Windsurf / Alternatives
Alternatives · Nov 2025 – Nov 2026
Best Windsurf alternatives, according to developers who switched
First come the tools that developers on Hacker News explicitly said they prefer over Windsurf. After that, the best-rated ai ide tools.
| # | Alternative | Type | Approval | Picked over Windsurf | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aider | Terminal agent | 60% | 1 | Compare |
| 2 | Cursor | AI IDE | 55% | 1 | Compare |
| 3 | Claude Code | Terminal agent | 54% | 1 | Compare |
| 4 | Antigravity | AI IDE | 45% | 1 | Compare |
| 5 | GitHub Copilot | IDE extension | 42% | 1 | Compare |
| 6 | OpenAI Codex | Terminal agent | 69% | 1 | Compare |
| 7 | Kiro | AI IDE | 59% | – | Compare |
| 8 | Pi | Terminal agent | 84% | – | Compare |
| 9 | Amp | Terminal agent | 90% | – | |
| 10 | OpenCode | Terminal agent | 66% | – | Compare |
Windsurf itself has 58% approval from 36 opinions. See what developers say about it →