🌊

AI IDEFree Tier Available

Windsurf

by Codeium - The AI-first IDE built around deep codebase awareness

Windsurf is a full IDE (based on VS Code) where every feature is designed around AI. Its standout feature is Cascade - an agentic AI that understands your entire codebase, not just the current file, and can autonomously plan and execute multi-step tasks.

Made by

Codeium

Based on

VS Code

Free tier

Yes (generous)

Best for

Agentic coding

Platform

Mac, Win, Linux

Website

codeium.com/windsurf

⚡ Install & Setup

Step 1 - Download Windsurf

Go to codeium.com/windsurf → click Download. Available for macOS (Apple Silicon + Intel), Windows, and Linux.

Step 2 - Sign In (Free Account)

Launch Windsurf → click "Sign in with Codeium" → create a free account. No credit card needed for the free tier.

Step 3 - Open Your Project

File → Open Folder → select your project. Windsurf indexes your entire codebase in the background - this gives Cascade full context.

Step 4 - Open Cascade

Press Cmd+L (Mac) or Ctrl+L (Windows) to open the Cascade panel on the right.

🔑 Key Features

🌊

Cascade (Agentic AI)

Autonomous AI agent that reads your codebase, plans multi-file changes, runs terminal commands, and iterates until the task is complete.

💡

Supercomplete

Context-aware inline completion that understands your entire repo - not just the current line. Predicts whole functions and logical next steps.

💬

Chat Mode

Ask questions about your code. Reference files with @filename. Cascade answers with full repo context.

🔍

Codebase Indexing

Windsurf automatically indexes your project so Cascade knows every function, class, and file - no need to paste context manually.

🔌

VS Code Compatible

All your VS Code extensions work in Windsurf. Same keybindings, themes, and settings - minimal transition friction.

🆓

Generous Free Tier

Free tier includes 25 Cascade uses per month + unlimited completions. Premium adds higher limits and GPT-4/Claude models.

🚀 Sample Usage

1. Inline Completion

Start typing and let Supercomplete finish your thought. Accept with Tab.

// calculate shipping cost based on weight and zone
function calcShipping(weight, zone) {
// ← Windsurf fills in the entire function body

2. Cascade - Agentic Task

Open Cascade (Cmd+L) and type a high-level task:

"Add pagination to the /api/products endpoint. Use cursor-based pagination. Update the React ProductList component to load more on scroll. Add tests for the new params."

Cascade reads your existing files, proposes a plan, writes the changes, and runs your tests - all without you writing a single line.

3. Ask a Codebase Question

"Where does this app handle authentication? Walk me through the full auth flow from login to session."

Cascade traces through your actual files and gives a specific answer with file references - no need to grep the codebase yourself.

💡 Pro Tips

Let Windsurf fully index your project before using Cascade - wait for the indexing spinner to finish
Use @filename in Cascade to focus on specific files
Cascade can run terminal commands - useful for running tests and seeing results inline
Migrate from VS Code in seconds: Settings → Import from VS Code
For large tasks, set scope in your prompt: "Only modify files in src/api/ - do not touch the frontend"

⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

Open CascadeCmd+L / Ctrl+L

Accept completionTab

Reject completionEsc

Accept next wordCmd+→ / Ctrl+→

Open command paletteCmd+Shift+P

New Cascade conversationCmd+N in Cascade

⚖️ Which Coding Tool Should I Pick?

The current tool is highlighted. There is no single winner - pick by how you like to work.

Tool	Type	Pricing	Best for	Models / AI
GitHub Copilot	IDE extension	Free tier; Pro ~$10/mo	AI in your existing editor	GPT-5.5, Claude Sonnet 4.6, Gemini 3.5
Cursor	AI IDE (VS Code fork)	Hobby free; Pro $20/mo	All-round AI editor + agent	GPT-5.5, Claude Opus 4.8 / Sonnet 4.6
Windsurf(this page)	AI IDE (VS Code fork)	Free tier; paid plans	Agentic flows (Cascade)	Frontier models + own
Google Antigravity	Agent-first IDE	Free public preview	Autonomous build + browser test	Gemini 3.5
Claude Code (CLI)	Terminal agent	Claude sub or API	Agentic coding in the terminal	Claude Opus 4.8 / Sonnet 4.6 / Haiku 4.5
VS Code + AI ext	Editor + extensions	Free options exist	Keep VS Code, add AI	Depends on extension

Pricing and model support change often. Verified June 2026 - confirm on each tool's official site.

🛠️ Troubleshooting & Common Pitfalls

⚠ Cascade will not run

Sign in and check your plan credits. Cascade actions consume credits on the free tier; they refill or require a paid plan.

⚠ Confused: the app vs the plugin

Windsurf is the standalone IDE; the Windsurf plugin (formerly Codeium) adds completions to VS Code / JetBrains. Pick one per editor.

⚠ Slow indexing on big repos

First open indexes the whole codebase - let it finish. Exclude build/vendor folders to speed it up.

⚠ Completions stopped

Sign out and back in, and confirm Windsurf is the only AI completion engine running (two engines conflict).

📚 Related Course Lessons

Go deeper on the skills this tool is for:

L46 - Agentic Coding →L40 - AI Chat for Development →L47 - Custom AI Extensions →L56 - From Prompter to Loop Designer →

🔗 Official Resources

Download Windsurf ↗Mac, Windows, Linux (now part of Cognition / Devin)VS Code / JetBrains plugin ↗Windsurf plugin (formerly Codeium)Pricing ↗Free tier + paid plans Changelog ↗Release notes

Links open the official sites. Pricing and features change often - always confirm there. (Verified June 2026.)

→ Compare: Cursor → Compare: VS Code + AI → Compare: GitHub Copilot