Kiro vs Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)

Same tested record. The canonical URL stays /compare/kiro-vs-windsurf/. This address keeps the id windsurf. The tested product is Devin Desktop, the editor formerly called Windsurf (renamed June 2, 2026). The score and edition here are that editor test. It is not the separate untested Devin agent. Devin agent (not yet tested).

Summary

Kiro vs Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) (AI Code Editors & IDEs). Agent test scores: Kiro 9.7/10, Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) 8.1/10. Kiro scored 1.6 higher overall in our separate rubric v0.1 tests (editions and tasks can differ — see Edition tested and the notes below). Pricing: Kiro — Free $0 (50 credits/mo); Pro $20/user/mo (1,000 credits); Pro+ $40 (2,000); Pro Max $100 (5,000); Power $200 (10,000); add-on credits $0.04 each; Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) — Free $0; Pro $20/mo (full model availability, Devin Cloud agents, extra usage at API pricing); Max $200/mo; Teams $80/mo + $40/mo per full dev seat (up to 200 users); Enterprise custom. These scores are not a head-to-head. Kiro 9.7 is three Free CLI T3 bug-fix runs on 2026-11-02 (kiro-cli, AWS Builder ID, Auto). Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) 8.1 is one 2026-10-16 Linux desktop Free run that built a T1 todo app in about a minute.

Every fact on this page comes from our tool records and test logs. Last updated:

Key facts

Kiro

VibeToolRank score
9.7/10
Last tested
2026-11-02
Runs
3 runs
Outcome score
10/10
Edition tested
kiro-cli 2.37.1, Kiro Free (AWS Builder ID), model auto, agent v3 Default/vibe (not Spec)
Free plan, as measured
About 0.80 credits for three Free Auto T3 bug-fix runs on 2026-11-02 (plus ~0.03 smoke); earlier Free IDE T1 todo used ~0.6. Observed ~0.27 credits per T3-sized Auto run in that test — not a monthly capacity promise; larger or follow-up tasks use more
Free plan
Yes: perpetual Free with 50 credits/mo — Auto, Claude Sonnet 4.5/4.0, and open-weight models (DeepSeek 3.2, MiniMax M2.5/M2.1, GLM-5, Qwen3 Coder Next); flagship Claude Opus / Sonnet 5.5 / GPT-5.6 need a paid plan
Price
Free $0 (50 credits/mo); Pro $20/user/mo (1,000 credits); Pro+ $40 (2,000); Pro Max $100 (5,000); Power $200 (10,000); add-on credits $0.04 each
Pricing checked
2026-11-02

Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)

VibeToolRank score
8.1/10
Last tested
2026-10-16
Runs
1 (single run)
Outcome score
9/10
Edition tested
Devin Desktop 3.10.67 (formerly Windsurf) for Linux, Free plan, model SWE-1.6 Slow, Local session
Free plan, as measured
One todo app (T1) fit easily in the light free quota; exact usage not shown
Free plan
Yes: light agent quota, limited models, unlimited Tab completions and inline edits
Price
Free $0; Pro $20/mo (full model availability, Devin Cloud agents, extra usage at API pricing); Max $200/mo; Teams $80/mo + $40/mo per full dev seat (up to 200 users); Enterprise custom
Pricing checked
2026-11-09

Side by side

FieldKiro Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)
What it isKiroSpec-driven agentic IDE from AWS.Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)AI IDE formerly called Windsurf; renamed Devin Desktop on June 2, 2026.
PricingKiroFree $0 (50 credits/mo); Pro $20/user/mo (1,000 credits); Pro+ $40 (2,000); Pro Max $100 (5,000); Power $200 (10,000); add-on credits $0.04 eachDevin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)Free $0; Pro $20/mo (full model availability, Devin Cloud agents, extra usage at API pricing); Max $200/mo; Teams $80/mo + $40/mo per full dev seat (up to 200 users); Enterprise custom
Free tierKiroYes: perpetual Free with 50 credits/mo — Auto, Claude Sonnet 4.5/4.0, and open-weight models (DeepSeek 3.2, MiniMax M2.5/M2.1, GLM-5, Qwen3 Coder Next); flagship Claude Opus / Sonnet 5.5 / GPT-5.6 need a paid planDevin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)Yes: light agent quota, limited models, unlimited Tab completions and inline edits
Pricing verifiedKiro2026-11-02Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)2026-11-09
Edition testedKirokiro-cli 2.37.1, Kiro Free (AWS Builder ID), model auto, agent v3 Default/vibe (not Spec)Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)Devin Desktop 3.10.67 (formerly Windsurf) for Linux, Free plan, model SWE-1.6 Slow, Local session
Tested onKiro2026-11-02Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)2026-10-16
Outcome scoreKiro10Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)9
Speed scoreKiro10Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)9
Cost scoreKiro10Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)9
Developer experience scoreKiro8Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)5
Reliability scoreKiro10Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)7
Overall scoreKiro9.7Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)8.1

What our tests found

Kiro

Three Free CLI T3 runs on 2026-11-02: each fixed the seeded cart.js discount bug so node --test passed 4/4 in 17–18s, leaving cart.test.js untouched and self-running the tests. Used about 0.80 of 50 monthly Free credits total ($0 spent) after Builder ID device-flow login; no API key.Free CLI / AWS Builder ID

Pros
  • 3/3 Free CLI T3 runs fixed the bug in 17–18s with 4/4 tests passing
  • Agent edited cart.js and ran node --test itself
  • Used only about 0.80 of 50 monthly Free credits for three runs ($0)
  • Free Builder ID session supports headless chat without an API key
Cons
  • Free is 50 credits/mo and excludes Claude Opus, Sonnet 5.5, and GPT-5.6
  • Official API keys / documented headless KIRO_API_KEY path need Pro or higher
  • First login still needs interactive browser or device flow
  • Headless Free runs need --trust-all-tools and --trust-workspace

Who it’s for: Developers who want a spec-driven agentic IDE/CLI from AWS, with a usable free tier for small tasks — and paid tiers that put several flagship models on one credit pool.

Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)

Devin Desktop, Cognition's renamed Windsurf editor, built our T1 todo app in about 1 minute with no follow-ups and previewed it after one 'Failed to start browser preview' error. We verified it in headless Chrome: add, complete, delete, filters, reload persistence and a 375px mobile layout all passed. Setup was rough on Linux: the devin:// login link failed, so we pasted a token by hand, and sessions defaulted to Pro-only Cloud mode. Single run.desktop app, free plan

Pros
  • Working todo app in about 1 minute with no follow-ups
  • Every T1 check passed in our own headless browser test, including mobile
  • Previewed its own work in a built-in browser
  • Free plan with a light agent quota
Cons
  • On Linux the devin:// login link failed; we had to paste an auth token manually
  • Sessions defaulted to Cloud, which is Pro-only; we switched to Local
  • Wrote files without asking for approval
  • Browser preview failed once before recovering

Who it’s for: Developers who liked Windsurf and want Cognition's agentic editor, with a free tier for light use.

Verdict

Rubric v0.1, separate sessions, different tasks and editions. Do not read 9.7 versus 8.1 as one paired test. Choose Kiro for the tested Free CLI bug-fix path: three 2026-11-02 T3 runs, about 17–18s, node --test run by the agent, about 0.80 credits total. Choose Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) for the tested desktop Free path: one 2026-10-16 T1 todo in about a minute on SWE-1.6 Slow in a Local session, after a failed browser preview and a manual login token on Linux. Sessions had defaulted to Pro-only Cloud until we switched to Local. Kiro’s published 9.7 is not the 2026-10-16 IDE todo.

FAQ

Which is better, Kiro or Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)?

Not from the same task. Kiro’s 9.7 is three 2026-11-02 Free CLI T3 bug-fixes. Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) scored 8.1 on one 2026-10-16 Linux desktop Free T1 todo. Different editions, dates, and run counts, so the gap is not a head-to-head.

Is Kiro free?

Yes: perpetual Free with 50 credits/mo — Auto, Claude Sonnet 4.5/4.0, and open-weight models (DeepSeek 3.2, MiniMax M2.5/M2.1, GLM-5, Qwen3 Coder Next); flagship Claude Opus / Sonnet 5.5 / GPT-5.6 need a paid plan (pricing checked 2026-11-02).

Is Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) free?

Yes: light agent quota, limited models, unlimited Tab completions and inline edits (pricing checked 2026-11-09).

How much does Kiro cost compared with Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)?

Kiro: Free $0 (50 credits/mo); Pro $20/user/mo (1,000 credits); Pro+ $40 (2,000); Pro Max $100 (5,000); Power $200 (10,000); add-on credits $0.04 each. Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf): Free $0; Pro $20/mo (full model availability, Devin Cloud agents, extra usage at API pricing); Max $200/mo; Teams $80/mo + $40/mo per full dev seat (up to 200 users); Enterprise custom.

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