Windsurf
Windsurf is an AI-driven coding platform built by Codeium, designed to make programming faster and more intuitive.
Our Verdict
What is Windsurf
Windsurf is an AI-driven coding platform built by Codeium, designed to make programming faster and more intuitive. At the heart of the platform is Windsurf Editor, an AI-native IDE that runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux. Unlike traditional editors, Windsurf integrates AI at every layer of the workflow, offering developers a smoother and more collaborative coding experience.
Key highlights include AI-powered autocompletion that speeds up coding with intelligent suggestions, cross-file editing for managing larger projects more easily, and the ability to use natural language commands to interact with the IDE directly. It also emphasizes team collaboration, making it easier to share context and work together in real time. Beginners will find it approachable, while teams and professionals can take advantage of its optimization for medium to large-scale projects.
Is Windsurf worth registering and paying for
Windsurf is definitely an intriguing option for developers who want an IDE built around AI rather than relying on plugins or external tools. Its strong autocomplete, cross-file intelligence, and natural language commands make coding faster and more intuitive, while its built-in collaboration features give teams an edge. However, since the platform is still relatively new, it doesn’t yet match the ecosystem depth or maturity of established editors like VS Code or JetBrains. For individual developers and teams who want to explore the future of AI-assisted coding, Windsurf is worth trying, but whether it’s worth paying for will depend on how much you value the tighter AI integration compared to free or existing alternatives.
Our experience
We chose to explore Windsurf for a team project where we needed to develop a web application for a client’s e-commerce platform, and it was a transformative experience that made our collaborative workflow seamless, efficient, and highly empowering. As a team of mixed-skill members—including a product manager, a front-end developer, and a QA engineer—we needed an AI-powered IDE that allowed everyone to contribute while delivering high-quality code. Windsurf’s AI-driven code suggestions, real-time collaboration tools, and robust team features like Cascade conversations enabled our team to build a polished application that delighted our client, though we noted some challenges in onboarding non-technical users and limited offline capabilities.
Windsurf’s AI-powered code review was a standout, enabling our front-end developer to automate pull request summaries and inline suggestions via the /windsurf command, cutting review times by up to 50%, as noted in‽web:0. We collaboratively refined code using real-time editing and Cascade’s contextual awareness, sparking team discussions to optimize logic, per ‽web:2. The Google Docs integration allowed our product manager to centralize documentation, ensuring consistent onboarding and specs, as highlighted in ‽web:6.
Collaboration was streamlined through Windsurf’s Team plan workspaces and Conversation Sharing. We shared code drafts and Cascade conversations via secure links, enabling real-time client feedback that we reviewed in team huddles to finalize features quickly, per ‽web:1 and ‽web:6. Integrations with GitHub and Netlify, as noted in ‽web:0, allowed our QA engineer to automate deployments and test workflows, keeping the team aligned. The updated analytics dashboard provided insights into code suggestions and team performance, though non-technical members found the initial setup slightly complex, per ‽web:5.
Features like rule-based access controls and SSO enhanced security, crucial for our client’s sensitive data, per ‽web:1. The free tier was great for testing, but we opted for the Team plan (~$10/month per user) for advanced collaboration tools, though pricing clarity could improve, per ‽web:4. Limited offline functionality required constant internet access, a minor hurdle for some team members, per ‽web:2. Windsurf’s focus on preventing knowledge silos via Cascade conversations fostered continuous learning, as emphasized in ‽web:0.
Our team’s experience with Windsurf was cohesive, empowering, and made us feel like a unified force capable of delivering professional applications. It’s ideal for developers, QA teams, or mixed-skill teams looking to collaborate on coding projects. If your team wants to streamline development while working together, Windsurf is definitely worth checking out, though consider technical support for non-developers.
