Windsurf by Codeium built an IDE around AI from the start. Cascade flows chain multi-step edits, the codebase indexing is solid, and inline editing works well. But it's still a developer tool. If you're not a developer, none of that helps you.
Windsurf is an AI-powered code editor that Codeium built from scratch rather than forking VS Code. The AI isn't an add-on; the editor was designed around it. Here's what it offers:
Multi-step AI flows that chain actions together. You describe a task and Cascade plans the steps, reads relevant files, edits across multiple files, and runs terminal commands. It behaves more like an autonomous agent than autocomplete. Ask it to refactor a component and it will find the file, update the imports, modify the tests, and run them.
Select code and describe how you want it changed. Windsurf modifies it in place and shows you the diff. You accept or reject each change individually. It works well because it already has the surrounding code as context.
Windsurf indexes your entire codebase and uses it for context. AI responses reference your actual code rather than generating something generic. When you ask it to add a new API endpoint, it follows the conventions already in your project.
Run commands from within the IDE and let AI respond to the output. If a build fails, Windsurf reads the error and can suggest or apply a fix directly. The feedback loop between writing code and running it is fast.
Code completions as you type, similar to Copilot. Windsurf predicts what you're about to write based on the file you're in and the patterns in your codebase.
Windsurf is a more integrated alternative to Cursor. Because it's not a VS Code fork, the AI integration goes deeper into the editor itself.
Quick comparison for context:
The most widely adopted. Lives inside VS Code or JetBrains. Focused on inline completions and chat. It does one thing well and fits into workflows developers already have.
Fork of VS Code with AI built in as a first-class feature. Good multi-file editing, Composer mode for larger changes, solid context awareness. Currently the most popular choice for AI-assisted coding. The community is large and the tooling has matured quickly.
Purpose-built editor (not a VS Code fork) with deep AI integration. Cascade flows are the main differentiator: multi-step autonomous workflows that go beyond single edits. Less mature than Copilot, competitive with Cursor on features. Building from scratch gives it architectural freedom that forks lack.
All three are good developer tools. All three require a developer to use them. The feature differences matter when you're picking an IDE. They're irrelevant to a product manager who needs to update pricing on the website.
Whether you use Windsurf, Cursor, or Copilot, the workflow for a non-technical person requesting a website change looks the same:
Step 7 is where AI helps. Steps 1-6 and 8-10 are unchanged regardless of which IDE you pick. AI made the coding part faster, but the workflow around it is just as technical as before.
The Windsurf vs. Cursor debate is about which tool is better at step 7. Non-technical teams are blocked at step 1.
A better IDE doesn't solve this. You need a different kind of interface:
Intentify uses the same caliber of AI that Windsurf and Cursor use, but wraps it in a visual interface. Your marketer opens their website, points at what they want changed, and the AI handles the code. The developer reviews a pull request at the end, same as always.
They're close. Windsurf's Cascade flows handle more autonomous multi-step workflows. Cursor has a larger community and more mature tooling. Both work well for developers. Neither is usable by non-technical people.
Windsurf lets you describe changes in natural language, but you still need to navigate a codebase, understand file structures, evaluate diffs, and use Git. It reduces how much code you write. It doesn't reduce how much you need to know.
Windsurf is a code editor for developers. Intentify is a visual change tool for everyone else. With Windsurf you edit files in an IDE. With Intentify you annotate your live website and it generates pull requests automatically.
Developers should use whatever IDE they prefer, whether that's Windsurf, Cursor, or VS Code with Copilot. Intentify is for the non-technical people on your team who need to make website changes without filing a ticket. Both tools produce pull requests that go through your normal review process.
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