# GitHub Copilot vs Windsurf

| Attribute | GitHub Copilot | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 56.4 (72% (medium)) | 57.6 (56% (medium)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"AI-powered development companion providing inline code suggestions, chat-based assistance in IDEs, code review capabilities, and agent-driven automation. Works across multiple editors and platforms including VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, and GitHub.com. It is indexed under AI Coding Assistants.","source":"https://github.com/features/copilot/plans?ref_cta=See+pricing+and+plans&ref_loc=hero&ref_page=%2Ffeatures_copilot_copilot_ai_code_editor&cft=copilot_li.features_copilot&locale=en-US","question":"What is GitHub Copilot?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"GitHub Copilot offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://github.com/features/copilot/plans?ref_cta=See+pricing+and+plans&ref_loc=hero&ref_page=%2Ffeatures_copilot_copilot_ai_code_editor&cft=copilot_li.features_copilot&locale=en-US","question":"Is GitHub Copilot free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"GitHub Copilot supports the web, iOS, Android and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://github.com/features/copilot/plans?ref_cta=See+pricing+and+plans&ref_loc=hero&ref_page=%2Ffeatures_copilot_copilot_ai_code_editor&cft=copilot_li.features_copilot&locale=en-US","question":"What platforms does GitHub Copilot support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for GitHub Copilot, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://github.com/features/copilot/plans?ref_cta=See+pricing+and+plans&ref_loc=hero&ref_page=%2Ffeatures_copilot_copilot_ai_code_editor&cft=copilot_li.features_copilot&locale=en-US","question":"Can GitHub Copilot be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 26 integrations for GitHub Copilot, including Render, Linear Code, CodeRabbit, Codemagic CI/CD, Zenhub, Codacy, Codecov and Qlty Cloud, plus 18 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://github.com/pricing","question":"What does GitHub Copilot integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2, ISO 27001 and GDPR for GitHub Copilot. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as GitHub Copilot not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://github.com/security/advanced-security","question":"What security certifications does GitHub Copilot have?","confidence":0.7}]` | `[{"answer":"Windsurf is a development environment available as both a standalone editor and plugin for Jetbrains IDEs, enabling users to work with AI agents for code generation, testing, and debugging. It supports collaboration with cloud-based agents and integrates with existing developer tools. It is indexed under AI Coding Agents.","source":"https://windsurf.com/pricing/(organization-plan-setup)/teams","question":"What is Windsurf?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Windsurf offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans are also available: Free, Pro and Enterprise. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://windsurf.com/pricing/(organization-plan-setup)/teams","question":"Is Windsurf free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Windsurf supports the web, Windows, macOS and Linux. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://windsurf.com/pricing/(organization-plan-setup)/teams","question":"What platforms does Windsurf support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Windsurf, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://windsurf.com/pricing/(organization-plan-setup)/teams","question":"Can Windsurf be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 3 integrations for Windsurf, including GitHub, Slack and Jetbrains IDEs. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://windsurf.com/pricing/(organization-plan-setup)/teams","question":"What does Windsurf integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2 and GDPR for Windsurf. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Windsurf not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://windsurf.com/security","question":"What security certifications does Windsurf have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"Windsurf is available worldwide. Its primary market is the United States.","source":"https://windsurf.com","question":"Where is Windsurf available?","confidence":0.5}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | 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. | 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. |
| features.capabilities | `{"form":"autonomous_agent","autonomy":"autonomous","languages":"Multiple languages (including Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, C++, Go, Rub","oss_client":"closed","model_source":"model_agnostic","soc2_type_ii":true,"pricing_model":"per_seat","runs_commands":true,"self_hostable":false,"editor_support":"VS Code, IDEs, CLI, GitHub, chat apps, custom MCP servers","codebase_context":"repo_wide","multi_file_edits":true,"architecture_model":"vs_code_extension_cline","enterprise_controls":true,"zero_data_retention":false,"rag_on_external_documentation_urls":true,"bring_your_own_key_byok_api_support":false,"mit_or_apache_permissive_oss_license":false,"mcp_model_context_protocol_integration":true,"browser_automation_support_for_visual_qa":false,"local_llm_support_via_ollama_or_lmstudio":false,"multi_file_diff_generation_and_automated_apply":true,"privacy_mode_zero_data_retention_for_enterprise":false,"workspace_indexing_and_semantic_codebase_search":true,"terminal_bash_execution_and_self_correction_loops":false}` | `{"soc2_type_ii":true,"pricing_model":"usage_based_cloud","architecture_model":"vs_code_extension_cline","mcp_model_context_protocol_integration":true,"browser_automation_support_for_visual_qa":true,"multi_file_diff_generation_and_automated_apply":true,"privacy_mode_zero_data_retention_for_enterprise":true,"terminal_bash_execution_and_self_correction_loops":true}` |
| integrations.count | 25 | 7 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Render"},{"name":"Linear Code"},{"name":"CodeRabbit"},{"name":"Codemagic CI/CD"},{"name":"Zenhub"},{"name":"Codacy"},{"name":"Codecov"},{"name":"Qlty Cloud"},{"name":"CircleCI"},{"name":"Azure Pipelines"},{"name":"Imgbot"},{"name":"CodeFactor"},{"name":"Rewind Backups"},{"name":"Percy"},{"name":"Argos Visual Testing"},{"name":"AccessLint"},{"name":"Rollbar"},{"name":"Testspace.com"},{"name":"Zube"},{"name":"Codetree"},{"name":"POEditor"},{"name":"Linear"},{"name":"Rewind Backups for GitHub"},{"name":"PR Scheduler"},{"name":"abaplint"},{"name":"Metabob"},{"name":"LovableBot"},{"name":"OpenCode"},{"name":"Bing","native":false,"category":"search","direction":"inbound"}]` | `[{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"Slack"},{"name":"Jetbrains IDEs"},{"name":"Teams","native":true,"category":"chat"},{"name":"Linear","native":true,"category":"project management"},{"name":"Jira","native":true,"category":"project management"},{"name":"GitLab","native":true,"category":"version control"},{"name":"Bitbucket","native":true,"category":"version control"}]` |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"ios":true,"mac":true,"web":true,"linux":true,"android":true,"windows":true}` | `{"cli":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"$0/month","features":["CLI support","Agent mode"],"minSeats":1,"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Limited functionality for individual developers","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","features":["Bing and public repository code search"],"minSeats":1,"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Business","features":["Organizational license management","Policy management","Bing and public repository code search"],"description":"For teams and organizations","contactSales":true},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","features":["Native GitHub.com integration","Organizational context access","Advanced policy management"],"description":"For enterprises with advanced needs","contactSales":true}],"summary":"Free tier with limited features; paid plans starting with Pro","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://github.com/features/copilot/plans","retrievedAt":"2026-10-02T16:17:37.330Z","billingPeriods":["month"]}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","features":["Light quota to code with agents","Limited model availability","Unlimited inline edits","Unlimited Tab completions"],"minSeats":1,"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Light quota for agent coding with limited model availability","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"$20/month","features":["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"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":20,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Increased quotas with access to frontier and open source models","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Max","summary":"$200/month","features":["Everything in Pro, plus significantly higher quotas"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":200,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Power user plan with significantly higher quotas","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Teams","summary":"$80/month + $40/seat/month","features":["Up to 200 users","Share and collaborate","Centralized billing and admin dashboard","Priority support and dedicated account management","SAML/OIDC SSO","Dedicated deployment option","Support for major model providers"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":80,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"seat","amount":40,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Team collaboration with centralized management and enterprise features","contactSales":true}],"summary":"From $0/month with free tier. Paid plans from $20/month.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://windsurf.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-09-29T15:00:21.130Z","startingPrice":{"amount":20,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | low | mid |
| pricing.starting_price | - | `{"amount":20,"currency":"USD"}` |
| pricing.transparent | no | yes |
| reliability.status_page | yes | - |
| security.certifications | - | `[{"name":"SOC 2 Type II","level":"Type II","status":"active"}]` |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | yes |
| security.iso27001 | yes | - |
| security.soc2 | yes | yes |
| security.trust_center | https://github.com/security/advanced-security | https://windsurf.com/security |

## Capabilities (AI Coding Agents)

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

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T17:44:39.068Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*