AI Tool Comparison
Comparing as AI Code Editors & IDEsAmazon Q Developer vs Windsurf (Devin Desktop)
Amazon Q Developer
VS
Windsurf (Devin Desktop)
Verdict by Category
Detailed category analysis is not available for this comparison.
Detailed Comparison
Feature
Amazon Q Developer
Windsurf (Devin Desktop)
Pricing
FreemiumAmazon Q Developer offers a Free Tier at $0/month, including code suggestions in the IDE and CLI, reference tracking for open-source code, 50 agentic requests per month, up to 1,000 lines of Java code transformation, and limited security scanning. The Pro Tier costs $19 per user per month and adds enterprise access management with policies, the ability to customize Q Developer to a company's private codebase for better suggestions, IP indemnification, and significantly higher usage limits across all features. As of May 29, 2026, Q Developer Pro no longer receives access to the newest coding models (including Opus 4.6 and later), which are now exclusive to Kiro, AWS's successor product. New Q Developer account and subscription signups were blocked starting May 15, 2026; only existing subscriptions can add new seats going forward.
FreemiumDevin Desktop, formerly Windsurf, offers a Free plan at $0/month with unlimited access to Cognition's SWE-1.6 coding model and limited Cascade/Devin Local flow actions. The Pro plan costs $20/month and is the most popular tier, unlocking higher usage limits and access to premium models like Claude and GPT. A Max plan is available at $200/month for heavier usage. Teams pricing is $80/month as a base fee plus $40/month per full seat. Enterprise pricing is custom and includes SOC 2 Type II certification, SSO integration, audit logging, centralized admin controls, and a self-hosted inference option for HIPAA, FedRAMP, or CMMC compliance needs. Existing Windsurf subscribers kept their original plan pricing unchanged after the June 2026 rebrand to Devin Desktop.
Categories
AI Coding Assistants
AI Coding Assistants
Summary
AWS's generative AI coding assistant for the full software development lifecycle
The AI-native code editor from Codeium, now Devin Desktop by Cognition AI
Amazon Q Developer Pros & Cons
Pros
- Free tier includes genuinely useful code transformation and 50 agentic requests per month
- Deep, native AWS integration lets developers query live account resources directly from chat
- Automated Java and .NET version upgrades can save enterprise teams months of manual migration work
- Pro tier's flat $19/user/month price includes IP indemnification, competitive against similar enterprise tools
- AWS Console, Docs, and Slack/Teams integrations remain fully supported and unaffected by the IDE sunset
Cons
- AWS is sunsetting the product: new signups have been blocked since May 15, 2026, and the IDE plugins reach full end-of-support on April 30, 2027
- Latest coding models (including Opus 4.7 and newer) are exclusive to Kiro, AWS's replacement product, not available on Q Developer Pro
- Deepest value is tied to AWS-specific workflows; less compelling for teams not building on AWS
- No JetBrains-native experience going forward, since new investment is focused on Kiro
- Existing users face a forced migration to Kiro or a competitor within the next several months
Windsurf (Devin Desktop) Pros & Cons
Pros
- Free tier gives genuinely useful daily coding assistance without a credit card
- Agent Command Center lets developers manage local and cloud AI agents from one unified view
- Agent Client Protocol support means it works alongside Claude Code, Codex, and other third-party agents
- Devin Local is a faster, more token-efficient successor to Cascade, up to 30% more efficient
- Backed by Cognition AI's broader Devin platform, giving a clear path from local edits to full cloud delegation
Cons
- Cascade, the local agent that defined Windsurf's identity, is being fully retired and replaced by Devin Local as of July 1, 2026
- The rebrand and ownership change (Codeium to Cognition AI) has caused confusion for long-time users about what changed
- Model access is managed through Cognition's infrastructure rather than allowing bring-your-own-key configuration like some competitors
- Cloud-based processing sends code context to Cognition's servers, which may not meet CMMC, HIPAA, or FedRAMP requirements without the enterprise self-hosted option
- Heavier agentic use requires the Pro plan or above; the free tier is best suited for individual, lighter usage