Autonomous AI software engineer that ships PRs end-to-end.
Factory AI vs Windsurfwhich AI code agent should you pick in 2026?
Autonomous "Droid" agent for end-to-end engineering with native AGENTS.md support.
Factory AI vs Windsurf — specs
| Spec | Factory AI | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|
| Agent Rank | 75 / 100 (A) | 80 / 100 (A) |
| Autonomy | Autonomous | Semi-autonomous |
| Pricing | Subscription · from $40 | Freemium · from $15 |
| Open source | No | No |
| Capabilities | Code, Tool use, Memory, Multi-agent | Code, Tool use, Memory, Browser |
| Integrations | 4 apps | 2 apps |
| Verified | — | Verified |
| Released | Oct 2025 | Apr 2025 |
Agent Rank breakdown
- Autonomy
- 9
- Capabilities
- 8
- Integrations
- 8
- Pricing
- 7
- Polish
- 7
- Verifiability
- 6
Auto-computed from autonomy, capabilities, integrations, pricing, maturity and editorial verification. Updated every deploy. How is this computed?
- Autonomy
- 8
- Capabilities
- 8
- Integrations
- 4
- Pricing
- 8
- Polish
- 10
- Verifiability
- 10
Auto-computed from autonomy, capabilities, integrations, pricing, maturity and editorial verification. Updated every deploy. How is this computed?
Pros & cons
- +True end-to-end autonomy — Droid agent ships complete features without hand-holding
- +Native AGENTS.md adopter — fits modern repo conventions out of the box
- +Multi-agent coordination across linked repos for cross-service changes
- −Token-based pricing can spike on large refactors
- −Zed-first; JetBrains support newer, VS Code on roadmap
- −Less mature than Devin for very long-running autonomous sessions
- +Cascade agent flows are the strongest "watch it work" UI in any IDE-native agent
- +Cheapest Pro tier in the category at $15/month
- +Codeium has a deep model team — completion quality consistently leads
- −Smaller ecosystem of extensions than Cursor
- −Pro Ultimate ($60) is opaque on which models are actually premium
- −Memory feature less mature than Cursor + Claude Code memories
Pricing
- +Droid autonomous agent
- +Zed + JetBrains
- +5M Standard Tokens/mo
- +Unlimited Droids
- +50M tokens/mo
- +Multi-agent coordination
- +Custom token volume
- +SSO + audit
- +Dedicated support
- +Limited Cascade flow runs
- +Standard models
- +Editor + chat
- +Unlimited Cascade flows
- +All Pro models
- +Background agents
- +Memories
- +Highest model priority
- +Premium models included
- +Higher concurrency
- +SSO + admin
- +Usage analytics
- +Shared memories
Which one should you pick?
Pick Factory AI if you want the highest autonomy and the verification loop is in place.
Try Factory AI →Pick Windsurf if cost is the main constraint or if you want a vendor we've verified for accessibility and pricing accuracy.
Try Windsurf →Affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Frequently asked
Should I pick Factory AI or Windsurf in 2026?+
Pick Factory AI if you want the highest autonomy and the verification loop is in place. Pick Windsurf if cost is the main constraint or if you want a vendor we've verified for accessibility and pricing accuracy. Most working teams running both can use Factory AI for primary work and Windsurf for the workflows where its specific strengths matter.
What's the price difference between Factory AI and Windsurf?+
Factory AI starts at Subscription · from $40; Windsurf starts at Freemium · from $15. Windsurf is the cheaper entry option. For team deployments the TCO can differ — use the AI Agent Rank TCO calculator for your specific volume.
Which is more autonomous, Factory AI or Windsurf?+
Factory AI is the more autonomous of the two (Autonomous vs Semi-autonomous). Higher autonomy ships throughput faster but requires verification loops in place — see our autonomous-vs-copilot framing for when each tier wins.
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