Empryo vs Windsurf
A graph-powered terminal agent that edits symbols, vs. the IDE that became Devin Desktop.
First, the rename: on June 2, 2026, Windsurf became Devin Desktop under Cognition, which acquired it in July 2025 — windsurf.com now redirects to devin.ai, and the Cascade agent was retired in July 2026 in favor of the new Rust-based Devin Local. Beyond the name, Empryo and Devin Desktop solve the same problem from opposite ends. Empryo is a free coding agent that parses your repo into a live dependency graph (the Genome) and edits code through the AST and LSP, from the terminal or a desktop app. Devin Desktop is a polished, VS Code-derived IDE and agent command center that runs local and cloud agents — its own plus Codex, Claude, and OpenCode via ACP interop. If you want a structure-aware refactoring agent you own and run anywhere, choose Empryo; if you want a full IDE with managed cloud agents and a polished GUI, Devin Desktop fits.
| Feature | Empryo | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|
| Editing model | AST + LSP edits — 65+ structural operations applied as atomic batches, gated by typecheck ("symbols, not strings") | LLM text generation in-editor via the Devin Local agent (replaced Cascade, July 2026), with diff review; no AST-level guarantee |
| Code understanding | The Genome — a live dependency graph ranked by PageRank + git co-change, with blast-radius before each change | Fast Context — millisecond semantic search over a server-side embedding index; no local index, no AST or call graph |
| Model choice | 22 providers, bring-your-own-key; per-slot task router (cheap model explores, strong model writes) | In-house SWE-1.7 (1,000 tok/s on Cerebras) plus hosted frontier models; no BYOK at all, no local models |
| Surface | Terminal TUI with embedded Neovim, native desktop app, and headless mode (JSON, exit codes) for CI | Full VS Code-derived IDE (GUI) plus a JetBrains plugin; now an agent command center as Devin Desktop |
| Multi-agent / parallelism | Up to 5 parallel tabs with their own sessions, file claims, and a shared cache | Command center runs Devin Local plus Codex, Claude, and OpenCode agents via ACP interop, with a Kanban board and Spaces |
| Task routing | Per-slot router: spark and ember slots assign different models to exploring vs writing, across 22 providers including local | Adaptive router (April 2026) picks a model per task automatically, within the subscription's hosted models |
| Safety / rewind | Git-checkpoint time machine — rewind code and conversation together; JSONL sessions survive crashes | In-editor diff review and standard Git workflow; no paired code+chat checkpoint rewind |
| Pricing | Free; bring your own model key or run local models at no cost | Free tier; Pro $20/mo, Max $200/mo, Teams $80/mo + $40/dev, Enterprise custom |
| Ownership & control | Free to use; you own your setup and run it anywhere you have a terminal | Proprietary; Codeium → Windsurf → Devin Desktop (renamed June 2, 2026) under Cognition — three billing systems in twelve months |
When to choose Empryo
Choose Empryo when correctness and ownership matter more than a packaged IDE. Because it edits through the AST and LSP — renames, signature changes, and moves applied as atomic batches gated by typecheck — refactors land where the compiler expects them instead of relying on text generation. The Genome (a PageRank- and git-co-change-ranked graph across 33 languages) lets the agent navigate the codebase and see a change's blast radius before touching it, and it is built locally — Devin Desktop's index is server-side embeddings only. Ownership is the sharpest contrast: Devin Desktop has no BYOK at all and no local models, and the platform has gone Codeium to Windsurf to Devin Desktop — three billing systems in twelve months — while Empryo is free, runs on your own keys across 22 providers including Ollama and LM Studio, and never uploads your code. Devin's Adaptive router picks a model per task; Empryo routes per slot (spark/ember), so a cheap model explores while a strong one writes, across all 22 providers including local. It runs in your terminal with embedded Neovim, as a desktop app, or headless in CI with JSON output and exit codes, and rewinds code and conversation together with the git-checkpoint time machine.
When Windsurf fits better
Choose Windsurf — now Devin Desktop — when you want a finished, GUI-first development environment rather than a tool you assemble. It is a mature VS Code-derived IDE with strong inline autocomplete and millisecond Fast Context search, and under Cognition it has become a real agent command center: the Rust-based Devin Local agent (which replaced Cascade in July 2026) runs alongside Codex, Claude, and OpenCode agents via ACP interop, with a Kanban board, shared Spaces, and Git worktrees. Its in-house SWE-1.7 model streams at 1,000 tokens per second on Cerebras hardware, and the Adaptive router (April 2026) picks a model per task automatically. The managed Pro/Max/Teams tiers give you SSO, admin controls, and support out of the box. If your team wants a hosted, batteries-included experience and is comfortable with a proprietary editor, a per-seat subscription, and no bring-your-own-key option, Devin Desktop is the more complete product on day one.
The verdict
Windsurf — now Devin Desktop — is the more complete out-of-the-box product: a polished IDE, fast autocomplete, and a multi-agent command center backed by Cognition's resources and managed support tiers. If you want a hosted GUI environment that runs several agents under one roof, it is hard to beat. Two things cut the other way. Control: there is no BYOK and no local models, the code index lives server-side, and the platform has gone Codeium to Windsurf to Devin Desktop with three billing systems in twelve months — Empryo is free, runs on your own keys, and never uploads your code. And the editing model: instead of generating text and asking you to review the diff, Empryo edits the syntax tree directly, gates every change on the compiler, and navigates a ranked graph of your code rather than searching it. Different tools for different priorities: pick Devin Desktop for the packaged IDE experience, Empryo for structure-aware editing you control.
FAQ
Is Windsurf the same as Devin now?
Yes. Cognition (the company behind the Devin agent) acquired Windsurf in July 2025 and renamed it Devin Desktop on June 2, 2026 — windsurf.com now redirects to devin.ai. The Cascade agent was retired in July 2026 and replaced by the Rust-based Devin Local, which runs alongside Codex, Claude, and OpenCode agents via ACP interop. Empryo is independent, so its roadmap and pricing are not tied to a single vendor.
How is Empryo's editing different from Devin Local (formerly Cascade)?
Devin Local — the Rust-based agent that replaced Cascade in July 2026 — generates code as text and presents diffs you review in the IDE. Empryo edits through the AST and LSP: renames, signature changes, and moves are real structural operations applied as atomic batches and gated by typecheck. A rename is a rename across the workspace, not a regex, so edits don't break on whitespace or miss call sites.
Is Empryo free, and is Windsurf?
Empryo is free to use — you bring your own API key across 22 providers or run local models at no cost. Windsurf/Devin Desktop has a free tier, then paid plans: Pro at $20/mo, Max at $200/mo, and Teams at $80/mo plus $40 per developer. There is no bring-your-own-key option and no local models, so all model usage runs through the subscription.
Can I use Empryo without an IDE?
Yes. Empryo runs as a terminal TUI with embedded Neovim, as a native desktop app, and headless in CI with JSON output and exit codes. Windsurf/Devin Desktop is built around a full GUI IDE (with a JetBrains plugin), so it is the better fit if you specifically want an editor-centric experience.
curl -fsSL empryo.com/install.sh | bash