Both start at $20/mo. Only Windsurf has a free plan. Every plan from both vendors, the limits each one actually publishes, and what changed recently, with a source on every line.
Pick Windsurf if you need to start at $0. Beyond price and free access, the deciding factor is which models and features you need; we track the money, not the model quality.
| Fact | Windsurf | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free tier | No free tier |
| Cheapest plan | Pro · $20/mo | Via Claude Pro · $20/mo |
| Top plan | Max · $200/mo | Via Claude Max 20x · $200/mo |
| Plans tracked | 3 | 4 |
| Yearly discount | None shown | up to 15% |
| Allowance periods | Not stated | 5-hourWeekly |
| Latest change | billing model | None logged |
| Last checked |
| Tool | Plan | Price | Limits as stated & source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windsurf | Pro | $20/mo | 'Increased quotas' incl. frontier models (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, SpaceXAI); free SWE-2 (free in Devin Desktop and CLI through Oct 16, 2026); Devin Cloud access; extra usage at API pricing. Quota size not published. Source: devin.ai · checked 2026-10-17 |
| Windsurf | Max | $200/mo | 'Significantly higher quotas' than Pro. Not quantified. Source: devin.ai · checked 2026-10-17 |
| Windsurf | Teams | $80/mo | Up to 200 users; each full user gets their own quota. Up to 10 concurrent sessions. Source: devin.ai · checked 2026-10-17 |
| Claude Code | Via Claude Pro | $20/mo | Five-hour session limit and weekly limit, shared with Claude chat (web/desktop/mobile). Usage credits can be enabled to continue past limits. Counts not published. Source: support.claude.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Claude Code | Via Claude Max 5x | $100/mo | 5x Pro per-session allowance; five-hour session + general weekly limit + separate weekly Fable limit, shared with Claude. Source: support.claude.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Claude Code | Via Claude Max 20x | $200/mo | 20x Pro per-session allowance; same limit structure as Max 5x. Source: support.claude.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Claude Code | API (pay-as-you-go) | Usage billed at API token rates | No subscription limit; pay per token. Source: claude.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Tool | Free? | What you get for $0 & source |
|---|---|---|
| Windsurf | Free tier | Free $0: 'Light quota to code with agents', limited model availability, unlimited inline edits and Tab completions. Quota size not published. Source: devin.ai · checked 2026-10-17 |
| Claude Code | No free tier | Not included in the Free Claude plan (pricing table: Claude Code 'No' on Free). Can alternatively be used pay-as-you-go with API credits via a Console account. Source: claude.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
Effective March 19, 2026 (announced March 18): Free/Pro/Teams get auto-refreshing daily and weekly quotas instead of credits; Pro $20, Teams $40/seat, new Max $200.
Neither at the entry level: Windsurf Pro and Claude Code via Claude Pro both cost $20/mo. The top plans are Windsurf Max at $200/mo and Claude Code via Claude Max 20x at $200/mo.
Windsurf: Yes. Free $0: 'Light quota to code with agents', limited model availability, unlimited inline edits and Tab completions. Quota size not published. Claude Code: No. Not included in the Free Claude plan (pricing table: Claude Code 'No' on Free). Can alternatively be used pay-as-you-go with API credits via a Console account.
Windsurf Pro ($20/mo): 'Increased quotas' incl. frontier models (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, SpaceXAI); free SWE-2 (free in Devin Desktop and CLI through Oct 16, 2026); Devin Cloud access; extra usage at API pricing. Quota size not published. Claude Code via Claude Pro ($20/mo): Five-hour session limit and weekly limit, shared with Claude chat (web/desktop/mobile). Usage credits can be enabled to continue past limits. Counts not published.
Windsurf: no yearly discount on the plans we track. Claude Code: up to 15% off when billed yearly (Claude Pro: $17/mo instead of $20).
19 Mar 2026, Windsurf: Windsurf drops credits for daily/weekly quotas; adds $200 Max plan.