Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) vs GitHub Copilot
Coding assistants · checked · Compare different tools
Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) ranks higher in Coding assistants (#2 vs #4). How we score
How they differ
How each one works, from its own docs.
Like Cursor, it replaces your editor. Unlike Cursor, it is built around running and reviewing many local and cloud agents, including third-party ones, from one command centre tied to Cognition's Devin.
Best for: Teams that want an editor plus a dashboard for running parallel agent tasks, with long jobs pushed to the cloud.
Adds AI to the editor you already use and to GitHub issues and PRs. Cursor and Devin Desktop replace your editor, and Claude Code works from the terminal. Its cloud agent turns an issue into a PR.
Best for: Studios already on GitHub that want completions and chat in Visual Studio, Rider or VS Code, plus issue-to-PR automation.
Devin Desktop
GitHub Copilot
Standalone VS Code-derived desktop IDE (Mac, Windows, Linux). It was Windsurf until it was renamed on 2 June 2026. Links to Devin Cloud and Devin CLI.
Extensions for VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Xcode, Eclipse and Neovim. Also GitHub.com, Copilot CLI, the Copilot desktop app and GitHub Mobile.
Prompts to the local agent (Devin Local), code as you type, or tasks handed off to cloud Devin. Third-party agents connect through ACP.
Code as you type, chat questions, goals in agent mode, or a GitHub issue assigned to Copilot.
Multi-file code edits and terminal runs on your machine, Tab autocomplete, and PRs from Devin cloud sessions and their subagents.
Inline completions and next-edit suggestions, chat answers, multi-file edits in the IDE, branches and pull requests from the cloud agent, and PR review comments.
Rules in .devin/rules (also reads .windsurfrules, AGENTS.md, imported .cursor/rules), memories, workflows, MCP, and model choice including a lead-plus-sidekick Fusion mode.
.github/copilot-instructions.md, path-specific .instructions.md files and AGENTS.md. Also reusable prompts, skills, custom agents, MCP tools and a model picker (depends on plan).
Review diffs with Devin Review, chat follow-ups, move a session between local and cloud, and track many agents in Spaces or a Kanban view.
Accept or reject suggestions, chat follow-ups, steer the running cloud agent, and ask for changes before it opens the PR. Then review the PR as usual.
Pick Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) if you want
- Strong autonomous agent runs and semantic indexing (StraySpark)
- Lowest cost of the IDE options (StraySpark)
Watch out: slow first index and heavy RAM on UE projects (StraySpark); large refactors cascade into errors (StraySpark)
Pick GitHub Copilot if you want
- Fast inline completions for boilerplate (Product Hunt reviewers)
- Widest IDE coverage; access to frontier Claude and GPT models via Auto
Watch out: confident but wrong suggestions / invented APIs (PH, Unity forum); weaker on large multi-file tasks than Cursor or Claude Code (PH reviewers)
How they score
Each signal is out of 100. Higher wins.
Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)GitHub CopilotSee all 3 sources
Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)
- StraySpark blog: Claude Code vs Cursor vs Windsurf for Unreal Engine Windsurf's aggressive indexing and autonomous Cascade runs were strong and it was cheapest. But first indexing of a UE project took 15-45 min with heavy RAM, completion was less UE-aware, large refactors cascaded into errors and MCP felt bolted on. Suited to solo devs on a budget.
- Product Hunt (Windsurf) 4.7/5 from 68 reviews
GitHub Copilot
- Product Hunt 4.8/5 from 35 reviews
Vendor claims (not scored): Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf): Devin Desktop is the new name for Windsurf; plans and pricing unchanged; 'Fusion' pairs a lead model with a SWE-2 sidekick. source · GitHub Copilot: Agent mode runs locally, in Copilot CLI or as a cloud coding agent; Auto model selection includes Claude Opus 5.5 and GPT-6 models. source
At a glance
Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)GitHub CopilotFull comparison: every fact, with sources
Individual terms 3.1: Cognition assigns to you all right, title and interest in Output. source
Copilot Product Specific Terms: "GitHub does not own Suggestions. You retain ownership of Your Code." IP indemnity applies to organization plans (Business, Enterprise), not individual plans. Plans page FAQ: for Individual subscribers (Free, Pro, Pro+, Max), GitHub may use prompts, suggestions and code snippets to train AI models; opt out at github.com/settings/copilot/features. source
Rows marked ● differ between the two tools. Licence badges: green = commercial use allowed (including any free plan or trial), amber = paid plans only, restricted, or allowed but with no free plan, red = not allowed, grey = not stated by vendor or not applicable. Read the vendor's current terms before you ship.