Dash0 vs Windsurf — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Dash0 starts at Free. Windsurf starts at $20/mo. Dash0 is $20/mo cheaper on the entry tier than Windsurf.
How pricing works
These two tools don't price the same way, so the headline numbers below aren't directly comparable until you plug in your own volume.
- Dash0 (Per Usage) — Dash0 bills purely on usage — $0.20/M metrics + $0.60/M spans/logs/events (no monthly base). There is no fixed per-seat fee, so the monthly cost depends entirely on how much you consume.
- Windsurf (Tiered) — Windsurf bills on a fixed plan from $20/mo, so the listed price is what you pay regardless of volume.
Per-minute, per-credit and per-token rates exclude any downstream model, speech or telephony costs unless the vendor states otherwise.
Dash0 is a consumption-based OpenTelemetry-native observability platform with zero monthly base fee — pay only for data ingested. Rates: $0.20 per million metric data points (13-month retention), $0.60 per million spans/log records/web events (30-day retention), $0.20 per thousand synthetic API check runs (13-month retention), $0.60 per Agent0 AI credit, $10/user for AI Coding Insights. 14-day unlimited free trial, no credit card. Recently acquired Polar Signals.
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 | Dash0 monthly | Dash0 annual | Windsurf monthly | Windsurf annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | Pay-as-you-go / Free | Free | 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
Dash0 is worth it if… Dash0 is ideal for teams tired of predicting observability spend against per-host commits. Best if telemetry volume is bursty and you want granular per-signal cost visibility instead of tier-based billing.
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 — Dash0 is per usage, Windsurf is tiered.
Choose Dash0 over Windsurf if…
Choose Dash0 if…
- You want to pay only for actual usage (per usage, a free entry tier).
- You match the profile Dash0 is built for: ideal for teams tired of predicting observability spend against per-host commits.
- 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
| Dash0 | Windsurf | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Entry price | Free | $20/mo |
| Enterprise available | No | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Usage | Tiered |
| Last verified | September 15, 2026 | September 10, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 15, 2026. Tracked daily.