Devin Desktop

The agentic IDE, formerly Windsurf

by Cognition

Overview

Devin Desktop is the editor that was called Windsurf until 2 June 2026, now part of Cognition's line. Its current local agent is Devin Local, which shares a harness with the Devin CLI and works on the files on your machine with subagents, permission controls, a Plan mode, sandboxes and Git worktrees; a new session does not start with Cascade, and Cascade sessions in your history stay available with the capabilities they had. It is an IDE on your own repository - macOS, Windows and Linux, importing VS Code and Cursor configuration, with SSH and dev containers - so the code stays in your Git workflow rather than being exported from a service. Local describes where the agent runs, not the network: the app needs its backend, and App Deploys, a Cascade-only beta that publishes public previews through Netlify, uploads project code to Cognition on the way. Plans run from a free tier with a limited agent quota to Pro at $20 a month and Max at $200, with overage billed at API rates.

Cognition's platform terms allow customer data to be used for model training, and give paid customers a way to opt out - for Teams plans that switch is held by an administrator rather than each member - after which zero data retention is enabled with the model providers. The same document is the terms the individual Windsurf sign-up points to (Cognition Platform Terms of Service, read 12 October 2026).

Editor's take

A reasonable candidate when you want an agent working inside a repository you already have and you accept that Devin Local is the flow now: the harness, worktrees and permission controls are documented, and Pro is $20 a month. Two boundaries matter before buying. The free tier is a limited agent quota, not unlimited agent work, and the Netlify deployment feature belongs to Cascade rather than to Devin Local. Local also does not mean offline - the app needs its backend, sharing a conversation uploads a processed transcript, and deployments upload code.

Our reading of who this suits, based on the sources above. Opinion, offered to help you decide - not a lab result.

Direct comparisons

Devin Desktop vs Cursor

Key Features

•Devin Local as the primary local agent, sharing a harness with Devin CLI
•Subagents, permission controls, a Plan mode, sandboxes and Git worktrees
•Import of VS Code and Cursor configuration, with SSH and dev containers
•Cloud agents managed alongside the local ones
•Cascade sessions stay in history with their own capabilities
•App Deploys (Cascade only, beta) publishes public previews through Netlify

Use Cases

→Agent work on a private repository you keep on your machine
→Managing local and cloud agents from one place
→Publishing a public preview with Cascade App Deploys
→A team standardising on one editor and agent harness

Pros

✓Works on the repository you already have, inside your Git workflow
✓Devin Local shares its harness with Devin CLI, so the documented behaviour lines up across the two
✓The free tier includes a limited agent quota plus unlimited completions and inline edits
✓Pro is $20 a month, Max $200, Teams $80 a month plus $40 per full seat

Cons

✕Capabilities differ by agent: App Deploys is Cascade-only and is not supported by Devin Local
✕The free tier is a limited agent quota, not unlimited agent work
✕Deployments and shared conversations upload data to the vendor; local execution is not an offline guarantee
✕The published quota pages do not give everyone a fixed daily or weekly token number, so spend is hard to predict

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Devin Desktop free?

There is a free tier with a limited agent quota, plus unlimited completions and inline edits. Pro is $20 a month and Max $200; Teams is $80 a month plus $40 per full dev seat. The published quota pages do not state one fixed daily or weekly token allowance for everyone.

Is it still Windsurf?

Windsurf was renamed Devin Desktop on 2 June 2026 after Cognition acquired it, and this site keeps the old address as a stable link. The current local agent is Devin Local, which shares a harness with Devin CLI; a new session does not start with Cascade, though older Cascade sessions remain in your history.

Can it deploy my app?

Only through Cascade: App Deploys is a beta, mainly for public previews, and publishes through Netlify. Devin Local does not support it. Deploying uploads project code to Cognition and then to a provider umbrella account you can claim - an unclaimed site may be deleted. Free includes one deploy a day with up to one unclaimed site; Pro five of each.

Does my code stay on my device?

The agent is local and works on your files, but Devin Desktop needs its backend service, sharing a conversation uploads a processed transcript, and deployments upload code. Treat local as where the agent runs, not as an offline guarantee.

How does Devin Desktop compare to Cursor?

Both are editors with an agent, but their plan names and allowances must be checked separately. Devin Desktop’s recorded Pro price is US$20 a month. Cursor’s $20 Pro figure applies to eligible legacy plans; new customers use The X Subscription, whose applicable price is not established here. Devin Desktop states that it imports VS Code and Cursor configuration and adds SSH and dev containers; Cursor states that it is built on VS Code, so existing extensions and keybindings carry over, with a JetBrains integration as an alternative surface. Devin Desktop's deployment feature uploads project code to Cognition and its local agent still needs the vendor backend; Cursor's documented standard requests pass through the Cursor backend. This is what each listing states, not a measured comparison.

Key facts and where they come from

PriceNot established: The registered record gives plan amounts and billing cadence, but the applicable purchase market/region and full account/channel conditions were not established. These are not asserted as a current global purchasable quote.Source: Devin - plan prices
AvailabilityNot established: Entry, integration or deployment routes are registered, but the applicable geographic access conditions were not established. No worldwide availability is inferred from these routes.Source: Devin - Devin Desktop FAQ · Devin - Devin Local
Commercial useNot established: Cognition assigns output rights to customers to the extent permitted by law and permits service use for internal business purposes. Full per-tier permission for commercial distribution of generated code, including applicable third-party rights, is not established by this clause alone.
Training on your dataDocumented: Read on 12 October 2026. States that customer data may be used for model training, that paid customers can opt out (on Teams plans only an administrator can), and that opting out enables zero data retention with model providers. The individual Windsurf sign-up redirects to this document.Source: Cognition - platform terms (Windsurf)
API billingNot established: Extra Desktop usage is billed at model API list prices. Devin's v3 API documents organization/enterprise service users and sessions attributed to user usage, but the exact programmatic API entitlement and fee coverage of each personal Desktop subscription remain unestablished.Source: Devin - quotas · Official windsurf reference
Export formatsNot established: Devin Desktop: specific downloadable output file formats and applicable surface/plan boundaries were not established by the registered source statements. No contrary conclusion about the capability is inferred.
Usage limitsDocumented: Daily and weekly quotas vary with model, context and tokens; overage can be bought at API rates. Free waits for a reset, and completions and inline edits are unlimited rather than the agent. Cascade-only beta, mainly for public previews, publishing through Netlify and uploading project code to Cognition first; Devin Local does not support it. Free: one deploy a day with up to one unclaimed site; Pro: five of each.Source: Devin - quotas · Devin - App Deploys

Official sources

The vendor pages we read for the claims on this page, what each one states, and the day we read it.

Devin - Devin Desktop FAQ ↗
DevinDesktop requires listed backend hosts, including codeium/windsurf services and Cognition app/API hosts. Backend connectivity alone does not identify all uploaded code/prompt content. Historical registered scope read on 2026-09-23, not rechecked in full on 2026-10-15: Windsurf became Devin Desktop on 2 June 2026, and Desktop requires network access to its backend service. The FAQ does not describe what sharing a conversation uploads; that is documented on the Devin Local page instead.
Read on October 15, 2026
Devin - Devin Local ↗
DevinLocal runs its harness on the local machine with localfiles/tools. ExplicitShare uploads a sanitizedtranscript with secrets redacted and system prompts/tool definitions removed, subject to organization permission, Devin sign-in and client support. The page does not promise all inference/prompt construction stays on the Mac. Historical registered scope read on 2026-09-23, not rechecked in full on 2026-10-15: Devin Local is the current local agent and shares a harness with Devin CLI, with access to local files and tools, subagents, permissions, a Plan mode, sandboxes and worktrees; new sessions do not start with Cascade. Sharing a conversation uploads a processed transcript with secrets, system prompts and tool definitions removed, subject to organisation sharing switches, the Devin account and client support.
Read on October 15, 2026
Devin - plan prices ↗
Free, Pro at $20 a month, Max at $200 a month; Teams is $80 a month plus $40 per full dev seat, and a full seat includes Desktop.
Read on September 23, 2026
Devin - quotas ↗
Daily and weekly quotas vary with model, context and tokens; overage can be bought at API rates. Free waits for a reset, and completions and inline edits are unlimited rather than the agent.
Read on September 23, 2026
Devin - App Deploys ↗
Cascade-only beta, mainly for public previews, publishing through Netlify and uploading project code to Cognition first; Devin Local does not support it. Free: one deploy a day with up to one unclaimed site; Pro: five of each.
Read on September 23, 2026
Cognition - platform terms (Windsurf) ↗
Read on 12 October 2026. States that customer data may be used for model training, that paid customers can opt out (on Teams plans only an administrator can), and that opting out enables zero data retention with model providers. The individual Windsurf sign-up redirects to this document.
Read on October 12, 2026
Official windsurf reference ↗
The v3 Devin API provides organization and enterprise resource scopes using service-user credentials; a session attributed to a user counts toward that user's usage. This does not specify the API entitlement or full fee coverage of every personal Desktop subscription.
Read on October 15, 2026

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