Amazon Q Developer
Windsurf
| Feature | Amazon Q Developer | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $19/mo | Free / from $15/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.1 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | aws-developers, enterprise, security-conscious-teams, cloud-engineers | developers, startups, freelancers, budget-conscious-developers |
| Founded | 2022 | 2024 |
| Code Suggestions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Security Scanning | ✓ | ✗ |
| Chat | ✓ | ✗ |
| Code Transformation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Aws Integration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Reference Tracking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ai Autocomplete | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cascade Agent | ✗ | ✓ |
| Multi File Editing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Codebase Indexing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Terminal Commands | ✗ | ✓ |
| Flows | ✗ | ✓ |
| Supercomplete | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Amazon Q Developer Pros
- Free individual tier
- Security scanning
- AWS integration
- Multi-language
✗ Amazon Q Developer Cons
- Less accurate than Copilot
- AWS-biased suggestions
- Smaller community
✓ Windsurf Pros
- Cascade agent handles complex multi-step tasks
- Generous free tier with AI completions
- Deep codebase indexing
- Lightweight and fast compared to Cursor
✗ Windsurf Cons
- Newer product with smaller community
- Agent can sometimes go off-track
- Fewer extensions than VS Code ecosystem
The Verdict
Amazon Q Developer is built for aws developers and enterprise, with a focus on code-suggestions and security-scanning. Windsurf targets developers and startups and leads with ai-autocomplete and cascade-agent.
Pricing is close: Windsurf starts at $15/mo versus $19/mo for Amazon Q Developer — not a deciding factor on its own.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Windsurf edges out on user ratings (4.5 vs 4.1). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Feature-wise, Windsurf offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Amazon Q Developer takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Bottom line: Windsurf has a slight overall edge — but if free individual tier matters most to you, Amazon Q Developer may still be the right call.