GitHub CoPilot vs Windsurf comparison

GitHub and Windsurf are both solutions in the AI Code Assistants category. GitHub is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.1, while Windsurf is ranked #4 with an average rating of 7.8. GitHub holds a 7.3% mindshare in AICA, compared to Windsurf’s 9.0% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of GitHub users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Windsurf users who would recommend it.

GitHub CoPilot

Read 31 GitHub CoPilot reviews

4,494 Views
1,573 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Windsurf

Read 4 Windsurf reviews

3,157 Views
2,526 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

GitHub CoPilot

Windsurf

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 25, 2026

GitHub CoPilot and Windsurf compete in the AI-driven code assistance market. Windsurf has the upper hand due to its superior features and advanced team collaboration tools, despite CoPilot's better pricing.

Features: GitHub CoPilot provides seamless integration with popular IDEs, context-aware code suggestions, and efficient real-time code assistance. Windsurf offers extensive customization, robust configuration options, and collaborative coding features ideal for team projects.

Room for Improvement: GitHub CoPilot could enhance its integration beyond Visual Studio Code and improve multi-language support. More flexibility in customization and advanced collaborative tools would enhance its offering. Windsurf could improve ease of use and offer more intuitive user interfaces, provide additional language support, and streamline its initial setup process.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: GitHub CoPilot integrates quickly with popular development tools and offers general support, making it easy to deploy for individual users and small teams. Windsurf excels in comprehensive deployment strategies, providing dedicated support teams and customization services for organizations needing tailored solutions.

Pricing and ROI: GitHub CoPilot employs a straightforward subscription model, offering moderate pricing that suits individuals and small teams, providing immediate cost-effectiveness. Windsurf, with a higher pricing structure, targets commercial clients, focusing on significant ROI through enhanced features and support, making it a valuable long-term investment for larger enterprises.

To learn more, read our detailed GitHub CoPilot vs. Windsurf Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

GitHub CoPilot vs. Windsurf

December 2025

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Helped 881,082 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

GitHub CoPilot

Ranking in AI Code Assistants

2nd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Rapid Application Development Software (9th)

Windsurf

Ranking in AI Code Assistants

4th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

5.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

IDE (4th), AI Software Development (9th)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the AI Code Assistants category, the mindshare of GitHub CoPilot is 7.3%, up from 6.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windsurf is 9.0%, down from 20.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

AI Code Assistants Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
GitHub CoPilot	7.3%
Windsurf	9.0%
Other	83.7%

AI Code Assistants

Featured Reviews

TusharShankar

QA Manager at Synechron

AI coding assistant has transformed development speed and supports learning new languages

Any technology comes with two things, or rather anything in this world has both sides, good and bad. LLMs also have the same thing. The bad part is for a person who is 100% dependent on AI because they won't be able to learn more if they are 100% dependent on that. The main thing is that there has to be restraint from our side. I won't say it is from the tool side, but from our side, we need to learn and we need to work on it. We need to review the code. That is one thing that we need to do from our end. From a technology perspective, it is designed to help us out, and it is totally on our side of thinking about how exactly we are going to use that. There is not any area for improvement from the tool side, but it is from the users altogether. Users should not be 100% reliant on AI or any LLMs. They need to work on it and they need to review the code.

Read full review

reviewer2748786

Founding BackEnd Engineer

Enhancing productivity with advanced code generation and low-cost accessibility

What they can do further and venture into next is to provide a CLI environment, similar to the command-line interface environment that Cursor offers. It allows for running a cursor agent from the command line to make changes, review pull requests, or access certain other capabilities. These capabilities are currently not in Windsurf. Windsurf focuses on the productivity and the ID/editor part. I would rather look for the inclusion of pull request reviews or a kind of a TRD or technical requirement general documentation generation, or system diagram generation directly from the codebase in Windsurf itself. These should be the next obvious features they launch for developers. In our team, there are certain people who use Windsurf regularly and appreciate using it. However, it is not a collaborative tool where someone is going to use the same tool and interact in the same IDE. Everyone does their local development, pushes it to different Git branches, someone reviews the PR, and then merges the branch. It is very localized in that sense.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The solution's most valuable features are context awareness, multi language support, integration with popular IDs like Visual Studio Code or JetBrains, and reduced coding time."

"GitHub CoPilot is easy to use even for beginners and it supports the integration with CI/CD tools."

"In terms of understanding user queries and providing code that aligns with my expectations, there is room for improvement."

"The CoPilot app that you can use while creating presentations is very useful."

"The product's initial setup is straightforward because it's pushed through the updates."

"GitHub CoPilot accelerates productivity. It is an easy-to-use solution that is also helpful in saving the team's time."

"The document generation features are valuable."

"GitHub Copilot code suggestion capabilities are always good."

More GitHub CoPilot pros

"I have seen a return on investment with Windsurf because I have saved time and money and needed fewer resources since using it."

"As we're experimenting with different AI IDEs, Windsurf has positively impacted my organization by providing options."

"Windsurf has positively impacted my organization by increasing productivity, because during a one-week hackathon we were able to build a product from scratch that would have taken at least two to three weeks, making the time savings substantial."

Cons

"If the tool could focus on specific lines where changes are suggested, it would save time and reduce server load."

"Sometimes it requires multiple iterations to get the code I need, like for creating a login page with specific buttons and logic."

"They could simplify the API integrations and allow us to automate certain tasks using our own server without just logging into the web page."

"The problem arises when a bot is not well-designed, which frustrates customers."

"They could enhance the product's accuracy of suggestions, especially when dealing with non-standard or legacy code."

"Some of the suggestions provided by GitHub CoPilot are not accurate, making it an area of concern where improvements are required."

"The tool needs to focus on integration, as it is the most important aspect. I would like to see some pre-designed modules included in my projects."

"In a few cases, the results aren't correct, so that needs improvement. Also, it would be great if the results could be presented in different formats, not just text. As engineers, it takes time to read through text-based results."

More GitHub CoPilot cons

"I chose 7 out of 10 because I've used Cursor as well, and sometimes I feel Cursor hallucinates less compared to Windsurf."

"Since using Windsurf, I notice more errors, but we deliver approximately twice as fast."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product offers a free version and a paid version. Whether to choose the product's free version or paid version depends on the size of the company where it will be used."

"There is a need to pay around 10 USD to be able to use the solution."

"We have a demo license. Once we understand what we'll do, we'll start with a paid license."

"The pricing is reasonable. I think it is 10 USD per user."

"Each user needs their license, whether it's a big team or a small team."

"The solution is costly."

"We have a license but need another one for the GitHub CoPilot tool."

"GitHub CoPilot comes readily available for enterprise customers, so it's a free add-on if you already have GitHub's enterprise license."

More GitHub CoPilot pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Comms Service Provider

11%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Outsourcing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	14
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	15

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about GitHub CoPilot?

The product is easy to integrate.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for GitHub CoPilot?

For now, I think it is okay. It is not that expensive. The kind of use that I am having with a $20-30 license, I think it is really of really good help.

See all answers

What needs improvement with GitHub CoPilot?

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Windsurf?

My experience with Windsurf's pricing, setup cost, and licensing was positive. I received a discount because I joined early, so the license cost or monthly rental of Windsurf has been reasonably pr...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Windsurf?

I have no suggestions at the moment for how Windsurf can be improved. I would not add more about the needed improvements, even small things that could make my experience better.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Windsurf?

I have been using Windsurf off and on for the last year. My main use case for Windsurf is for software development. Currently, we're working on an API, and Windsurf will help us develop a particula...

See all answers

Comparisons

GitLab vs GitHub CoPilot

Compared 19% of the time

Blackbox.ai vs GitHub CoPilot

Compared 12% of the time

Amazon Q vs GitHub CoPilot

Compared 7% of the time

Claude for Enterprise vs GitHub CoPilot

Compared 6% of the time

Oracle Application Express (APEX) vs GitHub CoPilot

Compared 6% of the time

More GitHub CoPilot Competitors

Cursor vs Windsurf

Compared 23% of the time

Amazon Q vs Windsurf

Compared 14% of the time

Claude for Enterprise vs Windsurf

Compared 12% of the time

Qodo Gen vs Windsurf

Compared 6% of the time

More Windsurf Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

GitHub CoPilot

January 2026

Download GitHub CoPilot product report

Buyer's Guide

IDE

December 2025

Download Windsurf product report

Overview

GitHub CoPilot accelerates developer productivity with code generation, test case creation, and code explanation. It provides context-aware suggestions, integrates with popular IDEs, and supports multiple languages.

GitHub CoPilot significantly boosts development efficiency by reducing coding and debugging time. Its user-friendly auto-complete and variable detection features streamline complex tasks, serving as a learning tool for developers. Areas needing improvement include its accuracy, stability, and broader integration with IDEs and languages. Users find the pricing strategy expensive and wish for enhanced contextual understanding, diverse result formats, and image support. Expanded functionality and better integration in highly regulated environments are important for future growth.

What are the most valued features of GitHub CoPilot?

Code Generation: Accelerates coding with smart suggestions.
Test Case Creation: Streamlines automated testing.
Code Explanation: Offers detailed insights into code segments.
Context-Aware Suggestions: Provides personalized assistance.
Multi-Language Support: Enhances versatility across programming languages.

Which benefits should users look for in reviews?

Increased Efficiency: Reduces time spent on coding tasks.
Enhanced Productivity: Speeds up the development process.
Learning Aid: Aids developers in understanding and creating complex code.
Task Automation: Facilitates automating repetitive coding tasks.

Utilized across industries to enhance application development and productivity, GitHub CoPilot assists in generating code snippets, writing code skeletons, analyzing documents, and automating workflows. It supports coding best practices, prompt engineering, and natural language processing. Developers leverage its capabilities for creating meeting summaries, report recommendations, and content ideas, thereby optimizing workflow efficiency.

GitHub

Windsurf offers a strategic approach to digital transformation, providing tools for optimizing processes. It's aimed at businesses looking to enhance efficiency and adapt to changing market demands through technology-driven solutions.

Targeted at enterprises, Windsurf integrates seamlessly with existing systems to improve workflow and data management. By offering customizable options, it meets diverse business requirements, enabling companies to stay competitive in a fast-paced environment. Its user-focused design ensures accessibility and ease of use, helping teams achieve their goals swiftly.

What are the key features of Windsurf?

Integration Capability: Connects with numerous software platforms, ensuring smooth data flow.
Customizable Options: Offers flexibility to tailor functionalities to specific business needs.
User-Friendly Interface: Designed for ease of adoption with minimal training requirements.
Real-Time Data Analysis: Provides immediate insights to support decision-making.

What benefits and ROI does Windsurf offer?

Increased Productivity: Streamlines operations leading to time and resource savings.
Cost Efficiency: Reduces overhead by optimizing processes and systems.
Improved Decision-Making: Real-time insights aid in strategic planning.
Scalability: Easily adapts as business grows without significant additional investment.

In areas like manufacturing and retail, Windsurf improves supply chain management and customer engagement. In healthcare, it optimizes patient data management, while in finance, it enhances compliance and reporting processes, each tailored to meet industry-specific challenges.

Windsurf

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Dell, Anduril, MongoDB, Zillow, Atlassian

Buyer's Guide

GitHub CoPilot vs. Windsurf

December 2025

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