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GitHub Copilot vs Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)
Copilot adds agents to the editor you already use; Windsurf, now Devin Desktop, is a separate AI-first workspace from Cognition. Copilot is cheaper and less disruptive; Devin Desktop suits people who want several agents managed in one place.
At a glance
| Fact | GitHub Copilot | Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | GitHub | Cognition |
| What it is | GitHub's AI pair programmer and coding agent. | A coding workspace, formerly Windsurf, with a full code editor and several local and cloud agents. |
| Price | Free plan, paid from $10/user/month | Free plan, paid from $20/month |
| Runs on | macOS, Windows, Web, CLI | macOS, Windows, Linux |
| Open source | No | No |
| Models | Haiku 4.5, GPT-5 mini, Claude by Anthropic, OpenAI Codex | SWE-2, OpenAI models, Claude, Gemini |
| Last verified | October 14, 2026 | October 14, 2026 |
| Official site | github.com/features/copilot | devin.ai/desktop |
Where they differ
- Editors: Copilot works in VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Neovim and Xcode; Devin Desktop is its own editor.
- Price: both have free plans; Copilot Pro is $10/user/month, Devin Desktop Pro is $20/month.
- Agents: Copilot has agent mode and a cloud agent; Devin Desktop has an Agent Command Center for local and cloud agents.
Which to pick
Choose GitHub Copilot if you want to stay in your editor and on GitHub.
Choose Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) if you want an agent-first workspace and Cognition's tools.
Keep looking
- GitHub Copilot listing
- Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) listing
- GitHub Copilot alternatives
- Claude Code vs GitHub Copilot
- Codex vs GitHub Copilot
- Cursor vs GitHub Copilot
- Cursor vs Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)
Facts from each maker's official pages, last verified October 14, 2026. How we verify.