I am not a professional developer. I write scripts, fix bugs in my projects, and occasionally build small tools. For someone at my skill level, AI coding assistants have been transformative. Or overwhelming, depending on the day.
This month I tested three of the most popular ones: GitHub Copilot, Cursor, and Windsurf. Here is what I found.
GitHub Copilot
Copilot is the most mature product. It integrates directly into VS Code and suggests code as you type. For common tasks — writing functions, boilerplate code, comments — it is excellent. I wrote a data processing script in about half the normal time.
The catch: Copilot is conservative. It suggests what is obvious, not what is creative. For routine coding, that is fine. For solving unusual problems, it rarely surprises you.
Price: $10 per month for individuals.
Cursor
Cursor is built on top of VS Code but designed specifically for AI-assisted coding. The key difference is that Cursor understands your entire codebase, not just the file you are editing. I asked it to refactor a messy Python script I wrote months ago. It analyzed the whole project, identified the problem areas, and suggested changes that actually worked.
The trade-off: Cursor is heavier than Copilot. It uses more memory and takes longer to start up. On my older laptop, the difference was noticeable.
Price: $20 per month.
Windsurf
Windsurf is the newest of the three. It is also the most ambitious. Windsurf tries to understand not just your code but your intent. You describe what you want to build in plain English, and it generates the full implementation.
It works impressively well for small projects. I built a simple web tool in about 30 minutes — something that would have taken me half a day without AI assistance.
Where it falls short is debugging. When the generated code does not work, fixing it is harder than writing it yourself from scratch.
Price: $15 per month.
My Pick
For daily coding assistance: GitHub Copilot. It is reliable, affordable, and well-integrated. For complex refactoring or understanding legacy code: Cursor. Its project-wide awareness is genuinely useful. For prototyping new ideas quickly: Windsurf.
I ended up keeping Copilot for daily use and switching to Cursor when I need deeper analysis. That two-tool approach covers most of what I need.