Windsurf (formerly Codeium) gives you an agentic AI IDE with a free plan that’s good enough to genuinely test the Cascade agent — but its limits surface quickly on real projects. This guide breaks down exactly what you get on Windsurf free vs paid in 2026, including the March 2026 quota overhaul, so you know whether the $20/month Pro plan is worth it.
Free vs Paid at a Glance
| Feature | Free | Pro ($20/mo) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | $20/month |
| Cascade agent | 5 sessions/day | Unlimited (within quota) |
| Prompt credits | 25/month | Generous monthly quota |
| Tab autocomplete | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Models | Limited | All models |
| Best for | Trying Cascade | Daily agentic coding |
What the Free Plan Gives You
The free tier lets you use Windsurf’s core experience without a credit card:
- Tab autocomplete with no credit cost — available on every tier, including free
- 25 prompt credits per month and 5 Cascade agent sessions per day
- Access to the agentic IDE and a limited set of models
Free is great for evaluating whether Cascade’s flow fits how you work. Where it pinches is the daily Cascade cap and 25-credit monthly ceiling — a couple of involved agent runs and you’re rationing for the rest of the day.
What You Unlock With Pro ($20/month)
Pro is the plan most daily users need. Note Windsurf raised Pro from $15 to $20 during its March 19, 2026 overhaul, which retired the old credit-purchase system in favor of daily and weekly quotas:
- Unlimited Cascade within a generous quota (no 5/day cap)
- All models, including flagship options
- Higher daily/weekly limits than free
The big unlock is uninterrupted agent work — you stop counting sessions and just build. For a deeper local-IDE comparison, see Windsurf vs Cursor.
The Quota Reality
Since March 2026, Windsurf bills on quotas rather than purchasable credits, so plan around throughput:
| Usage profile | Likely plan |
|---|---|
| Trying Cascade, light edits | Free ($0) |
| Daily agentic coding | Pro ($20) |
| Heavy flagship-model use | Pro Plus ($35) |
| Team | Teams ($40/user) |
If you regularly hit Pro’s quota or lean on the newest models, Pro Plus ($35) adds priority access. This usage-tiered structure echoes the rest of the category — compare it with Replit free vs paid.
Which Should You Pick?
- Evaluating Windsurf? Free genuinely lets you test Cascade, plus unlimited Tab autocomplete.
- Coding with the agent daily? Pro at $20 removes the 5-session cap.
- Leaning on flagship models constantly? Pro Plus at $35.
- Comparing to other IDEs? See Windsurf vs GitHub Copilot (if available) or our Cursor pricing guide.
FAQ
Is Windsurf free? Yes — the free plan includes 25 monthly prompt credits, 5 Cascade sessions/day, and unlimited Tab autocomplete.
Did Windsurf raise prices? Yes — Pro went from $15 to $20 on March 19, 2026, alongside a switch from purchasable credits to daily/weekly quotas.
Is Tab autocomplete really unlimited? Yes — Tab completions consume no credits on any tier, including free.
Is Pro worth it over free? If you use Cascade daily, yes — the free 5-session cap is the main bottleneck Pro removes.
Still deciding between AI coding tools? Compare Windsurf, Cursor, and Replit side by side →