Windsurf vs Bolt.new: Which AI agent is better?
Compare pricing, AI models, integrations, security posture, pros, cons, and buyer fit before choosing the right AI coding agent for your workflow.
Verdict: Windsurf vs Bolt.new
Pick Windsurf if you need ai ide with cascade agent. Pick Bolt.new if you need instant full-stack app prototyping.
Windsurf wins on price.
Windsurf supports 4 models.
Windsurf integrates with 6 platforms.
Windsurf
Windsurf, acquired by Cognition AI and now operating as a credit-based AI IDE, features Cascade, a sophisticated multi-file agent that indexes your entire project to build a deep understanding of arch...
- Cascade multi-file agent with full project indexing
- Auto-loads relevant context from entire codebase
- Iterative debugging via terminal integration
- Multi-step edit planning with safe incremental changes
- Auto-fix for linting errors and style issues
- Project indexing provides superior context awareness
- Iterative debugging loop saves significant time
- Wide IDE and language support out of the box
- Credit-based system can be costly for heavy users
- Teams tier required for enterprise management features
Bolt.new
Bolt.new is an AI-powered app builder by StackBlitz that lets users create, run, and deploy full-stack web applications directly in the browser from natural language prompts. The platform uses WebCont...
- Full-stack app generation from natural language in browser
- WebContainers technology for instant Node.js environment
- Token-based system with monthly rollover on paid plans
- Built-in deployment with custom domain support
- Support for React, Next.js, Vue, Svelte, and more
- Fastest path from idea to deployed app with WebContainers
- Token rollover prevents waste on paid plans
- No local setup needed — everything runs in browser
- Free tier includes Bolt branding on deployed sites
- Token-based pricing can be unpredictable for complex projects
Who should buy this
Windsurf
- Mid-market and enterprise org needing on-prem or hybrid deployment
- Federal/regulated team requiring FedRAMP High
- Healthcare org needing HIPAA compliance with BAA
- Team that wants Cascade-style codebase indexing across many languages
- Solo developers on tight budgets (Pro now $20 vs prior $15)
Solo: $20/mo Pro. Power user: $200/mo Max. Team of 5: ~$200/mo Teams. Enterprise: custom contract.
Verified 2026-05-02
Bolt.new
- Solo founder iterating on multiple MVPs in parallel
- Designer wanting to ship interactive prototypes without dev handoff
- Hackathon team needing zero-setup full-stack app generation
- Buyers needing predictable per-month cost (token-based pricing varies)
- Enterprises requiring strict on-prem deployment (cloud-only)
Solo prototyper: Free or $25/mo Pro (10M tokens, often enough for ~3-5 mid-complexity apps). Team: $30/seat/mo. Enterprise: custom (with SSO + audit).
Verified 2026-05-02
Capabilities at a glance
| Capability | Windsurf | Bolt.new |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-file refactor | Cascade with full project indexing | — |
| Parallel agents | — | |
| Terminal execution | — | |
| Browser automation | — | |
| Code review / PR | — | |
| JetBrains support | — | |
| On-prem / self-hosted | Enterprise hybrid + self-hosted on Docker/K8s | |
| API access | — | |
| FedRAMP High | AWS GovCloud | — |
| Browser-based WebContainer runtime | — | Full Node.js in browser |
| Full-stack app generation | — | React, Next.js, Vue, Svelte |
| Built-in deployment + custom domains | — | Pro+ |
| Token rollover | — | Up to 2 months on paid |
| SSO + audit logs | — | Enterprise tier only |
Security & compliance
| Standard / control | Windsurf | Bolt.new |
|---|---|---|
| SOC 2 | Type II | — |
| ISO 27001 | — | |
| HIPAA | — | |
| GDPR | — | |
| Self-hosted option | — | |
| SSO / SAML | ||
| RBAC | — | |
| Audit logs | ||
| Trains on customer data | opt-out | — |
| Data residency | US, EU (Frankfurt), AWS GovCloud | — |
What users say
Bolt.new
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper, Windsurf or Bolt.new?+
Windsurf's Pro plan is $20/month and Bolt.new's Pro plan is $25/month. Windsurf is the cheaper entry point.
What AI models do Windsurf and Bolt.new use?+
Windsurf runs on SWE-1.5, Claude Sonnet 4.6, GPT-5.2-Codex, Gemini 3.1 Pro. Bolt.new runs on Claude Sonnet 4, GPT-4o, Gemini 2.5 Pro.
What is the main difference between Windsurf and Bolt.new?+
Windsurf is positioned as best credit-based ai ide with cascade agent, while Bolt.new is positioned as best for instant full-stack app prototyping. Pick the one whose strength aligns with your primary use case.
Which has better integrations, Windsurf or Bolt.new?+
Windsurf integrates with VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, Vim, Neovim and 2 more. Bolt.new integrates with GitHub, Netlify, Vercel, Custom domains and 1 more.
What are the main weaknesses of Windsurf and Bolt.new?+
Windsurf's main drawback: credit-based system can be costly for heavy users. Bolt.new's main drawback: free tier includes bolt branding on deployed sites.
Are Windsurf and Bolt.new worth it in 2026?+
Both remain competitive coding options in 2026. Windsurf stands out for project indexing provides superior context awareness. Bolt.new stands out for fastest path from idea to deployed app with webcontainers. Choose based on which trade-offs fit your workflow and budget.