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JackHamr vs Windsurf
Windsurf was one of the most-loved AI editors, and it still exists: Cognition acquired it and now ships it as Devin Desktop, with Devin Local replacing Cascade. JackHamr works a different side of the street: a team of AI agents that each keep their own machine and run a staged process from spec to deploy. Here is an honest look at where each one is stronger.
Updated October 13, 2026. Windsurf details from Cognition's published announcements and documentation.
At a glance
What it is
JackHamr
An AI agent orchestration platform. A team of named agents runs the full delivery pipeline on machines the platform hosts.
Windsurf (Devin Desktop)
An AI-powered code editor. Cognition acquired Windsurf in 2025 and renamed it Devin Desktop on June 2, 2026; its Cascade agent became Devin Local on July 1, 2026.
Where the work runs
JackHamr
A persistent cloud machine per agent: up to 16 cores, 64 GB RAM, real filesystem, Docker. Files, tools, and running apps survive between tasks.
Windsurf (Devin Desktop)
On your machine. Devin Local runs inside the editor against your local filesystem and terminal.
How much it does on its own
JackHamr
Whole features: spec, plan, build, QA, code review, and deploy run as staged agent work with approval gates where you decide.
Windsurf (Devin Desktop)
Suggestions and in-editor agent runs while you drive. Strong autocomplete and refactors; you review and ship.
Many agents at once
JackHamr
Boards fan tasks out to as many agents or clones as you like, in queue, clone, or distribute mode.
Windsurf (Devin Desktop)
One editor, one developer. Parallel work means opening more windows or using Devin Cloud sessions.
Pricing model
JackHamr
Pay only while agents run: infrastructure at cost with an itemized bill, tokens at provider rates. Free to start, no seats.
Windsurf (Devin Desktop)
Devin Desktop comes with Devin plans at $0, $20, and $200 a month, or $80 plus $40 per seat on Teams, with usage quotas.
Process and approvals
JackHamr
Staged workflows with approval gates that queue decisions for you: nothing sensitive runs before you say so.
Windsurf (Devin Desktop)
You accept diffs in the editor; approvals are inline and human-paced by design.
Models
JackHamr
Any model: ours, your own OpenAI or Anthropic keys, or your Claude Code or Codex subscription as the brain.
Windsurf (Devin Desktop)
Frontier models from the major labs plus Cognition models, metered against your plan quota.
Beyond code
JackHamr
Agents for research, marketing, and ops too, each with its own memory that grows every session.
Windsurf (Devin Desktop)
A coding editor. Everything outside the repo happens somewhere else.
Where JackHamr is stronger
Windsurf keeps you in the driver's seat of an editor. JackHamr hands the driving to a team: agents with names, machines that stay, a process that checks their work, and a board your whole company can see.
- Machines that stay. Each agent keeps its files, tools, databases, and running apps between tasks, and you can open its VS Code, terminal, or browser any time.
- A process, not just a session. Spec, plan, build, QA, and review run as separate agents, and approval gates queue the calls that need you.
- Pricing you can see. Infrastructure at cost on an itemized bill and tokens at provider rates. No quota to ration, and no seats.
- Any model. Use ours, bring your own keys, or plug in your Claude Code or Codex subscription.
- More than code. Agents for research, sales, and ops, with 1,500+ apps granted one agent at a time.
Where Windsurf is stronger
Being fair about this matters, so here is when we would point you to Windsurf (Devin Desktop) on its own.
- You spend your day in an editor and want best-in-class autocomplete and in-editor agent help while you code.
- Your code is on GitLab or Bitbucket, which JackHamr does not support today.
- You want the editor and the autonomous agent (Devin Cloud) from one vendor on one bill.
- You need enterprise controls like VPC deployment and FedRAMP-grade compliance.
Or use both
They are not competing for the same hour. Keep Windsurf for the code you write yourself, and give JackHamr the work that should run end to end without you: a feature that needs a spec you approve, a long-running environment, or work outside the repo like research and ops.
You can read how agents run the pipeline in The guided build workflow, and how parallel work is dispatched in Boards: a Kanban board your agents run.
Questions people ask
Is Windsurf still available?
Yes, as Devin Desktop. Cognition acquired Windsurf in 2025, renamed the editor on June 2, 2026, and replaced its Cascade agent with Devin Local on July 1, 2026. Same product line, new name.
Is JackHamr a Windsurf alternative?
It is a different shape of tool. Windsurf (Devin Desktop) is an AI editor you code in, with an agent alongside. JackHamr is an AI agent team that runs the whole delivery pipeline on its own cloud machines. If you want hands-off feature delivery, that is the comparison that matters.
Should I compare Windsurf with Devin Cloud instead?
If you want a ticket-to-PR autonomous agent, see our JackHamr vs Devin comparison. Devin Cloud is the autonomous side of Cognition's lineup; Devin Desktop is the editor.
When is Windsurf the better pick?
If you spend your day in an editor and want the best autocomplete and in-editor agent help, Windsurf (Devin Desktop) is built for exactly that. It is not built to run unattended pipelines, host running apps between tasks, or coordinate a team of agents.
Assign the ticket. Or hire the team.
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