Two agent-first coding environments compared — then where Solo fits.
Official product sites
Cursor and Devin Desktop are both VS Code-based coding environments, but their current agent workflows differ. Cursor combines an agent-first editor with parallel Cloud Agents, Bugbot, Automations, CLI, and web access. Devin Desktop—the new name for Windsurf—combines a full IDE with an Agent Command Center for Devin Local, Devin Cloud, Codex, Claude Agent, OpenCode, and other ACP-compatible agents.
Cursor starts at $20/month for Pro. Devin Desktop also starts at $20/month for Pro, with a $200 Max plan and separate team pricing; existing Windsurf customers may retain legacy pricing.
Solo is a separate desktop workspace for local CLI agents and project commands, with command restart policy, notifications, resource visibility, and shared configuration.
Choose Cursor for its agent-first editor and cloud workflows or Devin Desktop for an IDE that coordinates several local and cloud agent harnesses. Consider Solo when local agents and project commands should live outside the editor.
Cursor fits best when you want an AI-first editor with native cloud-agent workflows.
Devin Desktop fits when you want Devin Local, Devin Cloud, and ACP-compatible agents organized in one IDE and command center.
Solo fits when local agents and project commands should move out of the IDE into a separate process workspace.
| Feature | Cursor | Devin Desktop | Solo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Agent-first coding environment with cloud workflows | Full IDE and command center for local and cloud agents | Local process dashboard for agents and project commands |
| Replaces your editor |  | | — |
| Built-in AI agent | Agent mode with multi-file editing and terminal access | Devin Local, plus Devin Cloud and ACP-compatible agents | — |
| Background agents | Parallel Cloud Agents in isolated VMs and branches | Devin Cloud agents managed from the Agent Command Center | — |
| Automated PR review | Bugbot; optional usage-billed Autofix can launch a Cloud Agent | — | — |
| Event-driven automations | Yes — triggered by code pushes, Slack, PagerDuty | — | — |
| AI model choice | Models from Cursor and major providers | SWE-1.7 and supported frontier models, plus ACP agents | Uses installed agent CLIs; no bundled model |
| Tab completion model | Proprietary model predicting multi-line edits | Supercomplete with terminal-aware context | — |
| MCP integration | MCP server support and marketplace plugins | MCP support inside the IDE and agent workflows | Exposes an MCP server for external tools |
| Live previews | — | Yes — in-editor UI preview | — |
| Local process dashboard | Editor and terminal views, not a process supervisor | IDE panels and terminal, not a process supervisor | Yes — sidebar with CPU/memory stats per process |
| Auto-restart for project commands | — | — | Yes — self-exit and file-watch restarts |
| Shared project command config | Rules and project settings, not a process manifest | Workspace and MCP settings, not a process manifest | solo.yml — version-controlled, team-shareable |
| Free tier | Hobby — limited agent requests and Tab completions | Free with a light usage quota, limited models, and unlimited Tab | 4 projects and 20 processes |
| Paid plans | Pro $20/mo, Pro+ $60/mo, Ultra $200/mo | Pro $20/mo, Max $200/mo, Teams $80/mo plus $40/mo per full seat | Pro plan |
| Ownership | Acquired by SpaceX in August 2026 | Cognition; renamed Devin Desktop in June 2026 | Independent |
| Platform | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS and Windows |
Cursor spans desktop, CLI, web, and cloud-agent workflows.
Devin Desktop is the current product name and expands beyond the original Windsurf IDE.
Solo is a desktop process dashboard rather than a code editor.
Cursor combines local agent mode with cloud workflows.
Devin Desktop manages local, cloud, and third-party agents.
Solo runs CLI agents alongside dev servers and workers without providing its own coding model.
Cursor Pro is $20/month and includes access to Cloud Agents, Automations, and Bugbot. Eligible agent and Bugbot usage can incur usage-based charges.
Devin Desktop has Free, Pro, Max, Teams, and Enterprise plans for new users.
Solo has a free tier for four projects and twenty processes, with a paid Pro plan above those limits.
If Cursor is your editor, Solo can manage background project commands.
If Devin Desktop is your editor and agent command center, Solo can manage the surrounding local project environment.
Solo keeps local agents and project commands in a dedicated workspace outside the coding environment.
Cursor and Devin Desktop both have free entry points and $20 individual plans. The practical difference is their agent workflow, not a simple price advantage.
Cursor pricing lens
Cursor has a free Hobby tier and paid plans above that, including higher-end individual and team tiers.
Devin Desktop pricing lens
New-user plans include Free, Pro at $20 per month, Max at $200 per month, Teams at $80 per month plus $40 per full seat, and Enterprise.
Where Solo fits
Solo is not another IDE pricing line. It is a separate local environment layer if neither IDE should own local agents and project commands.
Cursor combines an agent-first editor with cloud agents, Bugbot, Automations, CLI, and web access. Devin Desktop combines a full IDE with a command center for several local and cloud agent harnesses. Choose based on which agent workflow you want inside the coding environment. Solo fits when you want local agents and project commands managed in a separate desktop workspace.
Related comparisons
If you are evaluating Cursor, Devin Desktop, Solo, these are the closest next comparisons in the matrix.
Start with one project and a small task. These guides walk through the setup and what to check when the work finishes.
Set up both tools in one project, give one agent implementation work, and ask the other to review the diff.
Read the guide →Give a lead agent a plan, shared todos, and a scratchpad so workers have clear assignments and a useful handoff.
Read the guide →Put a Laravel server, Vite, and a queue worker in solo.yml, then manage their output and restart behavior in Solo.
Read the guide →The Free plan includes every feature, so you only need Pro after you outgrow four projects.
Team seats
Buy seats under one Stripe subscription, then share a claim link in Slack or email. Each claimant signs in or registers and receives a normal Solo Pro license. Optional auto-grow adds prorated seats automatically when the pool is full, so your team never hits a license wall.
Seats 1–3
$99/seat/yr
Seats 4–10
$89/seat/yr
Seats 11–50
$79/seat/yr
Seats 51+
$69/seat/yr
Brackets apply per seat — a 10-seat team pays $99 each for seats 1–3 and $89 each for seats 4–10.
Free for four projects on macOS and Windows.
Start with a terminal and add the programmable meta-harness when you need to coordinate agents with your local development stack.
“I can't live without it.”
