Continue vs Windsurf — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Continue starts at Free. Windsurf starts at $20/mo. Continue is $20/mo cheaper on the entry tier than Windsurf.
Open-source AI code assistant that runs as an extension in VS Code, JetBrains, and other editors. Individual use is free (BYOK for LLM). Continue for Teams costs $10/user/mo and adds shared prompts, custom AI blocks, and analytics. Enterprise adds SSO, on-prem, and custom integrations. Positioned as the open-source alternative to GitHub Copilot with full customization of models and prompts.
AI-first code editor (formerly Codeium). Restructured Mar 19 2026: retired credit-based system, introduced daily/weekly quotas. Free tier (unlimited Tab autocomplete + light Cascade quota), Pro $20/mo, Max $200/mo, Teams $40/user/mo, Enterprise custom. Pro raised from $15 to $20 in the restructure. Acquired by Cognition AI 2025 (Devin autonomous agent team).
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | Continue monthly | Continue annual | Windsurf monthly | Windsurf annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | — / Free | — | — | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | — / Pro | — | — | $20 | $16 |
| Pro / power | — / Max | — | — | $200 | $160 |
| Teams | — / Teams | — | — | $40 | $32 |
| Enterprise | — / Enterprise | — | — | Custom | Custom |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
Continue is worth it if… developers and teams that want to customize their AI coding stack — choose your own model, write custom prompts, share blocks across the team. Individual tier is free with BYOK; Teams ($10/user/mo) is the cheapest way to standardize prompts across a team.
Windsurf is worth it if… developers who want an AI-first editor priced on daily/weekly quotas (predictable) rather than Cursor's credit-pool model (metered). Free tier is more generous than Cursor's Hobby — unlimited Tab autocomplete is a real productivity floor for solo devs.
Bottom line: Choose based on how you want to pay — Continue is per seat, Windsurf is tiered.
Choose Continue over Windsurf if…
Choose Continue if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (per seat, a free entry tier).
- You match the profile Continue is built for: developers and teams that want to customize their AI coding stack — choose your own model, write custom prompts, share blocks across the team.
- You need a general-purpose developer & infrastructure option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose Windsurf if…
- You want flat, predictable credits without a usage meter running in the background.
- You're a team that values a simpler pricing story over maximum model choice.
- You need enterprise deployment options including self-hosted variants.
At a glance
| Continue | Windsurf | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Entry price | Free | $20/mo |
| Enterprise available | No | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Seat | Tiered |
| Last verified | September 20, 2026 | September 10, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 20, 2026. Tracked daily.
