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 30 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 Oct 19, 2025

GitHub CoPilot and Windsurf are competitors in the software development arena. GitHub CoPilot seems to have an edge with its AI-driven features, while Windsurf stands out due to its comprehensive toolset.

Features: GitHub CoPilot's key features include AI-driven code suggestions, which enhance coding efficiency, integration with popular IDEs, and real-time coding challenge assistance. Windsurf excels in analytics capabilities, collaboration tools, and high customizability. GitHub CoPilot focuses on improving coding efficiency via AI, whereas Windsurf provides a broader toolkit that supports project management and analysis.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: GitHub CoPilot offers an easy deployment model, integrating seamlessly with existing environments, with strong customer service enabling rapid adoption through detailed documentation and responsive support. Windsurf, suited for larger projects, involves a more complex deployment with tailored support options. GitHub CoPilot is advantageous for quick setup, while Windsurf requires more resources but offers personalized assistance.

Pricing and ROI: GitHub CoPilot provides a competitive pricing model with affordable subscriptions that lead to rapid ROI from improved coding efficiency. Windsurf demands a higher initial investment, but its ROI is realized through better project management capabilities and potential long-term benefits. GitHub CoPilot is more cost-effective with quick returns, while Windsurf justifies its higher cost with extensive features and sustained growth potential.

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

Buyer's Guide

GitHub CoPilot vs. Windsurf

December 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 880,745 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

6.8

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 product is easy to integrate."

"The product's most valuable feature is vulnerability management features."

"I can upload code snippets or class files and ask for solutions to improve them, which works well. It's a great productivity tool that saves me time searching websites. While there are alternatives like ChatGPT and other AI tools, the advantage of the tool is that it is built into the IDE."

"GitHub Copilot code suggestion capabilities are always good."

"The most valuable skill and characteristic of GitHub CoPilot is that you can find any information in seconds."

"It enhances efficiency and productivity in development."

"Copilot is highly recommended for everyone."

"GitHub CoPilot has good stability and performance."

More GitHub CoPilot pros

"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."

"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."

Cons

"The solution's accuracy and relevance could be improved."

"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."

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

"GitHub CoPilot should be integrated with different IDEs beyond VS Code, as it is currently only supported by VS Code."

"The technology offered by the product in the retail industry and banking processes has certain shortcomings, making them areas that can be improved."

"One drawback is that the solution sometimes suggests unwanted code, especially if I accidentally press the tab. This doesn't happen often. Sometimes it seems to understand my code, but other times it doesn't. This inconsistency is confusing."

"There are no extensions provided by the product for Eclipse."

"They could improve the product in terms of integration with other tools."

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

"A personal license is priced at ten dollars per month, while a professional or enterprise license costs nineteen dollars per user, and these rates are consistent for all users."

"GitHub Copilot is a paid service, costing approximately $6 per month. There might be a free trial available."

"GitHub CoPilot's pricing is reasonable. Our licensing costs were initially monthly, but then we switched to yearly payments. I rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten."

"It's affordable."

"The product has a tiered pricing model that starts with a free version for individual developers but requires a separate license fee for enterprise use."

"The solution is costly."

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

"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."

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

10%

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Comms Service Provider

11%

Computer Software Company

11%

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	14

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 7% of the time

Oracle Application Express (APEX) vs GitHub CoPilot

Compared 6% of the time

More GitHub CoPilot Competitors

Cursor vs Windsurf

Compared 24% 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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