Windsurf vs Retool AI — Head-to-Head Comparison
Quick verdict: Windsurf edges ahead
with a 4.5/5 rating vs 4.4/5.
See the full breakdown below.
Infographic
Windsurf: Pricing Tiers & Key Stats
Free
$0
Limited Cascade flows
Limited completions
Pro
$15/mo
500 fast requests
Unlimited slow completions
Teams
$35/user/mo
Centralized billing
Team analytics
4.5/5
100 reviews
Cascade Agent
Autonomous multi-file coding
IDE + Plugin
Dual deployment options
Source: AI Coding Compare, March 2026
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Windsurf | Retool AI |
|---|---|---|
| Cascade AI agent for multi-file agentic coding tasks | ✓ | — |
| Real-time codebase awareness without manual context injection | ✓ | — |
| Inline completions with multi-line suggestion support | ✓ | — |
| Terminal command execution from within the agent | ✓ | — |
| Web search integration for documentation and research | ✓ | — |
| VS Code extension compatibility | ✓ | — |
| Available as both standalone IDE and editor plugin | ✓ | — |
| Support for multiple frontier AI models | ✓ | — |
| Codebase-aware chat with semantic search | ✓ | — |
| Collaborative features for team coding sessions | ✓ | — |
| AI App Builder from natural language descriptions | — | ✓ |
| AI SQL Query Generator from schema and natural language | — | ✓ |
| Retool Vectors for RAG application development | — | ✓ |
| Drag-and-drop visual builder for dashboards and tools | — | ✓ |
| Direct database connections (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, and more) | — | ✓ |
| REST, GraphQL, and gRPC API integration | — | ✓ |
| JavaScript editor for custom logic and transformations | — | ✓ |
| Role-based access control and audit logging | — | ✓ |
| Mobile app support with responsive layouts | — | ✓ |
| Version control and deployment environments | — | ✓ |
Pricing Comparison
| Plan | Windsurf | Retool AI |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Windsurf if...
AI-native IDE by Codeium with deep agentic coding and flow state focus
Visit WindsurfChoose Retool AI if...
Build internal tools and AI-powered apps faster with Retool's visual platform
Visit Retool AI