GitHub Copilot vs Windsurf: Side-by-Side Comparison 2026
GitHub Copilot vs Windsurf comparison 2026. Side-by-side features, pricing & capabilities.
| Feature | GitHub Copilot | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Extension | AI IDE |
| Starting Price | Free | Free |
| Model Family | Multi-model | Multi-model |
| Context Window | Varies by 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, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Neovim, GitHub.com, GitHub Mobile | Windsurf (VS Code fork), JetBrains plugins |
| Open Source | No | No |
Pricing verified 2026-02-05. GitHub Copilot pricing | Windsurf pricing
Overview
GitHub Copilot is editor extension from GitHub (Microsoft). Windsurf is ai ide from Codeium. Both tools are actively maintained as of 2026.
GitHub Copilot: What You Get
GitHub's AI coding assistant that suggests code completions, whole functions, and chat-based help directly in your editor.
- Code completions
- Chat
- CLI integration
- Pull request summaries
- Code review
- Multi-model support
Pricing: Free / $10/mo. 5 plans available.
Models: GPT-4.1, GPT-4o, o1, Claude Sonnet 4, Claude Sonnet 4.5, Claude Opus 4.5, Gemini 2.5 Pro
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: GitHub Copilot is editor extension, Windsurf is ai ide.
- Model family: GitHub Copilot uses Multi-model; Windsurf uses Multi-model.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose GitHub Copilot if you want Deep integration with GitHub workflows. 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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