Grammarly
Windsurf
| Feature | Grammarly | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $12/mo | Free / from $15/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | writers, students, professionals, non-native-speakers | developers, startups, freelancers, budget-conscious-developers |
| Founded | 2009 | 2024 |
| Grammar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spelling | ✓ | ✗ |
| Tone | ✓ | ✗ |
| Clarity | ✓ | ✗ |
| Plagiarism | ✓ | ✗ |
| Browser Extension | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ai Autocomplete | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cascade Agent | ✗ | ✓ |
| Multi File Editing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Codebase Indexing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Terminal Commands | ✗ | ✓ |
| Flows | ✗ | ✓ |
| Supercomplete | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Grammarly Pros
- Works everywhere
- Clear suggestions
- Tone detection
- Plagiarism checker
✗ Grammarly Cons
- Premium is pricey
- Can over-correct
- Privacy concerns
✓ 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
Grammarly is built for writers and students, with a focus on grammar and spelling. Windsurf targets developers and startups and leads with ai-autocomplete and cascade-agent.
Pricing is close: Grammarly starts at $12/mo versus $15/mo for Windsurf — 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.
Feature-wise, Windsurf offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Grammarly takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.