Cline vs Windsurf: Side-by-Side Comparison 2026
Cline vs Windsurf comparison 2026. Side-by-side features, pricing & capabilities.
| Feature | Cline | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Agent | AI IDE |
| Starting Price | Free | Free |
| Model Family | Multi-model (any) | Multi-model |
| Context Window | Depends on model (up to 1M) | 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 | VS Code | Windsurf (VS Code fork), JetBrains plugins |
| Open Source | Yes (Apache 2.0) | No |
Pricing verified 2026-02-05. Cline pricing | Windsurf pricing
Overview
Cline is ai agent from Cline (Open Source). Windsurf is ai ide from Codeium. Both tools are actively maintained as of 2026.
Cline: What You Get
Cline — AI Coding Agent from Cline (Open Source). VS Code Agent.
- AI chat
- Agentic mode
- Multi-file editing
- Terminal commands
- Test generation
- Debugging
- Git integration
- App generation
Pricing: Free / $20/mo. 3 plans available.
Models: Claude Sonnet 4.5 (1M), Claude 3.5 Sonnet, GPT-4, Gemini, 50+ via OpenRouter, local (Ollama/LM Studio)
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: Cline is ai agent, Windsurf is ai ide.
- Model family: Cline uses Multi-model (any); Windsurf uses Multi-model.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Cline if you want Cline handles multi-step tasks independently. 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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