Best AI Coding Assistants · head-to-head
GitHub Copilot vs Windsurf (now Devin)
A sourced, side-by-side comparison for ai coding assistants. GitHub Copilot has the lower entry price. Every figure links to the vendor's own page and the date we captured it.
At a glance
- Price: GitHub Copilot $0/mo vs Windsurf (now Devin) $0/mo — GitHub Copilot is cheaper to start.
- Free tier: GitHub Copilot Yes; Windsurf (now Devin) Yes.
- HIPAA: GitHub Copilot —; Windsurf (now Devin) —.
Side by side
| GitHub Copilot | Windsurf (now Devin) | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $0/mo (Free) | $0/mo (Free) |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| HIPAA (BAA) | — | — |
| SOC 2 | Yes | — |
| GDPR | Yes | — |
| Best for | Individual developers on GitHub ecosystem | Engineering teams wanting to parallelize repetitive dev work |
Sources — GitHub Copilot: github.com (verified 2026-06-14). Windsurf (now Devin): devin.ai (verified 2026-06-14).
Key features
GitHub Copilot: Inline code completions with public-code duplication filter; Agent mode for autonomous multi-step task execution; Cloud agents for PR review and async work; Multi-model selection (Claude, GPT, Gemini family); Native GitHub.com integration — reviews, issues, PRs; Hardcoded-credential and SQL-injection vulnerability filtering; Custom instructions and custom agents (MCP); IP indemnification for unmodified suggestions on paid plans; Business/Enterprise data never used for model training
Windsurf (now Devin): Fully autonomous AI software engineer — handles multi-week projects end-to-end; Multi-repository code migration and legacy modernization (COBOL, .NET, ETL); PR review with visual QA using browser and desktop automation; Session-based learning: improves from past interactions and codebase tribal knowledge; Spin up parallel team of Devin agents for large tasks; Custom fine-tuning on domain-specific workflows (2x task improvement demonstrated); Ephemeral isolated sandboxes — destroyed after each session; Every session produces exportable audit transcript (SIEM-compatible); Unlimited inline edits and Tab completions on all plans (including Free); SAML SSO on Enterprise; role-based access controls; least-privilege by default