ChatGPT vs Windsurf: Side-by-Side Comparison 2026
ChatGPT vs Windsurf comparison 2026. Side-by-side features, pricing & capabilities.
| Feature | ChatGPT | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Assistant | AI IDE |
| Starting Price | Free | Free |
| Model Family | GPT / o-series | Multi-model |
| Context Window | 32K (Plus) / 196K (Pro) | Varies by model (up to 2M with Gemini) |
| Code Completion | ✗ | ✓ |
| Chat | ✓ | ✓ |
| Inline Editing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Agentic Mode | ✗ | ✓ |
| Multi-File Editing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Terminal Commands | ✗ | ✓ |
| Browser Use | ✓ | ✗ |
| Test Generation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Debugging | ✓ | ✓ |
| Refactoring | ✓ | ✓ |
| Code Review | ✓ | ✓ |
| PR Review | ✗ | ✗ |
| Documentation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Image to Code | ✓ | ✗ |
| Voice Input | ✓ | ✗ |
| App Generation | ✗ | ✓ |
| Deployment | ✗ | ✗ |
| Git Integration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Supported IDEs | N/A (standalone) | Windsurf (VS Code fork), JetBrains plugins |
| Open Source | No | No |
Pricing verified 2026-02-05. ChatGPT pricing | Windsurf pricing
Overview
ChatGPT is ai assistant from OpenAI. Windsurf is ai ide from Codeium. Both tools are actively maintained as of 2026.
ChatGPT: What You Get
ChatGPT — Conversational AI from OpenAI. General + Coding.
- AI chat
- Test generation
- Debugging
- Code review
Pricing: Free / $8/mo. 6 plans available.
Models: GPT-5.2, GPT-5.2 Thinking, GPT-4o, o1, o1-mini
Windsurf: What You Get
AI-first IDE with Cascade — an agentic assistant that understands your codebase and makes multi-file changes. Also available as Windsurf Plugin for VS Code and JetBrains.
- Cascade agentic AI
- Code completions
- Multi-file editing
- Terminal integration
- Codebase search
- Windsurf Plugin for other editors
Pricing: Free / $15/mo. 4 plans available.
Models: Claude Sonnet 3.7, Claude Opus 4.5, GPT-5.2-Codex, Cascade, Gemini, DeepSeek
Key Differences
- Category: ChatGPT is ai assistant, Windsurf is ai ide.
- Agentic mode: Windsurf supports agentic mode; ChatGPT does not.
- Model family: ChatGPT uses GPT / o-series; Windsurf uses Multi-model.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose ChatGPT if you want AI-powered coding assistance. Choose Windsurf if you want Cascade agent makes autonomous multi-step changes. Both tools are strong options — the right choice depends on your workflow and priorities.
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