Windsurf vs Z Code: Side-by-Side Comparison 2026

Windsurf vs Z Code comparison 2026. Side-by-side features, pricing & capabilities.

Windsurf is an AI IDE from Cognition — the agentic ai ide. Z Code is an AI IDE from Z.ai (Zhipu AI) — ai-powered code editor from zhipu ai (z.ai).

Windsurf

AI-first IDE with Cascade — an agentic assistant that understands your codebase and makes multi-file changes. Now owned by Cognition (makers of Devin). Also available as Windsurf Plugin for VS Code and JetBrains.

  • ✓ Cascade agentic AI
  • ✓ Code completions
  • ✓ Multi-file editing
  • ✓ Terminal integration
  • ✓ Codebase search

Free / $20/mo · 5 plans

Z Code

Desktop code editor from Z.ai (Zhipu AI) powered by GLM models. Integrates multiple AI agents within one interface with codebase understanding, automated code review, and support for external models. Also available as a VS Code extension.

  • ✓ GLM-5 flagship model (77.8% SWE-bench)
  • ✓ 200K token context window
  • ✓ OpenAI-compatible API
  • ✓ Free GLM-4.7-Flash model
  • ✓ Vision capabilities (Pro/Max)

$10/mo · 3 plans

Feature Windsurf Z Code
Category AI IDEAI IDE
Starting Price Free $10/mo
Model Family Multi-modelGLM
Open Source NoModels are open-weight (MIT for GLM-4.6)

Pricing verified Mar 20, 2026. Windsurf pricing | Z Code pricing

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Key Differences

  • Free tier: Windsurf has a free tier; Z Code does not.
  • Starting price: Windsurf starts at $20/mo; Z Code starts at $10/mo.
  • Model family: Windsurf uses Multi-model; Z Code uses GLM.
  • Open source: Windsurf: No. Z Code: Models are open-weight (MIT for GLM-4.6).
  • Platforms: Windsurf runs on Linux, Windows, macOS; Z Code runs on Windows, macOS.
  • Provider: Windsurf is built by Cognition; Z Code is built by Z.ai (Zhipu AI).

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Windsurf if you want an agentic IDE with autonomous multi-step changes. Choose Z Code if you want competitive coding AI starting at $10/mo with free model access. Read our full reviews to see which fits your workflow.

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