Comparisons / Cursor vs Windsurf
AI coding tools · HN opinions Nov 2025 – Nov 2026
Cursor vs Windsurf: what developers actually say
Based on 802 opinions on Hacker News from developers who discussed these two, most of them first-hand users.
Cursor comes out ahead overall. It has 766 opinions against Windsurf's 36, while approval is close at 55% and 58%, so the volume gap matters more than the score gap. Cursor's strengths are speed (44 positive mentions to 8 negative) and UX (101 to 59); its weak points are reliability (14 to 58) and pricing (58 to 60). Windsurf is the better pick when cheap access to many models and free tab completion matter most, but 36 opinions cannot support a confident verdict.
When developers explicitly said they prefer one or switched: 1 picked Cursor, 2 picked Windsurf.
Choose Cursor if
- Want the largest and most active user base to learn from
- Prioritize speed and UX over reliability
- Want one interface for Claude, Codex and other agents
Choose Windsurf if
- Want a $20 plan that covers nearly all models
- Rely on free unlimited tab completion
- Accept a thin evidence base and reports of shrinking quotas
Where each one wins and loses
PraiseComplaintsA = CursorB = Windsurf
UX
Cost & pricing
Code quality
Reliability
Speed
Autonomy
Usage limits
Customization
Why developers switched
Picked Cursor
Tried many commercial and open source rivals and says Cursor's harness is far faster and better featured, with direct competitors not close.HN comment · Apr 22, 2026
Picked Windsurf
Rates Windsurf about ten times better than Cursor and is puzzled it draws so little discussion on Hacker News.HN comment · Dec 19, 2025
Long-time Windsurf advocate who called it far ahead of Cursor, but moved to Codex over cloud environments and pricing concerns.HN comment · Nov 5, 2025
Summaries are paraphrased. Each links to the original comment.