Claude Code vs Windsurf (Devin Desktop): Which Should You Use?
If you are searching for Windsurf, you will now land on Devin. Cognition, the company behind the Devin coding agent, renamed the Windsurf editor to Devin Desktop in 2026 — its FAQ says plainly that "Devin Desktop is the new name for Windsurf" — and windsurf.com now redirects to devin.ai.
This page compares that editor with Claude Code: what each is built for, how they price, and how far you can customise them.
Quick verdict
Choose Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) if you want a full AI-first IDE with completions, local and cloud agent sessions, and a choice of models. Choose Claude Code if you want a terminal-first agent you can customise deeply with subagents, skills, slash commands and hooks.
Choose Devin Desktop if…
- You want an AI-first IDE rather than a terminal tool
- You want smart tab completions while you type
- You want to hand long tasks to Devin Cloud
- You want access to models from several providers
Choose Claude Code if…
- You prefer the terminal, or your own editor
- You want subagents, skills, hooks and MCP
- You want to script and automate your agent
- You already have a Claude Pro, Max or Team plan
Side-by-side comparison
| Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) | Claude Code | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Cognition (makers of Devin) | Anthropic |
| What it is | AI-first IDE with local and cloud agent sessions | Agentic coding tool for the terminal, IDEs, desktop and web |
| Completions | Tab completions ("Supercomplete") | Not its focus; it edits through tasks |
| Models | Frontier models from several providers, plus Cognition's SWE models | Anthropic's Claude models |
| Cloud agents | Devin Cloud, with local-to-cloud handoff | Claude Code on the web and in GitHub Actions |
| Customisation | Integrations and multi-agent sessions | CLAUDE.md, subagents, skills, slash commands, hooks, MCP |
| Pricing (Nov 2026) | Free; Pro $20; Max $200 per month; Teams $80 + $40 per seat | Pro $20 ($17 annually); Max $100; Ultra $200 |
What happened to Windsurf?
Windsurf was an AI-first code editor known for its Cascade agent. After Cognition took it over, the editor was rebranded as Devin Desktop and built into the Devin platform. Devin's site says the full IDE experience remains, now alongside Devin's local and cloud agent sessions. If you used Windsurf before, your settings are meant to carry over.
Workflow: IDE-first vs agent-first
Devin Desktop is an editor first. You open your project, get completions as you type, and start agent sessions that run locally or in Devin Cloud, with the option to hand work from one to the other.
Claude Code is an agent first. You describe a task, and it explores your project, plans, edits files and runs commands, checking in for approval. You can use it from the terminal, from VS Code or JetBrains, from its desktop app or on the web.
Pricing compared
According to Devin's pricing page, there is a Free plan with a light agent quota and unlimited tab completions, Pro at $20/month with access to frontier models and Devin Cloud, Max at $200/month with much higher quotas, and Teams at $80/month plus $40 per developer seat.
Claude Code comes with Claude Pro at $20/month ($17 billed annually), Max at $100, Ultra at $200, and Team and Enterprise plans, or you can pay per use with an API key. Both companies change plans often, so check the official pages before you buy.
Customisation
Claude Code's biggest advantage is how far you can shape it. You can combine project rules in CLAUDE.md, specialist subagents that each work in their own context, skills that load procedures on demand, slash commands for repeatable workflows, hooks that run scripts automatically and MCP servers that connect outside tools.
The bottom line
If you want a polished AI IDE and like the idea of local and cloud agents in one place, Devin Desktop is worth a look. If you want an agent you can configure into a full team of specialists, Claude Code is the stronger fit — and claudeagents gives you 120+ ready-made agents, 54 skills and 54 slash commands to start with.
Frequently asked questions
Is Windsurf still available?
Windsurf has been renamed Devin Desktop. Devin's site says it builds on Windsurf's IDE, and windsurf.com now redirects to devin.ai.
How much does Devin Desktop cost?
As of November 2026, Devin lists a Free plan, Pro at $20/month, Max at $200/month and Teams at $80/month plus $40 per seat.
Can I use Claude models in Devin Desktop?
Devin's site lists frontier models from several providers and names Claude as one option. Availability depends on your plan.
Is Claude Code an IDE?
No. Claude Code is an agent. It runs in the terminal and also has VS Code and JetBrains extensions, a desktop app and a web version.
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