AI-powered developer tools are transforming how engineers write, review, and optimize code. Among them, GitHub Copilot and Codeium's Windsurf stand out as leading AI-powered code generation solutions.
While both offer intelligent code completion and AI-assisted development, they differ significantly in pricing structures and enterprise-focused capabilities.
However, writing code is only part of the equation—ensuring high code quality is just as important. If you're looking for an AI-powered code review tool, Greptile provides automated AI code reviews to catch bugs, enforce best practices, and improve maintainability.
This comparison highlights the key differences to help you choose the best AI-powered coding tool for your workflow.
🔍 Feature Comparison
⚡ Code Completion
Copilot
GitHub Copilot delivers real-time inline code suggestions, leveraging OpenAI’s technology to predict and complete entire lines or functions. Its deep integration with GitHub repositories allows it to provide context-aware recommendations, helping developers quickly implement code structures that align with industry best practices. It’s particularly strong at understanding comments and converting them into functional code, making it a great fit for developers who want instant, high-quality completions without major configuration.
Windsurf
Windsurf offers advanced multi-line code completion, adapting to your coding style and past modifications. It goes beyond simple autocomplete by analyzing syntax, project context, and patterns to provide highly relevant suggestions. Unlike Copilot, Windsurf also supports fill-in-the-middle (FIM) completions, making it ideal for modifying existing code rather than just generating new lines. This makes it particularly valuable for teams maintaining large codebases where small but precise edits are required.
💬 AI Chat
Copilot
GitHub Copilot Chat allows natural language conversations within your development environment, offering explanations, debugging assistance, and architecture recommendations. It provides smart follow-ups, allowing you to refine code suggestions or ask for optimizations. The chat is tightly integrated with GitHub PRs, issues, and documentation, making it a powerful tool for collaborative development and knowledge sharing.
Windsurf
Windsurf introduces Cascade, a dual-mode AI chat assistant that adapts to your needs. Write Mode enables real-time code edits, while Chat Mode provides a conversational interface for questions, explanations, and debugging. Unlike Copilot, Windsurf maintains session history, allowing for a more interactive and context-aware conversation flow. It also integrates better with non-GitHub workflows, making it a flexible choice for teams using self-hosted repositories or alternative dev platforms.
🔍 Context Awareness
Copilot
Copilot’s context awareness extends beyond the current file—it analyzes your repository, open files, and commit history to provide cohesive, project-wide suggestions. Whether you’re working on a single function or an entire module, Copilot adapts to your existing codebase, offering recommendations that align with your coding patterns. Its ability to predict and follow project structure makes it a strong choice for developers who frequently switch between files or repositories.
Windsurf
Windsurf takes context awareness a step further by continuously learning from your edits, prior interactions, and syntax preferences. Unlike Copilot, which primarily analyzes static code, Windsurf dynamically adjusts its recommendations based on real-time feedback. This allows it to offer more personalized and adaptive suggestions, making it an excellent choice for developers working on evolving or experimental projects.
🔒 Privacy & Security
Copilot
GitHub Copilot ensures local processing of code suggestions, with enterprise-grade encryption and no permanent storage of personal code. While it does collect telemetry data for improvements, users can disable telemetry for increased privacy. Enterprise customers benefit from SSO, role-based access controls, and secure data handling policies, making Copilot a trusted solution for organizations prioritizing compliance and security.
Windsurf
Windsurf focuses on privacy-first AI development, providing user-controlled telemetry settings and the option to self-host the AI assistant for complete data control. Unlike Copilot, which relies on GitHub's ecosystem, Windsurf is platform-agnostic, allowing enterprises to keep their data entirely on-premise. This makes it particularly appealing for companies with strict data security policies or compliance requirements.
💰 Pricing
Copilot
GitHub Copilot offers a subscription-based model:
- $10/month for individuals
- $19/month per user for business plans
- $39/month per user for enterprise features, including SSO, analytics, and security enhancements
This pricing model makes Copilot a predictable choice for individuals and companies looking for a flat-rate AI coding assistant.
Windsurf
Windsurf uses a flexible, credit-based pricing model, allowing developers to scale usage based on needs:
- Free plan with limited AI credits
- Pro plan at $15/month for extended AI access
- Ultimate plan at $60/month for unlimited AI model usage
The credit-based model makes Windsurf more attractive to developers who want to control costs based on actual AI usage rather than paying a fixed monthly fee.
🏆 Verdict: Which One Should You Choose?
Both Copilot and Windsurf offer powerful AI-driven coding capabilities, but your choice depends on whether you prioritize ease of use and GitHub integration (Copilot) or customization and security (Windsurf).
Choose Copilot if:
- You want instant, real-time code completions with minimal setup.
- You work primarily in GitHub repositories and want seamless integration.
- You prefer a flat-rate pricing model without worrying about AI credit usage.
Choose Windsurf if:
- You need customizable AI assistance that adapts to your coding style and patterns.
- You require self-hosting options and strict data privacy controls.
- You prefer a flexible pricing model based on actual AI usage.
Regardless of which AI coding assistant you use, maintaining code quality is essential. If you're looking for a way to automate code reviews, Greptile’s AI code review tool ensures better security, maintainability, and accuracy for your projects.