Windsurf Is Now
Devin Desktop
From the collapsed OpenAI acquisition and Google's $2.4B talent grab to the Cognition takeover and the 2026-06-02 rebrand to Devin Desktop — the Windsurf brand is disappearing. Here's what existing users need to know.
Key points
Rebrand effective date
Windsurf became Devin Desktop, folding the brand into Cognition's Devin product line.
Cognition acquisition price
Completed 2025-12, with $82M ARR disclosed at the time — less than a year after OpenAI reportedly offered ~$3B.
Pro monthly price (raised)
Raised from $15 to $20 in 2026-05, matching Cursor; Max is $200; Teams is $40/seat.
Free-tier Tab completion
Unlimited Tab completion on the free tier is still the most generous in the industry.
Windsurf's roller-coaster year
A textbook roller coaster: in spring 2025 OpenAI moved to acquire Windsurf for ~$3B → the deal collapsed in July over Microsoft's IP terms → Google pulled a $2.4B reverse-acquihire, taking CEO Varun Mohan and the core team → Cognition (the Devin team) stepped in within 72 hours and closed the acquisition at ~$250M in 2025-12 → on 2026-06-02 the product was renamed Devin Desktop, and the Windsurf brand entered the absorption pipeline.
After the rebrand
Devin Desktop keeps Windsurf's editor form and is tightly bound to Cognition's Devin asynchronous agent. What existing users care about most is the migration path and pricing: Pro has already risen to $20/mo (industry parity), while the free tier's unlimited Tab completion stays. Community sentiment is mixed — a product passed between three giants in a year has trust to rebuild.
Timeline
The OpenAI deal collapses; Google pays $2.4B for a reverse license plus the CEO and core team.
Cognition closes the acquisition at ~$250M ($82M ARR disclosed).
Windsurf is renamed Devin Desktop; Pro had already risen to $20/mo in May.
Confirmed vs watch out
Confirmed
The timeline and amounts behind the three ownership changes, the 06-02 rebrand, and the $20/mo Pro pricing are all corroborated by multiple independent reports.
Watch out
If you're still searching 'Windsurf download/pricing': the old pages in search results are going stale fast — trust Devin Desktop's official channels. On BYOK, it natively supports only Anthropic keys and won't take an OpenAI-compatible endpoint.
Stay or migrate
Stay (Devin Desktop)
Fits: teams deep into the Devin async agent. The free tier's completion is still generous, and Pro at $20 matches the industry.
Migrate (open tooling)
Fits: anyone who no longer trusts a product that's changed hands repeatedly. Cline / OpenCode plus your own API key — neither your data nor your model is locked to a single vendor.
What existing users should do
The client transitions to the Devin Desktop brand automatically; subscriptions and settings carry over. Evaluate three things: whether your code telemetry policy changes (privacy terms under Cognition), whether your pricing tier still fits, and whether to move critical workflows to open tools that support custom endpoints.
On QCode
Devin Desktop doesn't support OpenAI-compatible endpoints, so a QCode key can't be plugged in. If you migrate out, take the 'open tool + one QCode key' route: point Cline / OpenCode at the QCode endpoint and call all seven model families pay-as-you-go, at official price times the service rate.
FAQ
Can I still use Windsurf?
The product lives on, but the brand was renamed Devin Desktop (2026-06-02) under Cognition. Old brand entry points will gradually redirect.
Who acquired Windsurf?
Cognition (the team behind Devin), closing at ~$250M in 2025-12. Before that, OpenAI's deal collapsed and Google hired away the leadership.
What does it cost now?
Pro is $20/mo ($15 before 2026-05), Max is $200/mo, Teams is $40/seat; the free tier keeps unlimited Tab completion.
Can I use my own API key?
Native BYOK supports Anthropic models only; OpenAI-compatible endpoints are not supported. For fully free endpoint configuration, use Cline / OpenCode.
Will I lose my subscription and settings?
Officially it's a smooth transition and subscriptions and settings carry over. Still, export and back up key configs — policies can shift during a brand merger.
How are Devin Desktop and Devin related?
Devin Desktop is the editor (formerly Windsurf); Devin is Cognition's asynchronous cloud agent. The two are being merged into one product line.
Sources
Taskade's Windsurf review (with acquisition timeline), promptzone (Cognition acquisition details), ToolNav (rebrand), agentplans.fyi (pricing), pricemyai (price-change record).
Switching tools costs less than you think
Open tools + one QCode key: model freedom, pay-as-you-go, and no hostage-taking by brand churn.
Related reading
Cursor 3 Agents Window
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AI coding tools compared
The mainstream options side by side.
Claude Code vs Cursor
Terminal camp vs GUI camp.
Not affiliated with Cognition / Windsurf. Acquisition and pricing information follows official channels.