ToolDriftRE-COUNTED EVERY NIGHT
COUNTED 08:54 UTC4 READS FAILEDRead API
55 models ranked12 boards36 tools tracked, 7 not what they werecaptured 28 Sep 2026against 27 Sep 20268 rose · 16 fell · 80 held · 7 newadoption, not capability
COMPARISONS/WINDSURF VS CLAUDE CODE

Windsurf vs Claude Code

The same 4 criteria for both, with the page each figure came from and the day it was read.

COLUMNS
2
CRITERIA
4
SOURCES
2
VERIFIED
18 September 2026
AI CODING TOOLSEVERY FIGURE READ OFF THAT COMPANY’S OWN PAGE AND DATEDRE-PROBED ON A SCHEDULE
THE VERDICTevery figure in it is a cell in the table below

On free tier, Windsurf is Free $0 and Claude Code is $0, Free for everyone. On cheapest paid plan, Windsurf is $20 per month (Pro) and Claude Code is $20 if billed monthly (Pro). On team plan, Windsurf is $80 /month for the team plan plus $40/mo per full dev seat and Claude Code is $25 if billed monthly, per seat (Team). On past the included usage, Windsurf is Buy extra usage at API pricing and Claude Code does not publish it. ToolDrift sells neither of these and takes no referral fee on either, it scores them. Every figure was read off the named company's own page on or since 2026-09-18; the URLs and the dates are at the foot of this page, and a job re-fetches each one on a schedule and fails when a figure is no longer on the page it came from.

SIDE BY SIDE4 criteria · 2 columns · verified 18 September 2026
COMPARED ONWINDSURFCLAUDE CODE
Free tierwhat the vendor gives you at $0 a month, in its own wordsFree $0⚠ windsurf.com/pricing redirects to devin.ai/pricing, and the plan table it serves is Cognition's Devin, the editor appears on it as Devin Desktop. Read 2026-08-14. The free tier is a "Light quota to code with agents", limited model availability, unlimited Tab completions.windsurf.com, read 18 September 2026$0, Free for everyoneThe free Claude plan does not include Claude Code; the page lists Claude Code from Pro upwards.claude.com, read 18 September 2026
Cheapest paid plan$20 per month (Pro)Adds "Full model availability", frontier models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google, and access to cloud agents. Max is $200 per month.windsurf.com, read 18 September 2026$20 if billed monthly (Pro)$17 per month with the annual discount, $200 billed up front. Pro "Includes Claude Code".claude.com, read 18 September 2026
Team plan$80 /month for the team plan plus $40/mo per full dev seatUnlimited team members; each full seat carries its own quota. Enterprise is "Let's talk".windsurf.com, read 18 September 2026$25 if billed monthly, per seat (Team)$20 per seat / month billed annually. A Premium seat is $125 monthly or $100 annually and carries "5x more usage than standard seats*".claude.com, read 18 September 2026
Past the included usagewhat the vendor says happens when the plan's allowance runs out, the line that decides the real bill, and the one no headline price includesBuy extra usage at API pricing"Each paid plan comes with a usage allowance that refreshes automatically on a daily and weekly basis... If you do go beyond your included usage on a paid plan, you can purchase extra usage which is consumed at API pricing."windsurf.com, read 18 September 2026not publishedThe plans are described in multiples rather than rates, "More usage*", "Choose 5x or 20x more usage than Pro*", and the asterisk points at "Usage limits apply." No per-unit price for exceeding a plan is printed on this page.claude.com, read 18 September 2026
WHEN TO PICK EACHthe case for each column, in its favour

Pick Windsurf when

You want the agent to keep working after you close the laptop. Cognition sells Windsurf and Devin as one thing now, so the $20 tier buys cloud agents rather than only a local editor, and the Max tier at $200 per month is the only published price in this table aimed squarely at someone running long autonomous jobs rather than pair-programming.

Pick Claude Code when

The work is agentic rather than autocomplete, long refactors, migrations, a task you describe once and come back to. Claude Code is a terminal agent rather than an editor, so it composes with whatever editor you already use instead of replacing it, and it is included in the same $20 Pro subscription as the chat product rather than being a separate bill.

THE QUESTIONS4 answered from the table above

Windsurf vs Claude Code, free tier?

Windsurf: Free $0. ⚠ windsurf.com/pricing redirects to devin.ai/pricing, and the plan table it serves is Cognition's Devin, the editor appears on it as Devin Desktop. Read 2026-08-14. The free tier is a "Light quota to code with agents", limited model availability, unlimited Tab completions. Claude Code: $0, Free for everyone. The free Claude plan does not include Claude Code; the page lists Claude Code from Pro upwards. Read from windsurf.com and claude.com on 2026-09-18. Free tier here means what the vendor gives you at $0 a month, in its own words.

Windsurf vs Claude Code, cheapest paid plan?

Windsurf: $20 per month (Pro). Adds "Full model availability", frontier models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google, and access to cloud agents. Max is $200 per month. Claude Code: $20 if billed monthly (Pro). $17 per month with the annual discount, $200 billed up front. Pro "Includes Claude Code". Read from windsurf.com and claude.com on 2026-09-18.

Windsurf vs Claude Code, team plan?

Windsurf: $80 /month for the team plan plus $40/mo per full dev seat. Unlimited team members; each full seat carries its own quota. Enterprise is "Let's talk". Claude Code: $25 if billed monthly, per seat (Team). $20 per seat / month billed annually. A Premium seat is $125 monthly or $100 annually and carries "5x more usage than standard seats*". Read from windsurf.com and claude.com on 2026-09-18.

When should I pick Windsurf, and when Claude Code?

Windsurf, You want the agent to keep working after you close the laptop. Cognition sells Windsurf and Devin as one thing now, so the $20 tier buys cloud agents rather than only a local editor, and the Max tier at $200 per month is the only published price in this table aimed squarely at someone running long autonomous jobs rather than pair-programming. Claude Code, The work is agentic rather than autocomplete, long refactors, migrations, a task you describe once and come back to. Claude Code is a terminal agent rather than an editor, so it composes with whatever editor you already use instead of replacing it, and it is included in the same $20 Pro subscription as the chat product rather than being a separate bill.

WHERE EACH FIGURE CAME FROM2 pages, each on the company’s own domain
COLUMNPAGEWHAT IT SUPPLIEDREAD
Windsurfwindsurf.comFree tier, Cheapest paid plan, Team plan, Past the included usage18 September 2026
Claude Codeclaude.comFree tier, Cheapest paid plan, Team plan, Past the included usage18 September 2026
  • Windsurfwindsurf.comFree tier, Cheapest paid plan, Team plan, Past the included usageREAD 18 SEPTEMBER 2026
  • Claude Codeclaude.comFree tier, Cheapest paid plan, Team plan, Past the included usageREAD 18 SEPTEMBER 2026

Every cell above names the exact page it was read off, the day it was read, and a literal string that must still be on that page for the figure to hold. A job re-fetches each one on a schedule and fails when the string is gone, which is the difference between a table that is checked and one that was written once.