Windsurf vs
Orbital IDE
Same agentic core as OrbCode CLI. Fast OSS & 3P inference. Transparent pricing. Just a dedicated desktop IDE with more usage per window and a fraction of the cost.
Orbital runs high-efficiency open-source and third-party models that cost significantly less per token — so every plan passes more rate-limit through to you, at a lower monthly price.
Same core. Same features.
Orbital is the IDE counterpart of OrbCode CLI — same agentic loop, same model catalog, same pricing. A few places Orbital goes further.
| Feature | Windsurf | Orbital IDE |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Standalone IDE (VS Code fork) | Dedicated IDE + VS Code extension + CLI |
| Default context window | 200K tokens | 400K tokens (2x) |
| Autonomous agent mode | Cascade (limited steps) | Full autonomy · multi-step |
| Native tools (read, edit, search, exec, web) | Full tool set | Byte-identical schemas |
| Edit diffs & command approvals | Prompt before write | Prompt + dangerous-cmd lock |
| Headless / non-interactive mode | — | -p flag + --yolo |
| Lifecycle hooks | Limited | PreToolUse, PostToolUse… |
| MCP server support | stdio / http / sse | stdio / http / sse + OAuth |
| Skills (on-demand instruction sets) | — | SKILL.md format |
| Project memory file | .windsurfrules (proprietary) | AGENTS.md (open standard) |
| Bring-your-own model (Anthropic / OpenAI) | Anthropic + OpenAI | Anthropic + OpenAI-compatible + OSS models |
| Free model tier | — | LongCat 2.0 (free) |
| Open source license | Closed source | MIT (open source) |
More usage per 5-hour window.
Same agentic workflow, but optimized OSS model runtimes cost a fraction to run. That saving becomes rate-limit headroom — at every plan, at a lower price.
FreeDeveloperProProTeamsPro PlusEnterpriseMaxPer-window limits are approximate and vary with context length and model choice. Windsurf is per-seat pricing ($/user/mo); Orbital is flat monthly pricing. Orbital figures reflect the lower per-token cost of open-source and third-party models, which lets us pass more usage through the same subscription dollar.
Cheaper models. Same intelligence.
The rate-limit advantage comes from raw model economics. Open-source and third-party models cost significantly less — savings we pass straight back as usage.
| Model | Input / Mtok | Output / Mtok | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-5.5 | $10.00 | $30.00 | Windsurf option |
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | $3.00 | $15.00 | Windsurf default |
| GLM 5.3 | $1.40 | $4.40 | Z.ai · 1M ctx |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | $0.14 | $0.28 | Fast · 1M ctx |
| LongCat 2.0 Free | Free | Free | Free plan · 1M ctx |
GLM 5.3 and DeepSeek V4 provide state-of-the-art coding intelligence with transparent token pricing, while LongCat 2.0 powers the free tier with a full 1M context window.
Where Orbital pulls ahead.
More rate-limit per window
High-performance inference on optimized OSS runtimes means every plan passes more prompts through the same 5-hour window — at a lower monthly price.
Flat pricing, not per-seat
Orbital is flat monthly pricing. Windsurf charges $15/user/mo — a 10-person team pays $150/mo on Windsurf vs $10/mo on Orbital Pro.
Bring your own model
Orbital supports Anthropic, OpenAI-compatible endpoints, and top OSS models like GLM 5.3 and DeepSeek V4. Connect any custom provider via settings.
Open-standard memory
AGENTS.md works across tools instead of a proprietary .windsurfrules. @include directives resolve recursively so shared team instructions just work.
Free tier model
LongCat 2.0 with a 1M token context window available on the free tier — just install and run.
MIT & fully open source
The entire IDE is open source under MIT — audit the agent loop, ship patches, or self-host. Windsurf is closed-source, so you're trusting a black box.
Drop-in IDE replacement.
If you know Windsurf, you know Orbital. Same agent panel, same approvals, same hooks.
Switch from
Windsurf.
Same IDE workflow, same agentic core as OrbCode CLI, and more usage per window — at a fraction of the cost. Download Orbital, sign in once, and ship.