Comparison

GitHub Copilot vs Windsurf

No clear leader: Windsurf (57.6) and GitHub Copilot (56.4) are within the 5-point margin; treat as a tie. The attribute-by-attribute breakdown below, with a source and date on every value, is the honest way to compare them.

Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
GitHub Copilot56
Windsurf58
Score
vioscaleAI score
GitHub Copilot56 / 100medium · 72%
Windsurf58 / 100medium · 56%
Pricing
Free tier
GitHub Copilot✓
Windsurf✓
Model
GitHub Copilotfreemium
Windsurffreemium
Price level
GitHub Copilotlow
Windsurfmid
Starting price
GitHub Copilot–
Windsurf$20
Transparent
GitHub Copilot✗
Windsurf✓
Integrations
Count
GitHub Copilot25
Windsurf7
Security
Certifications
GitHub Copilot–
Disclosure policy
GitHub Copilot✓
Windsurf–
Gdpr
GitHub Copilot✓
Windsurf✓
Iso27001
GitHub Copilot✓
Windsurf–
Soc2
GitHub Copilot✓
Windsurf✓
Reliability
Status page
GitHub Copilot✓
Windsurf–
Market
Content
Faq
GitHub Copilot6 items
Windsurf7 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for ai coding agents. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Capabilities
Architecture model
GitHub CopilotVs code extension cline
WindsurfVs code extension cline
Terminal bash execution and self correction loops
GitHub Copilot✗
Windsurf✓
Mcp model context protocol integration
GitHub Copilot✓
Windsurf✓
Bring your own key byok API support
GitHub Copilot✗
Windsurf-
Multi file diff generation and automated apply
GitHub Copilot✓
Windsurf✓
Workspace indexing and semantic codebase search
GitHub Copilot✓
Windsurf-
Browser automation support for visual qa
GitHub Copilot✗
Windsurf✓
Privacy mode zero data retention for enterprise
GitHub Copilot✗
Windsurf✓
Rag on external documentation urls
GitHub Copilot✓
Windsurf-
Local LLM support via ollama or lmstudio
GitHub Copilot✗
Windsurf-
SOC2 type ii
GitHub Copilot✓
Windsurf✓
Mit or apache permissive oss license
GitHub Copilot✗
Windsurf-
Pricing model
GitHub Copilotper_seat
WindsurfUsage based cloud

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

GitHub Copilot

An AI-powered coding assistant that offers inline code completions, chat assistance in development environments, and code explanations. It helps developers throughout the software development lifecycle with intelligent suggestions and context-aware assistance across multiple platforms.

Independently observed

Windsurf

A desktop IDE that orchestrates local and cloud-based AI agents, enabling developers to coordinate multiple tasks, review code changes, and ship projects from a single integrated workspace.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

GitHub Copilot

SubscriptionFree tier

Free tier with limited features; paid plans starting with Pro

  • FreeFree
    • CLI support
    • Agent mode
  • Pro-
    • Bing and public repository code search
  • BusinessContact sales
    • Organizational license management
    • Policy management
    • Bing and public repository code search
  • EnterpriseContact sales
    • Native GitHub.com integration
    • Organizational context access
    • Advanced policy management
as of verify ↗

Windsurf

from $20/moSubscriptionFree tier

From $0/month with free tier. Paid plans from $20/month.

  • FreeFree
    • Light quota to code with agents
    • Limited model availability
    • Unlimited inline edits
    • Unlimited Tab completions
  • Pro$20/month
    • Increased quotas with frontier models (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, SpaceXAI, open source)
    • Full model availability
    • Free use of SWE-2
    • Access to cloud agents (Devin Cloud)
    • Purchase extra usage at API pricing
  • Max$200/month
    • Everything in Pro, plus significantly higher quotas
  • TeamsContact sales
    • Up to 200 users
    • Share and collaborate
    • Centralized billing and admin dashboard
    • Priority support and dedicated account management
    • SAML/OIDC SSO
    • +2 more
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
GitHub Copilot✓
Windsurf✗
iOS
GitHub Copilot✓
Windsurf✗
Android
GitHub Copilot✓
Windsurf✗
macOS
GitHub Copilot✓
Windsurf✗
Windows
GitHub Copilot✓
Windsurf✓
Linux
GitHub Copilot✓
Windsurf✓
CLI
GitHub Copilot✓
Windsurf✓
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
GitHub Copilot✓
Windsurf✓
Self-hosted
GitHub Copilot✗
Windsurf✓

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

In common (1)
  • Linear

GitHub Copilot

29 total - 28 not shared
  • Render
  • Linear Code
  • CodeRabbit
  • Codemagic CI/CD
  • Zenhub
  • Codacy
  • Codecov
  • Qlty Cloud
  • CircleCI
  • Azure Pipelines
  • Imgbot
  • CodeFactor
  • Rewind Backups
  • Percy
  • Argos Visual Testing
  • AccessLint
  • Rollbar
  • Testspace.com
  • Zube
  • Codetree
  • POEditor
  • Rewind Backups for GitHub
  • PR Scheduler
  • abaplint
  • +4 more
Independently observed

Windsurf

8 total - 7 not shared
  • GitHub
  • Slack
  • Jetbrains IDEs
  • Teams
  • Jira
  • GitLab
  • Bitbucket
Independently observed
Still deciding?

GitHub Copilot or Windsurf: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.