Codeium Review: The Free AI Coding Assistant, Now Windsurf
CodingFreemiumCodeium is the free AI coding assistant that started it all — now the Windsurf AI code editor, with unlimited completions on the free tier.
What Is Codeium and Why Did It Become Windsurf?
Codeium started as a free AI coding assistant offering inline completions, chat, and command tools across VS Code and JetBrains — with the pitch that AI coding help shouldn't require a subscription. It attracted millions of developers and became the standard free alternative to GitHub Copilot.
In late 2024, Codeium rebranded as Windsurf and expanded into a full AI-first code editor. The new centerpiece is Cascade, an agentic assistant that understands your whole codebase and can plan and execute multi-file edits, previews, and deploys. Accounts and subscriptions carried over seamlessly.
Codeium Features: Completions, Chat & Cascade
Windsurf keeps the free assistant roots and adds agentic power.
- Unlimited inline tab completions on every plan
- AI chat that understands your full codebase
- Cascade — multi-file agentic editing with a plan
- Commands, previews, and one-click deploys
- Support for VS Code, JetBrains, and browser use
Codeium vs GitHub Copilot vs Cursor
GitHub Copilot is the default choice for many teams thanks to its GitHub integration and JetBrains/Neovim coverage, with Pro at $10/month. Cursor is the premium agentic editor at $20/month. Windsurf undercuts Cursor at feature parity and has the most generous free tier of the three.
All three are strong; the real choice comes down to free-tier generosity (Windsurf), GitHub-native workflow (Copilot), or the most mature agentic editor experience (Cursor).
Codeium Pricing: Free, Pro & Teams
Free plan; Pro $20/mo; Max $200/mo; Teams $40/user/mo; Enterprise custom
Free
The best free tier in AI coding.
- Unlimited tab completions
- 25 credits/mo for agentic use
- AI chat & commands
- All major IDE support
Pro
For developers who code daily.
- 500 prompt credits/mo
- Cascade multi-file editing
- Access to Claude, GPT-4.1 & Gemini
- Unlimited previews & deploys
Teams
For teams with admin needs.
- All Pro features per seat
- Centralized billing
- Admin dashboard
- SSO & RBAC
Best For
Recommended use cases and scenarios where Codeium shines.
Codeium: Strengths and Weaknesses
Windsurf is the best-value AI code editor on the market, with a credit system to understand.
Pros
- Best free tier with unlimited tab completions
- Cascade multi-file agentic editing
- Supports VS Code, JetBrains, and more
- Cheaper than Cursor at comparable features
Cons
- Pro usage is credit-based (500/mo)
- Heavy agentic use can exhaust credits fast
- Rebrand from Codeium still causes confusion
- Free tier limits model choice
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Codeium, answered.
Is Codeium free?
Yes. Codeium's free tier includes unlimited tab completions, AI chat, and commands — the most generous free plan among AI coding tools. Pro adds 500 credits per month of agentic usage for $20/month.
What happened to Codeium?
Codeium rebranded to Windsurf in late 2024 and grew from a completion extension into a full AI-first code editor with the Cascade agent. Existing Codeium accounts, extensions, and subscriptions carried over seamlessly.
How much does Windsurf (Codeium) cost in 2026?
Free tier is $0. Pro is $20/month, Max is $200/month for power users, and Teams is $40/user/month with admin controls. Annual billing and student discounts (around $10/month for Pro) can lower costs further.
Is Codeium better than GitHub Copilot?
Codeium/Windsurf offers a more generous free tier and agentic multi-file editing via Cascade. GitHub Copilot wins on native GitHub integration and starts at $10/month. For free and agentic coding, Windsurf is the stronger choice; for GitHub-first teams, Copilot is seamless.
Which IDEs does Windsurf support?
Windsurf works in its own AI-first editor built on VS Code, plus extensions for VS Code and JetBrains IDEs, covering the most common development environments.
Reviews & Ratings
4.6
Based on 10,100 reviews
Loading reviews...
James Okafor
Great value for the price. The learning curve is small and the payoff is big.
Hannah Lee
Reliable and polished. I only wish the advanced features were on lower tiers.
Marcus Webb
Very capable tool. A couple of rough edges, but the team ships updates quickly.
Similar Tools
More Coding tools you might like
GitHub Copilot
AI coding assistant that suggests code completions and entire functions in VS Code, JetBrains, and Neovim.
Cursor
Cursor AI is the AI code editor built on VS Code with deep codebase awareness, agent mode, and multi-model support.
Replit AI
AI-powered development platform with Ghostwriter that writes, debugs, and deploys full-stack apps right in the browser.