GitHub Copilot vs Windsurf: Side-by-Side Comparison 2026

Feature	GitHub Copilot	Windsurf
Category	Extension	AI IDE
Starting Price	Free	Free
Model Family	Multi-model	Multi-model
Code Completion	✓	✓
Chat	✓	✓
Agentic Mode	✓	✓
Multi-File Editing	✓	✓
Terminal Commands	✓	✓
Browser Use	—	—
App Generation	—	✓
Git Integration	✓	✓
Supported IDEs	VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Neovim, GitHub.com, GitHub Mobile	Windsurf (VS Code fork), JetBrains plugins
Open Source	No	No

Overview

GitHub Copilot is an editor extension from GitHub (Microsoft). Windsurf is an AI IDE from Cognition. 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.

Windsurf: What You Get

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
Windsurf Plugin for other editors

Pricing: Free / $15/mo. 4 plans available.

Key Differences

Category: GitHub Copilot is an editor extension, Windsurf is an 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.