Great to see all the AI code editor competition heating up. If they keep copying each other best features, I think we'll be seeing very rapid improvements across the board!
you can prompt windsurf though to search the net for certain information. If need make a prompt with chatgpt about the idea you want to work on, give that prompt to windsurf, last time i coded was in the commodore amiga 500 era, with windsurf i already made two programs, and working on a website with it atm.
Haven't seen this mentioned anywhere but a feature they're both missing is if you are connected to a codebase through SSH (I prefer to not locally clone my code for each device) then Cursor is not able to read the filestructure and suggest code edits correctly which means everything becomes copy and paste. Might be i am doing something wrong, so for now back to coding on local machine and just committing to git the whole time
this is probably one of my most mentioned cursor feature. good shout for potentially doing a video on it. in the meantime, you can check out a past .cursorrules file that I've uploaded: gist.github.com/yifanzz/84696f5313593a043febd5554134aba8
Thanks for this detailed comparison. I was looking for something like that for a while. Switched to Windsurf last week. Cursor was absolutely okay to work. Do not regret the last 4 month of spending $20 for that. The autocomplete feature is way faster than Windsurf. I just wanted to give WS a try. Some things I’m missing: * Remeber the editor layout 😅 have to resize the panels over and over again * Custom instructions as you mentioned - no clue why this is not build in yet * It comes up with “._” files on my external hard drive on Mac; had this issue in the VSCode eeeaaarly days * love to see the computer use tool (like cline) * recognize code issues - if it’s linting or import statements it goes on with the issues instead of fixing it For really complex and complete tasks I’m using cline. Have used it in Cursor, will use it in Windsurf, till the IDEs catch up with the capabilities of this extension. Using Git for the checkpoint tracking would be a nice one. Aider is doing that. But using it in the terminal feels a bit out of date now. Read there is an extension for that? Have to check this tomorrow morning 🥱
Great video. One thing I noticed with Windsurf was its ability to know about my folder and file structure. I felt that I did not have to be as specific as in Cursor with what files/files to use and overall was more smart compared to Cursor in figuring out where to make changes. Did this change with the new upgrade to Cursor? Plus does Cline also have this “knowledge” about the file and folder structure ?
cursor still has the edge with notepads, but i'd love for their agentic model to be able to view the web the way their "chat" non agent can, as well as reference entire folders. but if you use notepad you can sort of work around that issue and throw any new documentation into a notepad and reference that to the composer agent. i couldn't find a similar in windsurf.
agreed, notepad is definitely an under-utilised feature by many. cursor has got all the right tools, just a question of whether they can smoothly integrate them into the agent mode
I am a bit confused with Notepads. I use cursorrules and then i make .md files with instructions and documentation. How do you use Notepads in your projects. Maybe you can give an example?
windsurf is a killer for the killer for the killer of vscode ! lol it is like we are in a recursive fn. the funny thing in the latest survey vscode holds 80% of the devs
The one thing that you didn’t mention and what keeps we with Codeium is the multi cursor autocomplete. Maybe Cursor has that now too but that’s the reason I’ve kept my Codeium subscription
thanks for it, my endless sleepless nights are over, tired of jumping back and forth. market is super competitive, anything works and works good, kind of how AWS = GCloud = Azure, windsurf is just another student project while cursor has good backing.
being just launched, Windsurf definitely still has a lot of rough edges to smooth out. the team has massive amounts of funding from earlier this year, so I'm very hopeful about what they can achieve
@@YifanBTH I have just added Cursor again to my workflow, gotta say, after i followed your advice and added custom docs for my project, adding cursorrules and being attentive with the output and managing it well, it is way more precise than Windsurf ever was, and i feel a lot like working with an Intern. After i started using Voice Dictation on windows, giving prompts and following him was Extremly easy and nice, done 10h of work in about 1.5h I wont switch to new ids for a while, cursor has everything i wanted given now that i know to use it
In Windsurf, I run into tight rate limits in just working on text and coding help surprisingly quickly no work around - no way to pay for premium (which I would do) - and essentially locked out for extended period - ugg Stay away until that is fixed
I'm Cline, I tell it to write a worklog for any working changes, but I've been thinking about what you said about using interim commits (it uses the CLI), maybe with a feature prefix and multiline commit messages.
Tried both. Moved to windsurf but tbh cursor is still better. I am missing docs and project rules capability allot. Cursor just “gets it” a bit more. Will stay on a month if they don’t add it probably will go back to cursor.
I am conflicted, I have had more issues with windsurf erroring while working on large projects over cursor. I like the idea of windsurf with auto applying and searching code in files but I've run into weird insert issues that really made some odd changes. I hope surf is the answer long term because I want to switch over completely.
you could hack it in via a commited md file that contains your base context that you manually shove into every prompt in windsurf but having to remember that workflow would be quite annoying
I create folder inside my project as casecade-rules and then add my custom rules with name always-follow.md, I just reference that file only once per casecade in the beginning, and then I could feel it is using that rules every time, try that
I tried Cursor once, and I immediately switched back to VScode with Codeium and Pieces For Developers as AI assists, all of which are, BTW, FREE. Some of the main key bindings that I picked over the years of using VScode have completely different implementations here. Like CTRL/Cmd + K opens Composer in Cursor, but in VScode, it is a special key binding that, in combination with the immediate successive key/keys. And CTRL/Cmd + Shift + R opens a completely different thing: Cursor, in VScode it opens the Refactoring options (at least for Dart/Flutter) But Windsurf, most, if not all, of the key binging are the same. Plus, I already love Codeium's autocomplete and that it suggests code in the style of code you write. I have used a lot of Code completion tools, and out of those, Codeium is my favorite. Hence, I might switch to Codeium's Windsurf. We are already considering buying a team account for Windsurf with just one day of use. We also have Cursor Team access, but I still used VScode, that's saying something.
I can definitely see why people choose to stay with Windsurf if they've been used to codedium plugin in vscode. there's a lot of stylist differences in UX. in the long run, I suspect we might have a vim vs emacs war again
I think in pricing Cursor Wins, Cursor: clear Pricing 500 Fast request and then Unlimited Slow Requests. Windsurf : 1000 Steps: which not clear as I understand Steps are just each query. Cascade. Not unlimited, pricing bit confusing, Chat Unlimited: cascade 1000 steps. On the other side clear Slow Unlimited
true, windsurf still has quite a lot of things to work out given they've just launched 3 weeks ago. I think they'll likely keep the price on the cheaper side in the meantime due to the competition with cursor
After testing, Cursor is WAY BETTER. Like it's not even comparable to be honest. Also, Cursor is backed by VERY serious organizations with a LOT of money and the team is insanely smart. They acquired SuperMaven just weeks ago. They also released the new "agent" mode which so much more powerful. I don't think any editor can beat it to be honest. Especially if they develop a custom model that will "mount" on top of BEST models and abstract that from the developer, like not having to choose a model at all.
cursor definitely still have the edge. it's good to see that they quickly caught up with the features people loved in windsurf. healthy competition aye
yeah, if you want to use AI editors well, you still need to learn how to code. it's fine to get started on prototypes without coding knowledge but it's hard to go further
Windsurf does not work with Windows 11 - WSL2 at all. I use WSL2 Ubuntu and it is 100% in every way a legit Ubuntu experience. I also have a WSL2 Manjaro (Arch) installed. I cant imagine doing any coding on a Windows pc without WSL2; seriously, who would do that? I use Macbook Max for making IOS apps.
@@YifanBTH UPDATE: found out how to get WindSurf to work with WSL. It is not apparent in how it works but it works. I think Cursor is a much better experience. Cursor also provides better output. For example, I use Cursor to make a ongoing MD doc of everything we did and I have a script that commits/pushes each prompt and task complete. Cursor documents this with exact packages and I even got it to write down the methodology and line # - like functions, hooks, etc. Also Cursor can comb thru the code and make a doc of every package and technology used for a concise summary. Windsurf had a hard time with this. Cline and Aider went in circles and did not do well.
OMG, I spend $20 a day, if I'm not careful, on Sonnet 2024-10-24. I'm definitely going to try Windsurfer the next time i touch my keyboard, which will be about 5 min.
I personally prefer to use their bundled pricing as it's just more predictable. The pay per prompt model also makes you think twice to improve the prompt before pressing enter.
Windsurf, cline & bolt.new = godly combo. Bolt.new to start and get the majority and connect and get everything working Windsurf to go through for any additional connecting and configuring and upgrading. Cline with sonnet 3.5 anytime i get stuck or need help. Then, back to the free Windsurf
@YifanBTH have you tried windsurf? I use it over cursor now and never tried replit tbh and I had v0 it was good but I see they got a new update that's similar to bold with there file system
Great to see all the AI code editor competition heating up. If they keep copying each other best features, I think we'll be seeing very rapid improvements across the board!
you can prompt windsurf though to search the net for certain information. If need make a prompt with chatgpt about the idea you want to work on, give that prompt to windsurf, last time i coded was in the commodore amiga 500 era, with windsurf i already made two programs, and working on a website with it atm.
Haven't seen this mentioned anywhere but a feature they're both missing is if you are connected to a codebase through SSH (I prefer to not locally clone my code for each device) then Cursor is not able to read the filestructure and suggest code edits correctly which means everything becomes copy and paste. Might be i am doing something wrong, so for now back to coding on local machine and just committing to git the whole time
I would love to see an in depth review of how you use the cursor rules to improve your coding. Great review of the two platforms.
this is probably one of my most mentioned cursor feature. good shout for potentially doing a video on it.
in the meantime, you can check out a past .cursorrules file that I've uploaded: gist.github.com/yifanzz/84696f5313593a043febd5554134aba8
I've made the switch, no regrets so far, Windsurf is amazing!
Thanks for this detailed comparison. I was looking for something like that for a while.
Switched to Windsurf last week. Cursor was absolutely okay to work. Do not regret the last 4 month of spending $20 for that. The autocomplete feature is way faster than Windsurf.
I just wanted to give WS a try. Some things I’m missing:
* Remeber the editor layout 😅 have to resize the panels over and over again
* Custom instructions as you mentioned - no clue why this is not build in yet
* It comes up with “._” files on my external hard drive on Mac; had this issue in the VSCode eeeaaarly days
* love to see the computer use tool (like cline)
* recognize code issues - if it’s linting or import statements it goes on with the issues instead of fixing it
For really complex and complete tasks I’m using cline. Have used it in Cursor, will use it in Windsurf, till the IDEs catch up with the capabilities of this extension.
Using Git for the checkpoint tracking would be a nice one. Aider is doing that. But using it in the terminal feels a bit out of date now. Read there is an extension for that? Have to check this tomorrow morning 🥱
This is a great analysis.
Great video.
One thing I noticed with Windsurf was its ability to know about my folder and file structure. I felt that I did not have to be as specific as in Cursor with what files/files to use and overall was more smart compared to Cursor in figuring out where to make changes.
Did this change with the new upgrade to Cursor?
Plus does Cline also have this “knowledge” about the file and folder structure ?
cursor still has the edge with notepads, but i'd love for their agentic model to be able to view the web the way their "chat" non agent can, as well as reference entire folders. but if you use notepad you can sort of work around that issue and throw any new documentation into a notepad and reference that to the composer agent. i couldn't find a similar in windsurf.
agreed, notepad is definitely an under-utilised feature by many. cursor has got all the right tools, just a question of whether they can smoothly integrate them into the agent mode
I am a bit confused with Notepads. I use cursorrules and then i make .md files with instructions and documentation.
How do you use Notepads in your projects. Maybe you can give an example?
windsurf is a killer for the killer for the killer of vscode ! lol it is like we are in a recursive fn. the funny thing in the latest survey vscode holds 80% of the devs
great work bro, please i need a copy of your .cursorrules and .cursorrc file for the cursor rules
ofc, you can find a copy here: gist.github.com/yifanzz/84696f5313593a043febd5554134aba8
An hour into Windsurf I constantly get "ErrorServer encountered error of type: resource_exhausted". Now Im the exhausted one... and gave up.
haha, I suspect it's likely due to the amount of people trying out windsurf atm. they are definitely a worthy rival for cursor
The one thing that you didn’t mention and what keeps we with Codeium is the multi cursor autocomplete. Maybe Cursor has that now too but that’s the reason I’ve kept my Codeium subscription
good call out. cursor has a similar thing with similar performance which is why I didn't mention it in the video.
thanks for it, my endless sleepless nights are over, tired of jumping back and forth. market is super competitive, anything works and works good, kind of how AWS = GCloud = Azure, windsurf is just another student project while cursor has good backing.
being just launched, Windsurf definitely still has a lot of rough edges to smooth out. the team has massive amounts of funding from earlier this year, so I'm very hopeful about what they can achieve
@@YifanBTH I have just added Cursor again to my workflow, gotta say, after i followed your advice and added custom docs for my project, adding cursorrules and being attentive with the output and managing it well, it is way more precise than Windsurf ever was, and i feel a lot like working with an Intern. After i started using Voice Dictation on windows, giving prompts and following him was Extremly easy and nice, done 10h of work in about 1.5h
I wont switch to new ids for a while, cursor has everything i wanted given now that i know to use it
In Windsurf, I run into tight rate limits in just working on text and coding help surprisingly quickly
no work around - no way to pay for premium (which I would do) - and essentially locked out for extended period - ugg
Stay away until that is fixed
curious to hear what were the request numbers that you racked up before being limited?
I'm Cline, I tell it to write a worklog for any working changes, but I've been thinking about what you said about using interim commits (it uses the CLI), maybe with a feature prefix and multiline commit messages.
I'm sticking with Windsurf
fantastic video!
Thanks for doing this comparison! Glad to learn I can just stick with Cursor.
Tried both. Moved to windsurf but tbh cursor is still better. I am missing docs and project rules capability allot. Cursor just “gets it” a bit more. Will stay on a month if they don’t add it probably will go back to cursor.
.cursorrules is definitely one of my favourite features with Cursor
Someone is already committed to cursor I see.
for the time being, but Windsurf is catching up, fast!
I am conflicted, I have had more issues with windsurf erroring while working on large projects over cursor. I like the idea of windsurf with auto applying and searching code in files but I've run into weird insert issues that really made some odd changes. I hope surf is the answer long term because I want to switch over completely.
cursor's agent mode is pretty on par of windsurf imo. I personally prefer a lot of the small tools in cursor
Great lighting
thanks excellent content
15:35 the price!!
There shud be some hack that we need to figure out for having the rules files in windsurf too. Till the time they copy each other yet again :)
you could hack it in via a commited md file that contains your base context that you manually shove into every prompt in windsurf but having to remember that workflow would be quite annoying
I create folder inside my project as casecade-rules and then add my custom rules with name always-follow.md, I just reference that file only once per casecade in the beginning, and then I could feel it is using that rules every time, try that
Windsurf is constantly not working due to api limits errors.. I went back to cursor because no dumb errors
Is Windsurf paid better than Cline+sonnet3.5 ?
haven't used cline lately, putting that on my todo list!
I tried Cursor once, and I immediately switched back to VScode with Codeium and Pieces For Developers as AI assists, all of which are, BTW, FREE.
Some of the main key bindings that I picked over the years of using VScode have completely different implementations here. Like CTRL/Cmd + K opens Composer in Cursor, but in VScode, it is a special key binding that, in combination with the immediate successive key/keys. And CTRL/Cmd + Shift + R opens a completely different thing: Cursor, in VScode it opens the Refactoring options (at least for Dart/Flutter)
But Windsurf, most, if not all, of the key binging are the same. Plus, I already love Codeium's autocomplete and that it suggests code in the style of code you write. I have used a lot of Code completion tools, and out of those, Codeium is my favorite.
Hence, I might switch to Codeium's Windsurf. We are already considering buying a team account for Windsurf with just one day of use.
We also have Cursor Team access, but I still used VScode, that's saying something.
I can definitely see why people choose to stay with Windsurf if they've been used to codedium plugin in vscode. there's a lot of stylist differences in UX. in the long run, I suspect we might have a vim vs emacs war again
I don't recommend to switch to WindSurf right now. In many cases it stops responding.
interesting to hear, I've not have major issues with stability but did have randomly erroring out on file reads every now and then
I think in pricing Cursor Wins, Cursor: clear Pricing 500 Fast request and then Unlimited Slow Requests.
Windsurf : 1000 Steps: which not clear as I understand Steps are just each query. Cascade. Not unlimited, pricing bit confusing, Chat Unlimited: cascade 1000 steps. On the other side clear Slow Unlimited
true, windsurf still has quite a lot of things to work out given they've just launched 3 weeks ago. I think they'll likely keep the price on the cheaper side in the meantime due to the competition with cursor
@YifanBTH but yes 1000 requests worth for 10$/m compared to cursor 20$/m 500 fast requests.
@YifanBTH using both 30$ 🔥🎉
They actually have their own model at cursor (cursor-small) but I don’t know anybody who uses that lmao
haha, when you have the option of sonnet 3.5, hard to choose anything else really
@ sometimes i switch to o1-mini but it bugs me that its taking longer to „think“ at the beginning
After testing, Cursor is WAY BETTER. Like it's not even comparable to be honest.
Also, Cursor is backed by VERY serious organizations with a LOT of money and the team is insanely smart. They acquired SuperMaven just weeks ago. They also released the new "agent" mode which so much more powerful.
I don't think any editor can beat it to be honest. Especially if they develop a custom model that will "mount" on top of BEST models and abstract that from the developer, like not having to choose a model at all.
cursor definitely still have the edge. it's good to see that they quickly caught up with the features people loved in windsurf. healthy competition aye
Comparatively, the ms copilot is seems to be far away to catch up--- their context feature is so poor.
they had such a long head start but seemed to stop innovating. their latest release still far behind cursor and windsurf in terms of UX
I agree with the git commit for versioning. not sure why they didn't use it instead of probably more complicated feature.
What if you're in middle of a bunch of changes already in middle of a git rebase?
@@nafg613 i think it should be its own separate git outside of the codebase files, sort of like a git powered overlay of its own internal changes.
@@nafg613 could act like a local staging host before publishing it live.
@@toCatchAnAI what does that mean
Cline and API Credits....
definitely need to give it a proper test some time soon!
Seen a dude on Reddit talking about this stack. I feel bad for these people if they don’t learn how to code lol
yeah, if you want to use AI editors well, you still need to learn how to code. it's fine to get started on prototypes without coding knowledge but it's hard to go further
Windsurf does not work with Windows 11 - WSL2 at all. I use WSL2 Ubuntu and it is 100% in every way a legit Ubuntu experience. I also have a WSL2 Manjaro (Arch) installed. I cant imagine doing any coding on a Windows pc without WSL2; seriously, who would do that? I use Macbook Max for making IOS apps.
if windsurf doesn't work, does cursor? given that they are both vscode forks
@@YifanBTH Cursor works with WSL. The November 30 update for Cursor feels as good as Cline + Windsurf + Aider. Cursor is getting better.
@@YifanBTH UPDATE: found out how to get WindSurf to work with WSL. It is not apparent in how it works but it works. I think Cursor is a much better experience. Cursor also provides better output. For example, I use Cursor to make a ongoing MD doc of everything we did and I have a script that commits/pushes each prompt and task complete. Cursor documents this with exact packages and I even got it to write down the methodology and line # - like functions, hooks, etc. Also Cursor can comb thru the code and make a doc of every package and technology used for a concise summary. Windsurf had a hard time with this. Cline and Aider went in circles and did not do well.
you look like Elon musk
haha, I'll just take that as a complement
Cursor is garbage -terrible review
guess we all have our own preferences, hope you are enjoying time in Windsurf
OMG, I spend $20 a day, if I'm not careful, on Sonnet 2024-10-24. I'm definitely going to try Windsurfer the next time i touch my keyboard, which will be about 5 min.
I personally prefer to use their bundled pricing as it's just more predictable. The pay per prompt model also makes you think twice to improve the prompt before pressing enter.
@YifanBTH Thank you for the video! Very informative.
Windsurf, cline & bolt.new = godly combo.
Bolt.new to start and get the majority and connect and get everything working
Windsurf to go through for any additional connecting and configuring and upgrading.
Cline with sonnet 3.5 anytime i get stuck or need help. Then, back to the free Windsurf
great combo. my personal pick is replit + v0 + cursor
@YifanBTH have you tried windsurf? I use it over cursor now and never tried replit tbh and I had v0 it was good but I see they got a new update that's similar to bold with there file system