Windsurf (Former Codeium) vs Github Copilot - Which One to Choose?

Are you looking to boost your productivity and streamline your development workflow? Some popular tools that can help you achieve this are Windsurf (Former Codeium) and GitHub Copilot. However, to choose between these two, you need to understand how they compare in terms of features, performance, and overall value. In this article, we’ll dive into Windsurf vs GitHub Copilot to help you decide which one is the better fit for your coding needs. Let’s get started!

Windsurf (Former Codeium) vs Github Copilot: Key Differences

Take a look at the table below for a quick overview of the key differences.

Windsurf (Former Codeium) Overview

Windsurf (Former Codeium) is an AI-driven coding assistant that helps you boost productivity through intelligent suggestions and real-time code completions. It supports various languages such as JavaScript, Python, Java, C++, Go, and more, and offers a plugin or extension for popular code editors like VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, and Vim. While its primary focus is on generating relevant and context-aware code snippets, Windsurf also provides tools for explaining code functionality, refactoring existing code, and delivering additional insights into how your program works. Additionally, Windsurf offers flexible deployment options, including SaaS, on-premises, and in-VPC setups, all backed by SOC 2 Type 2 compliance. Supported by Exafunction, it prioritizes legal safety by not training on nonpermissive code and offers extensive resources, support, and a thriving user community.

Key Features:

1️⃣ Cascade

Cascade simplifies complex coding work by combining deep technical knowledge, powerful tools, and the ability to take meaningful action. It understands your workflow, adapts to your needs, and can either support your decisions or handle tasks independently. 

Here is what it does:

• Multi-file editing – Edit and update multiple files at once, enabling faster implementation of cross-file changes and large-scale refactors.
• Deep contextual awareness – Maintains a comprehensive understanding of your entire codebase to deliver accurate, relevant suggestions.
• Code explanations – Generates natural-language explanations for code snippets, helping you quickly grasp unfamiliar logic.
• LLM-powered search – Enables natural language queries to search your codebase, improving navigation and discovery of relevant code.
• Terminal command suggestions – Recommends shell commands based on your workflow, streamlining repetitive tasks and operations.
• Custom tools and actions – Provides built-in capabilities like file creation, directory listing, grep, and code execution to support rapid development.
• Model Context Protocol (MCP) – Integrates language models with external tools and APIs, allowing for seamless customization and automation.
• Multi-repo codebase awareness – Understands and operates across multiple repositories, supporting complex, modular codebases.

2️⃣ Windsurf Tab

Windsurf Tab transforms a single keystroke into a seamless, intelligent coding experience, combining autocomplete, navigation, and code editing into one fluid workflow, exclusive to the Windsurf Editor. With this feature, you can:

• Inline FIM – Fills in code between existing lines or tokens, perfect for completing partial logic or adding missing pieces.
• Supercomplete – Predicts your intent beyond the next line, offering full-function or block-level suggestions to accelerate development.
• Schema updates – Detects and recommends updates to data models or schemas, ensuring consistency across your codebase.
• Typo sanitation – Automatically corrects minor syntax or spelling errors in code suggestions to improve accuracy and readability.
• Tab to jump – Predicts where you'll edit next and moves your cursor to that location with a single keystroke.

3️⃣ Windsurf Chat

Windsurf Chat brings AI-powered assistance directly into your editor, enabling focused, context-aware development without ever leaving your coding environment.

• Mentions – Reference functions, classes, files, directories, or repositories using “@” to guide the AI toward relevant context instantly.
• Context pinning – Pin specific code elements like functions or files so the AI prioritizes them in its responses for improved accuracy.
• Inline citations – View exactly where the AI’s answers come from with clickable citations that trace responses back to your codebase.
• Ask anything – Ask open-ended questions about your code, tools, or workflows, and get grounded, intelligent responses within your editor.
• Explain code – Get clear, natural-language explanations of unfamiliar code to speed up onboarding and comprehension.

4️⃣ Command

Command enables fast, natural-language code editing directly in your editor. Just type what you want to change, and the code updates itself. It also allows you to:

• Specialized models & diff generation – Leverage a custom model to generate fast, high-quality diffs that visualize changes before applying them.
• Code transformation & documentation – Create components, fix bugs, refactor logic, and generate inline documentation, all through a single command.
• Terminal command – Describe CLI tasks in natural language to generate accurate terminal commands, reducing context switching and speeding up execution

Pros and Cons:

🟢 Pros:

• Enhances coding speed with intelligent autocompletion. ​
• Supports over 70 programming languages.
• Integrates seamlessly with various IDEs, including VS Code and JetBrains.
• Offers a free tier with unlimited AI features.
• Prioritizes user privacy by not training AI models on non-permissive data.

🔴 Cons:

• Advanced features like 'Supercomplete' require a paid subscription.
• The free version has limited indexing capabilities, which may hinder navigation in large codebases.
• May occasionally provide irrelevant or incorrect code suggestions.

Pricing

Windsurf offers a Free Plan and 2 Paid Plans for individuals, starting at $15 per month.

For Organizations, Windsurf offers 2 Paid Plans starting at $35 per month and an Enterprise Plan with custom pricing.

Github Copilot Overview

GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered coding assistant that helps you write code faster and more accurately by offering real-time code suggestions, explanations, and documentation help. It supports the entire software development lifecycle, allowing you to focus more on creative problem-solving and collaboration. Copilot helps write code in dozens of programming languages, from Python and JavaScript to Go and C++, streamlining everything from boilerplate to complex logic. It integrates seamlessly with popular development environments like VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, and Neovim. Copilot is deeply integrated into GitHub, making it a go-to solution for developers and businesses.

Key Features:

1️⃣ Copilot Chat

Copilot Chat brings deep, context-aware assistance right into your development environment, ready to answer questions, generate code, and help debug with an understanding of your entire codebase. Here’s what it does:

• Conversational coding – Ask natural-language questions about issues, commits, and more to get instant, contextual answers.
• Code explanation – Instantly generates clear explanations for unfamiliar code to speed up comprehension.
• Debugging support – Detects and suggests fixes for bugs and vulnerabilities to streamline troubleshooting.
• Open-source insights – Analyzes patterns from top open-source projects to help improve code quality.
• Slash command generation – Quickly generates tests, documentation, and boilerplate with context-aware commands.

2️⃣ Code Completion

Copilot Completion accelerates your workflow with intelligent, real-time coding suggestions by predicting your next move and helping you write better code, faster. Here’s what it includes:

• Real-time suggestions – Instantly provides context-aware code suggestions as you type, streamlining development and reducing errors.
• Edit prediction – Anticipates your next steps and offers smart code completions to accelerate your workflow.
• Inline comment generation – Automatically inserts clear, meaningful docstrings and inline comments to enhance code readability.

3️⃣ Customization

With the Customization feature, Copilot lets you deeply personalize your experience. It integrates with your internal tools, adapts to your coding style, and aligns with your private codebase. It allows you to:

• Private codebase indexing – Bring your entire codebase into Copilot’s context, with unlimited private repo support.
• Custom extensions – Build internal tools as extensions with full Copilot integration.
• Instruction tuning – Use prompt files and custom instructions to shape how Copilot responds and behaves.
• Unlimited GitHub integrations – Connect seamlessly with GitHub Copilot Extensions to expand what the assistant can do.

4️⃣ Copilot AI-Native Experiences

AI-Native Experiences help you integrate natural language and code workflows directly within your IDE. Its features include:

• Inline chat and prompts – Interact with your code directly by asking questions or giving commands inline, streamlining your workflow.
• Slash commands & variables – Insert dynamic context and trigger actions quickly using structured slash commands.
• Commit message generation – Generate clear, descriptive commit messages automatically based on code changes.
• Code feedback in-editor – Receive real-time suggestions and reviews inside the editor to enhance code quality.
• Agent Mode – Automatically handles changes across files, performs iterations, and resolves issues autonomously, available only in Visual Studio Code.

Pros and Cons:

🟢 Pros:

• Accelerates development with intelligent code suggestions and autocompletion.
• Enhances learning and onboarding for new developers.
• Supports a wide range of programming languages.
• Seamlessly works with editors like Visual Studio Code, JetBrains IDEs, and Neovim.
• Provides context-aware assistance based on surrounding code and comments.

🔴 Cons:

• May generate inaccurate, insecure, or suboptimal code.
• Potential intellectual property and licensing concerns.
• Lacks deep understanding of application-specific business logic.

Pricing

GitHub Copilot offers a Free Plan and 2 Paid Plans starting at $10 per month for individuals.

For businesses, GitHub Copilot offers 2 Paid Plans starting at $19 per month.

Windsurf vs Github Copilot: Detailed Comparison and Verdict

Let’s dive deeper into the practical side to see which tool really fits into your daily workflow. Here's a breakdown across some key areas:

1. Code Generation & Editing

Windsurf focuses on fast, accurate, single-function completions using your code context. It’s simple, effective, and great for quick edits or refactoring. Copilot goes further with next-edit predictions, multi-file support, and deep GitHub integration, making it feel like a collaborative coding partner.

Verdict

If you seek a lightweight, efficient solution, Windsurf is a strong choice. On the other hand, if you require more robust features and tight GitHub integration, you will find greater value in Copilot.

2. Codebase Awareness & Chat

Windsurf provides strong file-level context but does not fully index entire repositories or offer a project-wide chat interface. It relies on in-editor suggestions and an Explain feature, which may limit cross-file understanding. GitHub Copilot includes a chat interface in supported IDEs and on the GitHub platform. It enables code analysis, debugging, and multi-file referencing, which is particularly effective within GitHub-hosted repositories.

Verdict

Copilot is a better choice for navigating complex, multi-file projects with deeper context. Windsurf remains a streamlined choice for inline suggestions and simpler use cases.

3. Automation & Multi-File Refactoring

Windsurf focuses on inline suggestions, single-file refactoring, and small-context transformations. While you can prompt project-wide changes like variable renaming, it lacks an agent-based system for coordinated, multi-file updates. GitHub Copilot, particularly with Agent Mode, supports broader automation. In supported environments, it can apply changes across files, handle project-wide renames, and even run build tasks.

Verdict

For large-scale refactoring and automation, Copilot offers a more advanced toolset. Windsurf is efficient for lightweight edits but doesn’t yet support multi-file orchestration.

Zencoder - The Best AI Coding Agent

Zencoder is your AI-powered coding agent, built to change how you develop software. It helps you work faster, write cleaner code, and tap into new levels of creativity throughout your workflow. At the heart of Zencoder is our powerful AI technology, Repo Grokking™, which understands your entire codebase structure, logic, and patterns. This deep understanding lets Zencoder offer smart, context-aware suggestions that make writing, debugging, and optimizing code quicker and easier.

Zencoder fits into your existing setup, with support for over 70 programming languages and seamless integration into popular IDEs like VS Code and JetBrains.

For enterprise teams, we offer robust security and compliance features like SSO, audit logs, access controls, and more. Zencoder meets top industry standards like ISO 27001, GDPR, and CCPA, so you can scale with confidence and peace of mind.

Here are some of Zencoders' standout features:

1️⃣ Integrations – Zencoder seamlessly integrates with over 20 developer environments, streamlining the entire development lifecycle. It stands out as the only AI coding assistant offering this depth of integration.

2️⃣ Coding Agent – Eliminate the hassle of debugging and manual refactoring with Zencoder’s intelligent coding assistant. These agents help you:

• Effortlessly identify and resolve bugs, repair broken code, and streamline workflows across multiple files.
• Automate complex development tasks with sophisticated workflows to handle repetitive or time-consuming operations.
• Accelerate full-scale application development, allowing you to focus on higher-value tasks and innovation.

3️⃣ Chat Assistant – Access real-time, context-aware support through Zencoder’s intelligent chat assistant. Receive accurate answers, tailored coding guidance, and insightful recommendations to improve productivity and elevate your development workflow.

4️⃣ Multi-File Editing – Execute large-scale updates across your codebase with confidence. AI-powered multi-file editing enables consistent, efficient modifications:

• Smart change suggestions across multiple files.
• Direct integration with your editor for seamless updates.
• Side-by-side comparisons for clear, reviewable changes before approval.

5️⃣ Code Completion – Speed up your workflow with intelligent, real-time code suggestions. Zencoder analyzes your current context to provide highly relevant, accurate completions, reducing errors and boosting productivity.

6️⃣ Agentic AI Chat – Work side-by-side with a smart coding assistant that understands what you’re building. Zencoder’s AI chat helps you troubleshoot issues, stay focused, and keep your momentum without breaking your flow.

7️⃣ Code Generation – Accelerate development with intelligent, context-aware code generation. Zencoder writes clean, accurate code directly into your projects, enhancing speed, improving efficiency, and maintaining precision throughout your workflow.

Sign up today and streamline your entire software development lifecycle with our powerful features!