Claude Code vs Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)
Two sides of the AI coding assistants decision: terminal agent and AI-first editor. When each fits, what it costs, who moves from one to the other, and what makers who chose it say.
Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)AI-first editorllms.txtAcquired: Now part of Cognition, maker of Devin; windsurf.com redirects to devin.ai. source
Ask your AI about this, with this page as the source:ChatGPT ↗Claude ↗Perplexity ↗
Which fits you
Choose Claude Code if- You're comfortable in a terminal and want to hand off whole tasks
Use it whenYou're comfortable in a terminal and want the agent to do the work while you review.
Trade-offUses Anthropic models only, and needs a Claude subscription or API credits.
Choose Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) if- You want to see and steer each change inside your editor
Use it whenYou want an AI editor with a free tier and plan to hand some tasks to Devin cloud agents.
Trade-offRecently renamed from Windsurf to Devin Desktop and reshaped around Cognition's agents; paid plans run on quotas, with extra usage at API rates.
At a glance
| Claude Code | Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) | |
|---|---|---|
| Used by | 737 makers' products · 88 open-source projects | 43 makers' products |
| Cost at default usagedevelopers 1 seat | $20/mo Pro | $20/mo Pro |
| Downloads | 18.9M/wk | |
| Pricing | Included in Claude Pro/Max subscriptions or billed via Anthropic API token usage. · paid from $20/mo | Free tier with a light agent quota; Pro $20/month, Max $200/month; Teams $80/month plus $40 per developer seat; extra usage billed at API rates; custom Enterprise. · paid from $20/mo |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Open source | No | No |
| Incidents, 90 daysfrom its status page | 50+ (21 major) | 13 (9 major) |
What makers say
Makers on using it for AI coding assistants, from Product Hunt and Starter Story interviews, each linked to the source. Products with a page of their own and fuller notes first.
On Claude CodeWe build HarnessRouter with Claude Code, and HarnessRouter runs Claude Code as a product backend for other teams. It is both our daily driver and one of the harnesses we route to.
We use Claude Code as our AI agent that addresses and responds to PR review comments. The headless mode made it incredibly easy to run an agent with repository context in a sandbox.
Claude Code in VS Code is the closest thing to pair programming with a senior engineer. It reads my codebase, runs commands, and ships PRs right inside the editor I already live in.
On Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)Windsurf is amazing. It's our go to code editor and is amazing to use to help us build out new features and fix bugs in our application! Its especially amazing to use with Claude!
Windsurf has been a joy to use. It’s fast, clean, and optimized for modern AI workflows. It helped me iterate quickly and stay in flow during long development sessions.
Windsurf's agentic IDE capabilities were essential for managing complex refactors and deep logic changes. It acted as my co-pilot during the entire 1,800-hour journey.
Loved and watch-outs
Themes that recur in makers' words and Hacker News comments, each linked to what it summarises.
Claude CodeMost loved
- Holds deep context across large multi-module codebases, so one change can span UI, backend, docs and infrastructure. PHPH 2PH 3PH 4
- Carries complex multi-step tasks through end to end, such as waiting on CI, reading logs and iterating until green. PHHNHN 2PH 2
- Hooks, skills, subagents, plugins and MCP make it a host that teams extend and build products on. PHPH 2HNPH 3
Watch-outs
On Product Hunt: 5.0★, 736 reviews · mentioned most: code generation, complex software tasks, massive context window- Quality can shift between releases because of harness changes, such as a quietly lowered default reasoning effort. HNHN 2HN 3HN 4
- Subagents are opaque and hard to steer, and the default setup feels heavy, so power users strip tools and prompts. HNHN 2HN 3HN 4
- The subscription only works inside Claude Code, not in other harnesses people prefer. HNHN 2HN 3
Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)Most loved
On Product Hunt: 4.7★, 68 reviews · mentioned most: developer productivity, AI autocomplete, agentic workflow · complaints: bugs, customer support- The Cascade agent iterates on its own suggestions and applies changes without constant manual approval. PHPH 2PH 3
- Context handling is strong: it tracks recent edits and pulls the right files, helping across large codebases. PHPH 2PH 3
- The editor feels fast, lightweight and clean, keeping developers in flow during long sessions. PHPH 2
Who uses each
Claude Code737 makers' products
Agent-Sin
AI Context FlowDevin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)43 makers' products
ComputerX
FinyuusUsed by both — often one replacing the other, or each for a different part of the product
What makers pair each with
With Claude CodeHosting
Claude Code + Cloudflare:
Agent 37 Cloud
agent-managerAgentCenter for OpenClawAss AuctionBatonBugShot
Chronicle
ChronockCoIslandcrosswalk
CubeOne AIDecktlyand 50 more
Agent 37 Cloudagent-managerAgentCenter for OpenClawAss AuctionBatonBugShotChronicleChronockCoIslandcrosswalkCubeOne AIDecktlyand 50 more
Cynative Security Research Agent
Databox
Edgee
Hello Inbox
Humalike
JustPaid
Kastra
Locofy.ai
Blop AI
GAIA
Klariqo AI Voice AssistantsDatabase
Claude Code + Supabase:
Accordio AIAdventoryAISA (aisa.to) AI Fluency AssessmentAmara
AtlaAtlas NavigationBedRockBreadcromb
Browzer
CCgather
CekuraChertand 88 more
Accordio AIAdventoryAISA (aisa.to) AI Fluency AssessmentAmaraAtlaAtlas NavigationBedRockBreadcrombBrowzerCCgatherCekuraChertand 88 more
Goals
IndieScore
Swimio
Waitlister
ClientJam
DwellRecord
Radar
Relay
SendTidings
supersetTransactional Email
Claude Code + Resend:Accordio AIAgent 37 Cloud
AgentcardAI Toolboxapideck
Ara
BrandingStudio.ai®Browzer
Build Club
CardboardCatchAll by NewsCatcherCekuraand 93 more
Accordio AIAgent 37 CloudAgentcardAI ToolboxapideckAraBrandingStudio.ai®BrowzerBuild ClubCardboardCatchAll by NewsCatcherCekuraand 93 more
Articos
daily.dev
Doraverse
Latitude
Lightning Rod
BetterBugs.io
Cotypist
HeyNews
Journey Now
Navegante
Skyvern
Weave Engineering Intelligence
MintlifyFrontend Framework
Claude Code + Next.js:Accordio AIAgent 37 CloudAgentcardAgentCenter for OpenClawAgentConnectAI Toolbox
ArisoBloopBrandingStudio.ai®Browzer
BugsterCCgatherand 93 more
Accordio AIAgent 37 CloudAgentcardAgentCenter for OpenClawAgentConnectAI ToolboxArisoBloopBrandingStudio.ai®BrowzerBugsterCCgatherand 93 more
giselle
Pluto Door
serenities
TestMu AI
Vamah.ai
GrowthBook
OnSpace AI
Glazed
LayerProof
Novi Notes
Nugget AI
OpenObserveWith Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)Frontend Framework
Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) + Next.js:
PingPromptRaycast
UXAudit.NowYourAIScroll
Deepgram
Dodo Payments
Product Hunt
Tinybird
PingPromptRaycastUXAudit.NowYourAIScrollDeepgramDodo PaymentsProduct HuntTinybirdDevin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) + Astro:
Aritect
ImbueUXAudit.NowDodo Payments
AritectImbueUXAudit.NowDodo PaymentsDevin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) + React:AritectDodo Payments
AritectDodo PaymentsDatabase
Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) + Supabase:
CreatorCube AIPingPromptSnapstickUXAudit.NowAstrolidDodo Payments
CreatorCube AIPingPromptSnapstickUXAudit.NowAstrolidDodo PaymentsDevin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) + Firebase:
KnockKnock!Product Hunt
KnockKnock!Product HuntDevin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) + MongoDB:
Loki.BuildViso Now
Loki.BuildViso NowLLM API
Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) + OpenAI API:CreatorCube AIModelPilot
CuaDeepgramDodo PaymentsProduct Hunt
CreatorCube AIModelPilotCuaDeepgramDodo PaymentsProduct HuntDevin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) + Claude:UXAudit.NowDeepgramTinybird
UXAudit.NowDeepgramTinybirdDevin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) + LiteLLM:PingPrompt
Me.bot
PingPromptMe.botTransactional Email
Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) + Resend:AritectPingPromptRaycastDodo Payments
AritectPingPromptRaycastDodo PaymentsDevin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) + SendGrid:
Atlas
Perfai SecurityRaycastDeepgram
AtlasPerfai SecurityRaycastDeepgramNeither quite right?
See the whole AI coding assistants decision →
CursorAI-first editorA VS Code-style editor with AI completions, chat and agents built in, keeping your VS Code extensions.vs Claude Code →vs Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) →
OpenAI CodexTerminal agentDelegating tasks to an agent in the terminal, IDE or desktop app, or to cloud tasks that run in the background and open pull requests.vs Claude Code →vs Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) →
OpenCodeTerminal agentAn open-source coding agent that works with almost any model provider, local models, or an existing Copilot or ChatGPT subscription.vs Claude Code →
GitHub CopilotEditor pluginAdding AI completions, chat and agents to the editor you already use, including VS Code and JetBrains IDEs, plus pull request reviews on GitHub.vs Claude Code →vs Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) →