Windsurf vs JetBrains AI: A Comparison for 2025

Augment Code's Context Engine processes 400,000+ files through semantic analysis, achieving 70.6% SWE-bench accuracy versus 54% competitor average. Try Augment Code Free →

What to Consider When Deciding Between Windsurf and JetBrains AI

• Automation Philosophy: Windsurf's Cascade agents execute multi-file code changes, test execution, and terminal commands autonomously while JetBrains AI requires manual approval for each suggestion
• IDE Integration Strategy: Windsurf operates as a standalone IDE with plugin support for VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, Visual Studio, Eclipse, Vim/Neovim, and Jupyter versus JetBrains AI's deep integration within the existing JetBrains ecosystem
• Test Generation Approach: JetBrains AI generates unit tests through right-click context menu with support for RSpec (Ruby), PHPUnit (PHP), xUnit (C#), and Java/Kotlin via TestSpark integration, while Windsurf focuses on test execution with automated stack trace analysis
• Data Privacy Model: Both offer zero data retention, but JetBrains AI acts as joint data controller with AI providers while Windsurf emphasizes enterprise SSO/SCIM support
• Model Selection Control: JetBrains AI allows choosing between Mellum, Google Gemini, GPT-4, Claude, and local models while Windsurf handles model routing behind the scenes
• Enterprise Security: JetBrains AI maintains SOC 2 Type II certification while Windsurf focuses on authentication and access management features with SSO/SCIM capabilities

How Windsurf Compares to JetBrains AI

Windsurf and JetBrains AI represent fundamentally different philosophies for AI-assisted development. Windsurf built a conversation-first IDE from scratch, prioritizing autonomous agents and minimal interface friction. The Cascade system reads project context, builds memories of previous commands, then executes multi-file changes, test runs, and deployments without requesting permission for each action.

JetBrains AI takes the opposite approach by integrating into the established IDE ecosystem developers already know. The AI assistant leverages IntelliJ's existing project-wide index for context-aware suggestions while preserving familiar keyboard shortcuts, tool windows, and inspection workflows. With model selection capabilities introduced in 2024, teams can choose between JetBrains' proprietary Mellum LLM, Google Gemini, OpenAI GPT-4, Anthropic Claude, or local models for air-gapped environments.

JetBrains

When using Augment Code's Context Engine, teams get the best of both approaches: autonomous agent capabilities with deep IDE integration across VS Code, JetBrains, and Vim/Neovim. The 70.6% SWE-bench score demonstrates superior performance on real-world software engineering tasks compared to conversation-only or suggestion-only approaches.

Category-by-Category Comparison

1. Test Automation & Scaffolding

Why it matters: Legacy codebases with poor test coverage benefit dramatically from end-to-end automation. Windsurf's Cascade can execute test suites while developers focus on feature development.

JetBrains AI provides framework-aware test generation through its AI Assistant and TestSpark integration, which analyzes code structure and generates test cases with appropriate assertions, though this requires more manual orchestration than Cascade's autonomous capabilities.

2. IDE Integration & Platform Support

Why it matters: Teams with mixed editor preferences benefit from Windsurf's multi-platform integration (VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, Visual Studio, Eclipse, Vim/Neovim, Jupyter), while JetBrains-native teams gain velocity by staying within familiar workflows.

Augment Code's Context Engine spans both approaches with consistent AI assistance across VS Code, JetBrains, and Vim/Neovim environments, processing 400,000+ files across dozens of repositories simultaneously.

3. Enterprise Security & Compliance

Why it matters: Enterprise procurement requires transparent data handling policies. JetBrains AI provides explicit privacy guarantees and SOC 2 Type II validation, while Windsurf focuses on authentication infrastructure with SSO and SCIM support.

Augment Code leads with comprehensive certifications: SOC 2 Type II plus ISO/IEC 42001 for AI management systems (first AI coding assistant to achieve this certification), customer-managed encryption keys, and air-gapped deployment options.

Working Code Examples

JetBrains AI Test Generation with TestSpark

// Original method in UserService.ts (v2.4.1+)
export class UserService {
  async createUser(email: string, password: string): Promise<User> {
    if (!this.validateEmail(email)) {
      throw new ValidationError('Invalid email format');
    }
    return await this.repository.save({ email, password });
  }
}

// Right-click → "Generate Unit Tests" produces:
// UserServiceTest.ts
import { UserService } from '../UserService';
import { ValidationError } from '../errors';

describe('UserService', () => {
  let service: UserService;

  beforeEach(() => {
    service = new UserService(mockRepository);
  });

  test('should create user with valid email', async () => {
    const result = await service.createUser('user@example.com', 'password');
    expect(result.email).toBe('user@example.com');
  });

  test('should throw ValidationError for invalid email', async () => {
    await expect(service.createUser('invalid', 'password'))
      .rejects.toThrow(ValidationError);
  });
});

// Common failure: Generated mocks may need manual import adjustment
// Fix: Ensure mockRepository is properly imported from test setup

Windsurf Cascade Agent Command

// Terminal integration with Cmd/Ctrl+I
// Natural language command:
"Run tests for UserService and fix any failures"

// Cascade executes automatically:
// 1. npm test src/services/UserService.test.ts
// 2. Analyzes stack trace if failures occur
// 3. Modifies test files based on error analysis
// 4. Re-runs tests until passing
// 5. Commits changes with descriptive message

// Cascade Hook Configuration (.windsurf/hooks/test.sh)
#!/bin/bash
export NODE_ENV=test
export DATABASE_URL=sqlite::memory:
npm run test:coverage -- --reporter=json

// Common failure: Hooks may not inherit environment variables
// Fix: Explicitly set all required env vars in hook scripts

Enterprise SSO Configuration

// Windsurf Enterprise SSO Setup (config.json)
{
  "sso": {
    "provider": "okta",
    "domain": "company.okta.com",
    "clientId": "${WINDSURF_SSO_CLIENT_ID}",
    "scopes": ["openid", "profile", "email", "groups"]
  },
  "scim": {
    "endpoint": "https://api.windsurf.com/scim/v2",
    "bearerToken": "${SCIM_BEARER_TOKEN}",
    "userMapping": {
      "username": "userName",
      "email": "emails[0].value"
    }
  }
}

// JetBrains AI Enterprise (IDE settings)
// Settings → AI Assistant → Enterprise Configuration
{
  "aiProvider": "jetbrains-cloud",
  "dataRetention": "zero",
  "modelSelection": "mellum",
  "onPremises": true,
  "encryptionKeys": "customer-managed"
}

// Common failure: SCIM provisioning may timeout on large user sets
// Fix: Implement batch processing with 50-user chunks and retry logic

Augment Code's Context Engine identifies cross-service dependencies across 400,000+ files through semantic analysis, achieving 59% F-score in code review quality. Try Augment Code Free →

Who Is Windsurf For?

• Distributed Teams: Cascade agents maintain project context across developers without requiring shared state management
• Rapid Prototyping Teams: Autonomous execution eliminates context switching between design tools, IDEs, and deployment platforms
• Legacy Code Maintainers: End-to-end test automation tackles technical debt through automated stack trace analysis
• Multi-Editor Workflows: Consistent AI assistance across multiple platform integrations supports diverse tool preferences

Who Is JetBrains AI For?

• JetBrains Power Users: Maintains existing keyboard shortcuts, tool windows, and inspection workflows while adding AI capabilities
• Enterprise Security Teams: Explicit zero data retention, SOC 2 Type II certification, and joint data controller model provide compliance assurance
• Framework-Specific Development: TestSpark integration for Java/Kotlin and native support for RSpec, PHPUnit, xUnit frameworks
• Regulated Industries: On-premises deployment and custom data retention policies support strict security requirements

Frequently Asked Questions

What to Do Next

Choose Windsurf if your team needs cross-platform editor support and conversation-driven development workflows. The Cascade agent system works best for teams comfortable with AI making decisions and executing commands independently, handling multi-file code changes, test execution with automated stack trace analysis, terminal command execution, and real-time workflow tracking.

Choose JetBrains AI if your developers already live in JetBrains IDEs and require explicit privacy guarantees, model selection control, and deep integration with existing inspection and refactoring workflows. The framework-aware scaffolding provides precise assistance without forcing workflow changes.

For comprehensive AI development capabilities, Augment Code combines autonomous agents with deep IDE integration across any environment. The Context Engine processes 400,000+ files through semantic analysis, while SOC 2 Type II plus ISO/IEC 42001 certifications and 70.6% SWE-bench performance provide enterprise-grade AI assistance without forcing teams into specific IDE philosophies.

Run pilot projects with each tool using your actual codebase and development workflows. Track developer satisfaction, test coverage improvements, and time-to-productivity metrics to make data-driven decisions rather than relying on feature comparisons alone.

Augment Code's Context Engine identifies architectural patterns across 400,000+ files, accelerating impact assessment 5-10x faster than manual code review. Start your free trial →

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