Cursor vs Copilot vs Windsurf: AI Coding Showdown
We rebuilt the same SaaS feature three times — once with each AI coding tool. Here's what happened.
Daniel Park··9 min
AI coding tools have leapt past autocomplete. Today's leaders write entire features across many files. We put the three top options to the test.
Test build
A multi-tenant settings page with role-based access. ~14 files, ~900 LOC.
Results
- **Cursor Composer** — finished in 18 minutes, 2 fixups
- **Copilot Workspace** — 24 minutes, 1 fixup
- **Windsurf Cascade** — 22 minutes, 3 fixups
All three are remarkable. The differentiator is now UX, not raw capability.
Get the 5 best AI tools every Sunday
Hand-picked tools, prompts, and tutorials. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.