AI Tool Comparison
Comparing as AI Code Editors & IDEsAmazon Q Developer vs Windsurf (Devin Desktop)
Compare features, pricing, pros & cons, and user ratings to decide which AI tool is best for your needs.
Amazon Q Developer
VS
Windsurf (Devin Desktop)
Verdict by Category
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Detailed Comparison
Feature
Amazon Q Developer
Windsurf (Devin Desktop)
Pricing
FreemiumAmazon Q Developer offered two tiers during its active lifetime. The Free Tier provided 50 inline code suggestions/day, 25 agentic requests/month, 5 security scans/month, basic inline chat, and CLI completions — free for all AWS Builder ID holders.
The Pro Tier cost $19/user/month and included unlimited code suggestions, 500 agentic requests/month, 30 security scans/month, enterprise access controls via IAM Identity Center, customization on private repositories, 4,000 pooled lines of code transformation (Java upgrades and .NET porting) per payer account, and no use of customer content for model training.
As of May 15, 2026, new Q Developer Free Tier account creation and new subscription creation are blocked. Existing subscriptions remain active and can add users until April 30, 2027 (end-of-support date). AWS is directing all new users to Kiro (kiro.dev), which includes a subscription that also grants access to Q Developer IDE plugins during the transition window.
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 AI coding assistant — deprecated in favor of Kiro (EOS April 2027)
The AI-native code editor from Codeium, now Devin Desktop by Cognition AI
Amazon Q Developer Pros & Cons
Pros
- Deepest AWS ecosystem integration of any coding assistant — native support for AWS Console, SageMaker, CloudFormation, CodePipeline, and more
- Free Tier was genuinely usable for AWS-focused solo developers with no credit card required
- Built-in security scanning and code transformation (Java runtime upgrades, .NET porting) for enterprise modernization
- Trusted by enterprise customers for AWS-specific guidance with the highest reported code acceptance rates in the industry (BT Group: 37%, National Australia Bank: 50%)
- CLI integration with natural language–to-bash translation for DevOps and infrastructure workflows
- Console integration extends AI assistance beyond the IDE into the AWS Management Console, Slack, and Teams
Cons
- New signups blocked since May 15, 2026 — IDE plugin and paid subscriptions reach full end-of-support on April 30, 2027
- Being replaced by Kiro — latest models (Claude Opus 4.7+) are only available on Kiro, not Q Developer
- Code transformation (Java, .NET) will be inaccessible after April 30, 2027 — users must complete migrations before then
- AWS Console and first-party integrations (Slack, Teams) continue, but IDE-specific features are sunsetting
- Less flexible than Cursor or Windsurf for non-AWS workloads — best value only for AWS-heavy teams
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