores four criteria from 1 to 5, using published vendor documentation rather than benchmarks or hands-on tests: how far the agent runs without a person (autonomy), what reviewers and admins can constrain (control), how many places it works (integration), and whether the price of real usage is published (pricing clarity). Total: 14/20.
| Criterion | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Autonomy | 4/5 | Devin Local in the editor plus Devin Cloud agents on their own machines, managed from one board. |
| Control | 4/5 | Teams admin dashboard and analytics; Enterprise adds SAML/OIDC SSO and dedicated deployment. |
| Integration | 4/5 | Runs third-party agents (Codex, Claude Agent, OpenCode) over the Agent Client Protocol; the JetBrains plugin is in maintenance mode. |
| Pricing clarity | 2/5 | Plan prices are published but quotas are described only as light, increased or generous. |
How much does Windsurf (Devin Desktop) cost?
As published in November 2026 (Cognition):
| Plan | Price | Usage as described |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Light quota, limited models, unlimited Tab completions |
| Pro | $20/mo | Increased quotas, frontier models, Devin Cloud access |
| Max | $200/mo | Significantly higher quotas |
| Teams | $80/mo plus $40 per full seat | Per-user quota, up to 200 users, admin analytics |
| Enterprise | On request | SAML/OIDC SSO, dedicated deployment option |
Paid usage refreshes daily and weekly, and extra usage is billed at API pricing. Budget owners should ask for the actual quota numbers before a team rollout.
Who is Windsurf for?
- Fits: existing Windsurf customers, and teams that want local editing and cloud agents, including third-party ones, on one board.
- Look elsewhere: JetBrains-first teams (the plugin is in maintenance mode), and buyers who need a published usage allowance before signing (Kiro publishes credits per plan).
What are the Windsurf alternatives?
- Cursor: the closest editor-first rival.
- Kiro: spec-first, with credits published per plan.
- Cline: open source and installable inside VS Code, JetBrains and Cursor.
- Amp: cloud machines per agent that keep working after you close the laptop.
Related questions
- Devin or Claude Code for autonomous work?
- Devin or Cursor background agents for cloud work?
- Kiro or Cursor: which agentic IDE fits your team?
- How should a CTO compare AI coding agents? (partner site CTAIO)
- Where do humans stay in the loop in an agentic software lifecycle? (partner site CTAIO)
Sources
- Cognition, Cognition’s acquisition of Windsurf (Jul 14, 2025).
- Cognition, Windsurf is now Devin Desktop (Jun 2, 2026).
- Cognition, Devin Desktop FAQ.
- Cognition, Devin plans and pricing (fetched Nov 3, 2026; windsurf.com/pricing redirects here).
Does Windsurf still exist?
Not under that name. Cognition, which acquired Windsurf in July 2025, rebranded the Windsurf editor as Devin Desktop on June 2, 2026. Existing users received the change as an over-the-air update and kept their plan, settings and extensions. windsurf.com/pricing now redirects to devin.ai/pricing.
Who owns Windsurf?
Cognition, the company behind the Devin coding agent. It signed a definitive agreement on July 14, 2025 to acquire Windsurf's IP, product, trademark, brand and team, shortly after Windsurf's CEO and some researchers joined Google under a separate licensing deal.
What happened to Cascade?
Devin Local replaced Cascade as the default local agent when Windsurf became Devin Desktop. Cognition kept the legacy Cascade agent available for a transition period in July 2026. Interactive use migrated automatically; CI pipelines, scripts and rules that named Cascade had to be repointed.
How much does Devin Desktop cost?
As published in November 2026: Free at $0, Pro at $20 a month, Max at $200 a month, and Teams at $80 a month for the team plan plus $40 a month per full developer seat, for up to 200 users. Enterprise is priced on request. Extra usage on paid plans is billed at API pricing.
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