Amazon Q DevelopervsWindsurf
- ✦ Inline code completion
- ✦ AI chat interface
- ✦ Automated code transformation
- ✦ Cascade AI agent
- ✦ Full codebase indexing
- ✦ Multi-file editing
Real-World Scenarios: When to Choose Which
The question that matters: “In what situation will I regret choosing A over B after 3 months?”
Generate correct CDK stacks with proper IAM policies, VPC configurations, and resource references in seconds
Automatically upgrade Java 8/11 application codebases to Java 17/21 using the code transformation agent
Scan Lambda function code for security issues and receive inline fix suggestions without leaving VS Code
Generate and explain CloudFormation templates for complex multi-service architectures with correct resource dependencies
Cascade monitors terminal output and proposes fixes automatically - compressing feature validation from 40 minutes to 12 minutes per iteration.
Cascade reads assertion errors, inspects related files through multi-file editing, and generates corrected code - often passing on the very first re-run.
Pricing Intelligence
Amazon Q Developer Plans
Free tier available
- • Unlimited code completions
- • 50 agent interactions/mo
- • Code transformation (limited)
- • Unlimited agent interactions
- • Advanced code transformation
- • Admin controls
- • IAM Identity Center
Windsurf Plans
Free tier available
You get Unlimited inline edits, Unlimited Tab completions, Light agent quota. What's locked behind the paywall: increased quotas, openai, claude, gemini access, full model availability. If those matter, Pro at $20/mo is the next step. Good enough for solo use and evaluation.
$20/mo gets you Increased quotas, OpenAI, Claude, Gemini access, Full model availability. The sweet spot for professionals who've maxed out the free plan and need Increased quotas, OpenAI, Claude, Gemini access.
$40/user/mo gets you Everything in Pro, Team management. Team of 5 = $200/mo, team of 10 = $400/mo. 100% more than Pro - justified only if you need the extras.
Custom pricing for SSO, Custom deployment. Always negotiate - ask for pilot pricing if testing with <50 seats, and push for annual discount commitments. Compare enterprise quotes against Cursor's equivalent tier.
Feature Matrix
19 differences found across 26 standardized features
Pros & Cons Face-Off
Evaluative strengths and weaknesses — not feature lists
- +Best AWS-specific code generation for CDK, CloudFormation, and IAM policies
- +Automated Java version upgrade transformation handles tedious migration work
- +Free tier with unlimited completions is more generous than GitHub Copilot
- −AWS-centric design makes it less useful for teams not primarily building on AWS
- −General coding tasks trail Cursor and GitHub Copilot in quality and context window
- +Most generous free tier of any AI IDE
- +Cascade agent rivals Cursor Composer
- +No usage limit on completions
- +Strong VS Code compatibility
- +$15/mo vs Cursor's $20/mo
- −Smaller community than Cursor
- −Fewer model choices than Cursor
At a Glance
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Comparisons
Sources
- 1.Amazon Q Developer Official Pricing–Vendor pricing page
- 2.Windsurf Official Pricing–Vendor pricing page
- 3.Amazon Q Developer Official Website–Official product website
- 4.Windsurf Official Website–Official product website