Bolt.new vs Windsurf
Side-by-side comparison of Bolt.new and Windsurf.
Type a prompt, get a full-stack app in minutes
AI coding editor built around an autonomous agent
What they are
Bolt.new
Bolt.new is a browser-based AI app builder by StackBlitz that generates, runs, and deploys full-stack web applications from a plain-text prompt, with no local setup required. It uses WebContainers to execute code live in the browser, supports multiple JavaScript frameworks, and integrates with Supabase, GitHub, Figma, Netlify, and Stripe. Pricing runs on a token consumption model, where larger and more complex projects burn through allocations faster than simple prototypes. The free tier is genuinely usable for experiments, but the daily token cap makes it impractical for sustained development work.
Windsurf
Windsurf is an AI-native IDE centered on Cascade, an agentic coding interface that reads your entire codebase and makes coordinated edits across multiple files from a single prompt. It ships proprietary models (SWE-1, SWE-1.5) alongside access to Claude, GPT, and Gemini, plus browser previews, deploys, and Devin cloud sessions for background development. Individual developers and teams use it as a full Cursor alternative. Note that the product is transitioning to the Devin Desktop name under Cognition, which may affect branding consistency going forward.
if you need ai coding. It has a usable free tier to start with.
- +Zero local setup: code runs live in the browser via WebContainers
- +Generates full-stack apps, not just UI snippets, from a single prompt
- +Supports multiple AI models including Claude Opus 4.6 and newer
if you need ai coding. It has a usable free tier to start with.
- +Free tier includes unlimited Tab completions with no quota cost
- +Cascade agent handles multi-file edits, terminal commands, and test generation from one prompt
- +Proprietary SWE-1.5 model is optimized for speed and reduces dependence on expensive third-party tokens
Which to choose
Bolt.new and Windsurf both cover ai coding, so this is a real either-or for some teams. The right pick depends on which one's wider feature set and pricing fit how you work.
Read the full reviews for Bolt.new and Windsurf.
Pricing checked 10 Jun 2026.