Windsurf vs Kiro 2026 — Price, Meter & Verdict
- Pricing last checked: 2026-09-30
Windsurf and Kiro differ on quota-based forecasting versus credit-based forecasting; the higher-rated Windsurf is the default unless the other matches your buying model.
| Tool | Rating | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windsurf (Cognition) | 4.0/5 | Free $20/mo (Pro) | Windsurf, now part of Cognition, is the quota-priced editor: free with a light agent quota… |
| Kiro (AWS) | 3.9/5 | Free $20/user/mo (Pro) | Kiro is AWS's spec-driven IDE: free with 50 credits a month, then Pro at $20, Pro+ at $40,… |
Bottom line: The two forecastable meters in the class. Windsurf caps by time — daily and weekly quotas — so a quota is either available or it is not, and Pro is $20; Kiro caps by work — 1,000 credits at $20, where a spec run consumes 15 to 25 credits — so a busy week can force add-on credits at $0.04 each. Both include a free tier, both are $20 at entry, and both have cloud or team structures ($80 + $40 per seat for Windsurf Teams; teams up to 500 users for Kiro). Choose based on whether your pace is steady (quota) or bursty (credits).
Pricing and details
Windsurf (Cognition) · 4.0/5
Free plan available · $20/mo (Pro)
Pricing is quota-based, not credit-based: each tier carries daily and weekly agent quotas and access to model families including SWE-1.5, Claude and GPT. Cloud agents and CLI access extend to Pro through a dated promotion, and Extra Usage is bought at API pricing above the quota.
No separate annual pricing published on the site; quotas reset daily and weekly
Windsurf, now part of Cognition, is the quota-priced editor: free with a light agent quota, Pro at $20, Max at $200, and Teams at $80 plus $40 per full developer seat.
Score breakdown
Pros
- Quota pricing is the most forecastable in this class — daily and weekly caps instead of a depleting credit balance
- Free tier includes a light agent quota and unlimited tab completions, unlike Copilot's usage-limited free plan
- Model coverage is broad: SWE-1.5 alongside Claude and GPT, with cloud agents and CLI access on paid tiers
Cons
- Teams start at $80 for the plan plus $40 per full seat, the highest entry cost for a paid team here
- Pro at $20 matches Cursor exactly while carrying a less mature ecosystem and community mindshare
- Ownership history is noisy — Cognition's acquisition means pricing moves through the Devin blog, not a Windsurf channel
Pricing verified 2026-09-30
Kiro (AWS) · 3.9/5
Free plan available · $20/user/mo (Pro)
Kiro absorbed Amazon Q Developer's IDE role (Q Developer closed to new signups on 2026-05-15, end of support 2027-04-30). Credits are a unit of agent work, not a single interaction: a full spec run consumes 15 to 25 credits, add-on credits cost $0.04 each, and paid tiers can pool overages for teams.
No separate annual plan; plans bill monthly and credits reset on the 1st of each calendar month
Kiro is AWS's spec-driven IDE: free with 50 credits a month, then Pro at $20, Pro+ at $40, Pro Max at $100 and Power at $200 per user, with overage at $0.04 per credit.
Score breakdown
Pros
- Replaces Amazon Q Developer's IDE role for free — Q closed to new signups on 2026-05-15, so Kiro is the AWS path
- Credit costs are published per prompt: a full spec run runs 15 to 25 credits, so a Pro month buys roughly 40 to 60 feature builds
- Spec-driven workflow (requirements, design, task breakdown) suits teams that review before they ship, plus Claude Sonnet 4.5 on the free tier
Cons
- Credit meter is the least granular here: a complex run burns 15 to 25 credits, so the 50-credit free tier covers two or three real features
- Add-on credits at $0.04 each mean overage is real on busy months, and there is no annual discount
- AWS lock-in: Bedrock routing means Claude and Nova access, not the wider frontier-model menu Cursor and Windsurf offer
Pricing verified 2026-09-30
Frequently asked questions
Which is better overall, Windsurf (Cognition) or Kiro (AWS)?
Both are rated (4.0 vs 3.9); the right choice depends on your use case.
Do Windsurf (Cognition) and Kiro (AWS) offer free plans?
Windsurf (Cognition) and Kiro (AWS) have a free tier. Windsurf (Cognition) paid plans start at $20/mo (Pro); Kiro (AWS) paid plans start at $20/user/mo (Pro).