Head to head

Gemini CLI vs Windsurf

No endless tables — just the differences that matter, and a clear call. Pick two tools and see who takes it.

The facts, side by side

Gemini CLI Windsurf

Pricing

Gemini CLIFree

WindsurfFreemium

Rating

Gemini CLI4.1

Windsurf4.0

Description

Gemini CLICommand-line interface for Gemini with dramatically better free limits than the API: 60 RPM and 1,000 requests/day with Gemini 3 support.

WindsurfAI code editor by Codeium built around the Cascade agent architecture, where the AI maintains a persistent understanding of your entire coding session rather than responding to isolated prompts. Cascade can plan and execute multi-step tasks while the developer continues working, with "flows" that track intent across file edits, terminal commands, and test results. Priced at $15–30/mo as a direct Cursor competitor.

60 requests/minute (12x better than API)

Gemini CLI

Windsurf

1,000 requests/day

Gemini CLI

Windsurf

1 million token context window

Gemini CLI

Windsurf

Gemini 3 Pro and Flash access

Gemini CLI

Windsurf

OAuth authentication - no API key needed

Gemini CLI

Windsurf

Interactive chat mode

Gemini CLI

Windsurf

Cascade agent with persistent session context across files, terminal, and tests

Gemini CLI

Windsurf

Flows: continuous AI task tracking that persists through developer interruptions

Gemini CLI

Windsurf

Windsurf Tab: context-aware multi-line code completion with cross-file awareness

Gemini CLI

Windsurf

Inline editing with natural language instructions on selected code

Gemini CLI

Windsurf

Built-in terminal with AI command suggestions and error explanations

Gemini CLI

Windsurf

Codeium autocomplete engine (150M+ parameters, trained on code-specific data)

Gemini CLI

Windsurf

Live preview for web projects with AI-assisted CSS/layout adjustments

Gemini CLI

Windsurf

Team collaboration with shared AI configuration and context

Gemini CLI

Windsurf

Pros

Gemini CLI

Best free limits available - 60 RPM
12x better than standard API limits
No API key or billing setup required
Gemini 3 access included
1M token context window

Windsurf

Cascade's session persistence means you can pause a multi-hour task and resume without losing AI context
Freemium tier is more generous than Cursor — 5 Cascade flows per day at no cost
Codeium autocomplete is lightweight and fast, consuming fewer resources than Copilot on low-RAM machines
Flows architecture is better suited to iterative feature development than one-shot Composer-style prompts

Cons

Gemini CLI

CLI only - no GUI
Requires npm installation
OAuth required for authentication
Daily limits on Gemini 3 Pro not published

Windsurf

Smaller user base than Cursor (estimated 200K vs 1M+) means fewer community resources and extensions
Cascade can lose track of intent in flows longer than ~2 hours, requiring a manual context reset
No JetBrains support as of Q1 2026 — VS Code-based only
Pro plan ($15/mo) limits Cascade flows to 30/month; $30/mo for 90 flows
Codeium's model quality trails Claude and GPT-4o on complex reasoning tasks in the AI chat

Tool	Gemini CLI	Windsurf
Pricing	Free	Freemium
Rating	4.1	4.0
Category	—	AI Coding
Description	Command-line interface for Gemini with dramatically better free limits than the API: 60 RPM and 1,000 requests/day with Gemini 3 support.	AI code editor by Codeium built around the Cascade agent architecture, where the AI maintains a persistent understanding of your entire coding session rather than responding to isolated prompts. Cascade can plan and execute multi-step tasks while the developer continues working, with "flows" that track intent across file edits, terminal commands, and test results. Priced at $15–30/mo as a direct Cursor competitor.
60 requests/minute (12x better than API)	Supported	Not supported
1,000 requests/day	Supported	Not supported
1 million token context window	Supported	Not supported
Gemini 3 Pro and Flash access	Supported	Not supported
OAuth authentication - no API key needed	Supported	Not supported
Interactive chat mode	Supported	Not supported
Cascade agent with persistent session context across files, terminal, and tests	Not supported	Supported
Flows: continuous AI task tracking that persists through developer interruptions	Not supported	Supported
Windsurf Tab: context-aware multi-line code completion with cross-file awareness	Not supported	Supported
Inline editing with natural language instructions on selected code	Not supported	Supported
Built-in terminal with AI command suggestions and error explanations	Not supported	Supported
Codeium autocomplete engine (150M+ parameters, trained on code-specific data)	Not supported	Supported
Live preview for web projects with AI-assisted CSS/layout adjustments	Not supported	Supported
Team collaboration with shared AI configuration and context	Not supported	Supported
Pros	Best free limits available - 60 RPM 12x better than standard API limits No API key or billing setup required Gemini 3 access included 1M token context window	Cascade's session persistence means you can pause a multi-hour task and resume without losing AI context Freemium tier is more generous than Cursor — 5 Cascade flows per day at no cost Codeium autocomplete is lightweight and fast, consuming fewer resources than Copilot on low-RAM machines Flows architecture is better suited to iterative feature development than one-shot Composer-style prompts
Cons	CLI only - no GUI Requires npm installation OAuth required for authentication Daily limits on Gemini 3 Pro not published	Smaller user base than Cursor (estimated 200K vs 1M+) means fewer community resources and extensions Cascade can lose track of intent in flows longer than ~2 hours, requiring a manual context reset No JetBrains support as of Q1 2026 — VS Code-based only Pro plan ($15/mo) limits Cascade flows to 30/month; $30/mo for 90 flows Codeium's model quality trails Claude and GPT-4o on complex reasoning tasks in the AI chat
Website	Visit	Visit

The facts, side by side

Pricing

Rating

Category

Description

60 requests/minute (12x better than API)

1,000 requests/day

1 million token context window

Gemini 3 Pro and Flash access

OAuth authentication - no API key needed

Interactive chat mode

Cascade agent with persistent session context across files, terminal, and tests

Flows: continuous AI task tracking that persists through developer interruptions

Windsurf Tab: context-aware multi-line code completion with cross-file awareness

Inline editing with natural language instructions on selected code

Built-in terminal with AI command suggestions and error explanations

Codeium autocomplete engine (150M+ parameters, trained on code-specific data)

Live preview for web projects with AI-assisted CSS/layout adjustments

Team collaboration with shared AI configuration and context

Pros

Cons