Side-by-Side Comparison · 2026

Kiro vs Windsurf: Full Comparison (2026)

Kiro is aws's spec-driven agentic ide and cli. Windsurf is the agentic ide, now devin desktop, that codes alongside you autonomously. Use the breakdown below to find the right fit for your needs.

Kiro

Amazon Web Services

Freemium
vs

Windsurf

Windsurf (Cognition AI)

Freemium
This page presents factual information sourced from publicly available vendor documentation and product pages. AIHub does not endorse either product. The right tool depends on your specific use case, team, and requirements — we recommend evaluating both tools directly before making a decision.

Side-by-Side Overview

Pricing Model
Kiro: FreemiumWindsurf: Freemium
API Access
Kiro: Not availableWindsurf: Not available
Platforms
Kiro: macOS, Windows, Linux, CLIWindsurf: macOS, Windows, Linux, VS Code Extension
Integrations
Kiro: —Windsurf: 4 integrations
Vendor
Kiro: Amazon Web ServicesWindsurf: Windsurf (Cognition AI)
Category
Kiro: Code AssistanceWindsurf: Code Assistance
Launch
Kiro: Jul 2025 (preview); GA Nov 17, 2025Windsurf: Nov 2024

About Kiro

Kiro is an agentic IDE from AWS built on Code OSS. It turns prompts into requirements, design and task specs before agents write code. It also ships with a terminal-based Kiro CLI, property-based testing against specs, and checkpointing.

Designed For

  • Spec-driven feature development
  • Agentic coding in the IDE
  • Terminal agent workflows
Full Kiro details

About Windsurf

Windsurf is an agentic IDE from Codeium that goes beyond autocomplete. Its Cascade agent can write, debug, and refactor entire features autonomously across your codebase, maintaining context through 'Flows' that understand your full project state. Available as a standalone IDE (VS Code fork) and as a plugin. Cognition renamed Windsurf to Devin Desktop on 2 June 2026.

Designed For

  • Autonomous feature development
  • Codebase-wide refactoring
  • Bug fixing
  • Test generation
Full Windsurf details

Strengths & Limitations

Kiro

Strengths

  • Specs and requirements generated before code
  • Property-based testing checks code against specs
  • Checkpointing to roll back agent steps
  • Team sign-in via AWS IAM Identity Center

Limitations

  • Credit-based usage makes costs harder to predict
  • Free tier is small (50 credits/mo)

Windsurf

Strengths

  • Cascade agentic mode
  • Full codebase context
  • Free tier available
  • Fast and accurate
  • OpenAI / Claude model choice

Limitations

  • Less mature than Cursor
  • Cascade can be unpredictable
  • Requires IDE switch

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Kiro and Windsurf?

Kiro is aws's spec-driven agentic ide and cli, while Windsurf is the agentic ide, now devin desktop, that codes alongside you autonomously. Kiro is designed for AWS-centric teams, Developers who want structured specs before code; Windsurf is designed for Developers wanting agentic coding, Teams doing large refactors. The right fit depends on your specific requirements.

How do the pricing models compare?

Kiro is available under a Freemium model. Windsurf is available under a Freemium model. Kiro's entry tier starts at $0/mo. Windsurf's entry tier starts at $0/mo. Always verify pricing on each vendor's official website as it may change.

What integrations does each tool support?

Kiro integrates with various tools. Windsurf integrates with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, VS Code extensions. Check each vendor's documentation for the full and current list.

How do I choose between Kiro and Windsurf?

Consider your team's technical requirements, budget, existing tooling, and use case before deciding. We recommend signing up for free trials or demos of both tools where available, and consulting each vendor's documentation. AIHub provides this comparison for informational purposes only.