Cline vs Windsurf
Agent-Assisted
An AI-powered VS Code extension that acts as an autonomous coding agent capable of reading files, executing commands, and making changes to implement tasks across your entire codebase.
Agent-Assisted
An AI-powered IDE extension that provides agentic code generation and full-stack development capabilities with intelligent code assistance.
Summary
- Cline scores 3.8/5 and Windsurf scores 3.9/5 on the Dark Factory Score, a difference of 0.1.
- The widest gap is Code Quality: Cline 3.5, Windsurf 4.0.
- Cline scores higher on integration and self-correction.
- Windsurf scores higher on code quality and project complexity.
- They score the same on autonomy.
- Cline is listed as open source and Windsurf as freemium.
- Both are listed under IDE Extensions, Full-Stack Agents and Code Generation.
Dimension by dimension
| Dimension | Weight | Cline | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autonomy | 28% | 4.2 | 4.2 |
| Code Quality | 20% | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| Integration | 17% | 4.0 | 3.8 |
| Self-Correction | 15% | 3.8 | 3.5 |
| Project Complexity | 20% | 3.6 | 4.0 |
| Dark Factory Score | 3.8 | 3.9 |
Why Cline scores 3.8
Cline demonstrates strong autonomy capabilities as a VS Code extension that can read files, execute commands, and make changes across entire codebases without constant human intervention. Its ability to understand context and implement multi-step tasks autonomously is impressive, though it may still require guidance for highly complex scenarios. The tool's integration with VS Code provides excellent file system access and command execution capabilities, with good support for Git operations and development workflows, though advanced CI/CD integration may require additional setup.
Scored by Claude AI — last evaluated February 27, 2026
Why Windsurf scores 3.9
Windsurf Editor represents a significant advancement as the first AI agent-powered IDE, offering strong autonomy through its agentic approach to code generation and full-stack development. The tool excels at independent multi-step task execution within the IDE environment, maintaining developer flow while handling complex coding tasks. Its integration as an IDE extension provides native access to development workflows, though specific Git, CI/CD, and deployment capabilities aren't fully detailed from the available information.
Scored by Claude AI — last evaluated February 27, 2026
More comparisons
Generated from Dark Factory Score data. How the score works. Comparing three or more tools at once is part of Pro.