AI coding assistant startup Windsurf just made a bold move in the heated battle with Cursor and GitHub Copilot: it slashed prices, axed its confusing flow action credits, and made its team plan one of the most affordable options on the market. With rumors swirling about a potential $3 billion OpenAI acquisition, Windsurf’s pricing pivot couldn’t come at a more interesting time.

Windsurf's New Pricing: Simple, Transparent, Cheaper

Windsurf has eliminated its flow action credits system, moving from a usage-based model to a flat-rate, per-user pricing structure. No more tracking multiple types of credits for background AI actions—just a straightforward monthly fee. The company attributes this shift to better GPU optimization, which allows them to offer aggressive pricing without sacrificing performance. The whole concept of flow action credits never made sense to me; it created an unnecessary layer of complexity.

  • Pro plan: $15/month per user
  • Teams plan: $30/month per user (down from $35)
  • Enterprise: Custom pricing

The Teams plan still includes 500 credits per user and now offers pooled add-on credits ($40 for 1,000 credits shared across the org). Collaboration features like seat management and analytics remain, with more advanced controls coming soon for an extra $10/user/month.

Cursor and GitHub Copilot: How Do They Compare?

To put Windsurf’s new pricing in perspective, here’s a side-by-side comparison with Cursor and GitHub Copilot’s latest plans:

Product Free Tier Individual Plan (Pro) Team/Business Plan Notes
Windsurf No $15/month $30/user/month No usage-based credits; pooled add-ons available
Cursor Yes (Hobby) $20/month $40/user/month Unlimited completions on Pro; premium models with fair-use limits
GitHub Copilot Yes (Free) $10/month (Pro) $19/user/month (Biz) Pro+ at $39/month for 1,500 premium requests; extra $0.04/request

What’s Changed

  • No more flow action credits: Windsurf users now pay a flat rate, addressing past complaints about complexity and surprise charges.
  • Cheaper team pricing: At $30/user/month, Windsurf undercuts Cursor’s $40 and GitHub Copilot’s $39 Enterprise plan.
  • Competitive individual pricing: Windsurf’s $15/month is less than Cursor’s $20/month, though Copilot Pro is still the cheapest at $10/month (but with limits on advanced models and requests).

OpenAI is reportedly in advanced talks to acquire Windsurf for $3 billion. The timing of Windsurf’s pricing shakeup and the removal of credits seems strategic—possibly to boost adoption and valuation ahead of a major announcement.