Key Takeaways
- Founded 2021 as Exafunction by Varun Mohan and Douglas Chen, pivoted to Codeium in 2022, renamed Windsurf in late 2024
- Raised roughly $243 million in total funding by February 2025, most recently a $150M Series C at a ~$1.25B valuation (August 2024)
- A reported $3 billion OpenAI acquisition was agreed but collapsed on July 11, 2025
- Google then paid a reported $2.4 billion to license Windsurf's technology (not an equity acquisition) and hired CEO Varun Mohan, co-founder Douglas Chen, and roughly 40 staff into Google DeepMind
- Cognition AI acquired the remaining Windsurf company, product, IP, and brand on July 14, 2025, reportedly with $82 million in annual recurring revenue and 350+ enterprise customers at the time
- Rebranded "Devin Desktop" on June 2, 2026 β windsurf.com now redirects to devin.ai
π In One Sentence
Windsurf, the AI-native code editor originally launched as Codeium in 2021, was rebranded "Devin Desktop" in June 2026 after a July 2025 sequence in which a $3 billion OpenAI acquisition collapsed, Google paid a reported $2.4 billion to license its technology and hire its CEO and key staff into DeepMind, and Cognition AI acquired the remaining company days later.
π¬ In Plain Terms
Windsurf used to be a stand-alone AI coding editor you could download and use with its "Cascade" AI agent. In mid-2025 its leadership left for Google in a huge licensing deal, and the company itself was bought by Cognition AI (maker of the "Devin" AI agent). In June 2026, Cognition folded the editor into its own product line and renamed it "Devin Desktop" β the old Windsurf name and website no longer point anywhere separate.
πNote: This review is based on windsurf.com/devin.ai's own redirect behavior (independently verified), plus reporting from Bloomberg, TechCrunch, Computerworld, Reuters, and CNBC. Some current pricing and feature details could not be independently re-verified from a live, fully accessible pricing page at the time of this review and are marked accordingly.
What Was Windsurf?
Windsurf was a standalone, AI-native code editor built on a VS Code fork, centered on an AI agent called "Cascade." It began life in 2021 as Exafunction, a GPU-optimization startup founded by MIT graduates Varun Mohan and Douglas Chen, pivoted to AI-assisted coding as "Codeium" in 2022, and was renamed "Windsurf" in late 2024.
- Product type: a standalone desktop code editor (VS Code fork), not just an extension
- Founded: 2021, as Exafunction, by Varun Mohan and Douglas Chen
- Pivoted to AI coding, renamed Codeium: 2022
- Renamed Windsurf: late 2024
- Funding: roughly $243 million total by February 2025, including a $150M Series C (August 2024) at a reported ~$1.25 billion valuation
- Current name and owner: "Devin Desktop," owned by Cognition AI, since June 2, 2026
What Did Windsurf Actually Do?
Windsurf's core feature was "Cascade," an AI agent that could plan and execute multi-file code changes, alongside standard autocomplete and chat, inside a VS Code-based editor. Reporting around its 2025 acquisitions cited $82 million in annual recurring revenue and 350+ enterprise customers at the time Cognition AI acquired it.
- Cascade: a multi-step AI agent for planning and executing changes across a codebase
- Autocomplete: inline code suggestions, the feature Codeium originally launched with in 2022
- Chat: conversational assistance about the codebase
- Model access: bring-your-own-key support for frontier models plus an internal model router, per secondary reporting; Cognition's own "SWE-1.5" model has reportedly since been added
- MCP support: reported to include an in-app marketplace for Model Context Protocol servers (e.g. GitHub, Slack, Figma) inside Cascade, per secondary sources
The 2025 Ownership Whiplash, Explained
Windsurf changed ownership twice within days in July 2025, after a separate acquisition attempt collapsed just before that. This is one of the most-reported corporate sequences in the AI coding-tool space, and it is well-corroborated across independent outlets.
- Spring 2025: OpenAI reportedly agreed to acquire Windsurf for around $3 billion
- July 11, 2025: that OpenAI deal collapsed β reporting attributes this to Microsoft (OpenAI's major backer, with broad rights to OpenAI's IP) being unwilling to grant Windsurf the carve-out it wanted to keep its technology out of Microsoft's reach
- July 11-14, 2025: Google announced a roughly $2.4 billion deal β structured as a technology license, not an acquisition of the company or an equity stake β and hired Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan, co-founder Douglas Chen, and roughly 40 other staff into Google DeepMind to work on agentic coding for Gemini
- July 14, 2025: Cognition AI, maker of the "Devin" AI coding agent, announced it had acquired the remaining Windsurf company β its product, intellectual property, brand, and customer base β with deal terms undisclosed
- September 8, 2025: Cognition AI itself was reported at a $10.2 billion valuation, roughly two months after absorbing Windsurf
- June 2, 2026: Cognition rebranded the Windsurf editor as "Devin Desktop," folding it into its broader Devin agent ecosystem
Platform, Pricing, and Licensing Today
Current name and URL
- Current status:
- "Devin Desktop" at devin.ai β windsurf.com now redirects there (verified via direct server redirect check, HTTP 308).
Owner
- Current status:
- Cognition AI, since the July 14, 2025 acquisition.
Platform architecture
- Current status:
- A VS Code fork, retaining VS Code extension and keybinding compatibility, per widely reported secondary sources.
Licensing
- Current status:
- Proprietary, closed-source core editor and models β not an open-source project.
Pricing
- Current status:
- Could not be independently confirmed from a directly accessible pricing page at the time of this review (devin.ai/pricing returned rate-limit errors during research). Third-party sources describe a Pro tier that moved from roughly $15 to $20/month with a shift from credit-based to quota-based billing around March 2026 β treat this as unconfirmed until checked directly on devin.ai/pricing.
Given how much has changed about this product's ownership, name, and business model within the last year, verify current pricing, platform support, and feature set directly on devin.ai before making any decision that depends on them.
Download Windsurf / Devin Desktop
The editor formerly called Windsurf is downloaded today from Cognition's devin.ai site, not from windsurf.com, which redirects there.
Source | Link |
|---|---|
| Official download page (redirects from windsurf.com) | devin.ai/download |
| Official pricing page (redirects from windsurf.com/pricing) | devin.ai/pricing |
| Cognition's announcement of the Windsurf acquisition | cognition.com/blog/windsurf |
The old windsurf.com domain still works as a redirect at the time of this review, but bookmark devin.ai directly, since a redirect is not guaranteed to remain in place indefinitely.
Who Should Use It Today?
What used to be Windsurf can still make sense for developers comfortable with a product that has changed ownership, name, and roadmap direction within the past year.
What It Is Not Good For
This product is not a safe choice if brand and roadmap stability, or open-source access, is a hard requirement.
- Not for teams that need a stable product name and ownership structure to plan around β it has changed owners twice and names once within roughly a year
- Not open source β there is no self-hosted or source-available option
- Not confirmed as cost-stable β third-party sources report a pricing/quota model change around March 2026 that this review could not independently verify from a primary source
- Not the same product, team, or roadmap as the original Windsurf/Codeium under Varun Mohan and Douglas Chen β that team now works at Google DeepMind on a different, Gemini-focused agentic coding effort
- Not ideal for anyone who specifically wants to avoid AI-agent-focused ecosystems β under Cognition, the editor is being folded into a broader "Devin" multi-agent product line
Common Mistakes When Evaluating Windsurf in 2026
Most confusion about Windsurf in 2026 comes from search results, tutorials, and comparison articles written before its 2025 ownership changes and 2026 rebrand.
Competitors and Alternatives
What used to be Windsurf is most often compared to Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Cline, Continue.dev, and PearAI.
Tool | Best known for | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Cursor | Commercial, standalone AI-first code editor | cursor.com |
| GitHub Copilot | Microsoft/GitHub's mainstream AI autocomplete and chat extension | github.com/features/copilot |
| Cline | Open-source, autonomous agent extension for VS Code and JetBrains | Cline review |
| Continue.dev | Open-source autocomplete/chat extension, discontinued (acquired by Cursor, June 2026) | Continue.dev review |
| PearAI | Free, open-source AI-first VS Code fork | PearAI review |
This list reflects tools commonly compared to Windsurf/Devin Desktop, not an independent PromptQuorum ranking β verify each tool's current pricing, ownership, and feature set before choosing, since this category has changed rapidly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Windsurf still around in 2026?
The editor is still available, but as of June 2, 2026 it is rebranded "Devin Desktop" and owned by Cognition AI. windsurf.com now redirects to devin.ai.
Did Google buy Windsurf?
No. Google paid a reported $2.4 billion to license Windsurf's technology and hire its CEO, a co-founder, and about 40 staff into Google DeepMind. It was a licensing and hiring deal, not an acquisition of the company or product.
Who owns Windsurf now?
Cognition AI, maker of the "Devin" AI coding agent, acquired the remaining Windsurf company, product, IP, and brand on July 14, 2025.
What happened to the OpenAI acquisition of Windsurf?
A reported $3 billion OpenAI acquisition was agreed in spring 2025 but collapsed on July 11, 2025, reportedly because Microsoft would not grant Windsurf the IP carve-out it wanted.
Is Windsurf/Devin Desktop free?
No, it is a paid, proprietary product. Exact current pricing could not be independently confirmed from a live pricing page at the time of this review β verify directly on devin.ai/pricing.
Is Windsurf open source?
No, the core editor and models are proprietary and closed-source.
What is Cascade in Windsurf?
Cascade is Windsurf's (now Devin Desktop's) flagship AI agent feature for planning and executing multi-file code changes, alongside standard autocomplete and chat.
Who founded Windsurf?
Varun Mohan and Douglas Chen founded the company in 2021 as Exafunction, pivoted it to AI coding as Codeium in 2022, and renamed it Windsurf in late 2024. Both moved to Google DeepMind in the July 2025 deal and no longer lead this product.
How much funding did Windsurf raise?
Roughly $243 million in total by February 2025, including a $150 million Series C in August 2024 at a reported ~$1.25 billion valuation β before the 2025 ownership changes.
Has PromptQuorum independently tested Windsurf/Devin Desktop's claims?
This review is based on windsurf.com/devin.ai's own redirect behavior and reporting from Bloomberg, TechCrunch, Computerworld, Reuters, and CNBC, rather than hands-on benchmarking by PromptQuorum.