What to Use Now That GitHub Killed Workspace

Git

Hub Copilot Workspace's technical preview ended in May 2025.

If you were looking forward to its features, here are the alternatives I've tried and what actually seems to work.

The Main Alternatives

Cursor is probably closest to what Workspace promised. Been using it since around June, so about 4 months now, and it handles multi-file refactoring better than anything else I've tried. Setup is straightforward and pricing is $20/month.

What I like about Cursor:

• Works with existing VS Code setups seamlessly
• AI chat actually understands my entire codebase
• Handles complex refactoring without breaking things
• Multi-file editing that actually works instead of just pretending to

What's annoying:

• Twenty bucks a month adds up fast compared to Copilot's $10
• Sometimes suggests overly clever solutions when simple ones work fine
• AI gets pushy about code style
• like it'll argue with your linter
• Corrupted a 500-line React component file once
• lost about an hour of work tracking down what broke.

Commit often.

• Chat gets weird when you paste huge blocks of code

Windsurf has the best free tier I've found.

Used it for about a week on a JavaScript project and it handled most tasks pretty well. The collaborative features seem promising but I haven't tested them with an actual team.

What works with Windsurf:

• Free for personal use with generous limits
• Based on VS Code so the interface feels familiar
• AI understands project context surprisingly well for a free tool
• Has this "Cascade" AI agent that can work on its own (sometimes too much)

Where it falls short:

• Slower AI responses on free tier
• 10+ seconds vs Cursor's instant responses
• Some VS Code extensions don't work perfectly
• Still newer so you hit more bugs and stability issues
• TypeScript intellisense gets flaky on big projects with tons of files
• The "Cascade" agent sometimes goes nuts and changes way more than you asked for

For Quick Prototypes:

Bolt.new

Bolt.new is pretty impressive for building simple web apps.

I've used it a few times when I needed to quickly show a concept to clients.

Where Bolt.new shines:

• Turn ideas into working prototypes in minutes
• Handles React/Vue apps surprisingly well for simple stuff
• Great for landing pages and basic tools
• Instant deployment so you can share links immediately

Where it falls apart:

• Limited to basic web apps only
• No complex backend logic or database stuff
• Hard to extend beyond what it first generates

Switching from Copilot

Moved to Cursor when GitHub announced they were killing Workspace.

Import process was smooth since I was already using VS Code.

What's better:

• Multi-file refactoring doesn't break everything
• AI chat knows what I'm building
• Inline edits feel less random than regular Copilot

What I miss:

• Half the price
• Git

Hub Copilot is $10/month vs Cursor's $20

• Works better with GitHub PRs and workflows
• Copilot's autocomplete was more predictable, even if dumber

Should You Switch?

Stick with GitHub Copilot if:

• You mainly use it for basic autocomplete
• $10/month vs $20/month matters to you
• You're happy with your current workflow

Try Cursor if:

• You do complex refactoring often
• You want better AI chat integration
• You're willing to pay more for advanced features

Try Windsurf if:

• You want to test advanced AI features for free
• You work with a team and need collaboration
• You're comfortable with newer, less stable tools

Try Bolt.new if:

• You need quick web app prototypes
• You're not a full-time developer
• You prefer browser-based tools

If you were looking forward to Git

Hub Copilot Workspace, here's how I'd approach switching to one of the alternatives.

Start Simple:

Try Before You Pay

If you're happy with basic autocomplete: Just stick with regular GitHub Copilot at $10/month.

It works fine for most coding tasks.

If you want more advanced AI help: Start with Windsurf's free tier since it doesn't cost anything to try.

If you like it but need faster responses, consider upgrading or trying Cursor.

If you need quick prototypes: Bolt.new is free for basic use and surprisingly good for simple web apps.

How I Switched to Cursor

When I heard Workspace was ending, I spent a weekend trying out Cursor.

Here's what actually happened:

Setting up Cursor took about 45 minutes: 1.

Downloaded from their site (Mac, Windows, Linux all available)
2. Imported my VS Code settings

• mostly seamless but had to fix a few things

3. Most extensions worked right away, but Prettier kept crashing until I downgraded to v10.1.0
4. Started using it on a React project to test the multi-file stuff

First week was rough:

• Different keyboard shortcuts messed up my muscle memory for like a week
• AI suggestions were way pushier than Copilot
• had to learn when to ignore it
• Had to figure out when to tell it to fuck off vs when to actually listen
• Way slower the first week while learning the shortcuts and fighting with its suggestions
• It kept "fixing" working code and broke some stuff I had to revert
• Suggested some truly stupid shit, like using eval() to parse JSON.

Come on.

After getting used to it (took about 2 weeks):

• Multi-file refactoring actually works without breaking imports
• this was huge
• AI chat knows what the hell my project is about instead of just guessing
• Worth the extra cost when working on bigger stuff, probably not for simple projects
• More productive once I stopped fighting with it and learned its quirks

What to Expect When Switching

From GitHub Copilot to Cursor:

• Import process is pretty smooth if you use VS Code
• Expect to be slower for about two weeks if you're stubborn like me
• Different AI behavior
• way more context-aware but also way more opinionated

From VS Code to Windsurf:

• Interface is familiar since it's basically VS Code with AI bolted on
• Some extensions might not work perfectly
• Free tier is limited but functional

From any IDE to Bolt.new:

• Completely different
• browser-based tool for web apps
• Great for prototypes, not for serious development
• Learning curve is minimal

Common Issues I Ran Into

Cursor problems I've hit:

• Overwrites working code with "better" solutions you didn't fucking ask for
• Twenty bucks a month gets expensive when you're paying for other tools too
• Super pushy about formatting
• it'll fight with your prettier config
• Memory usage jumps from 500MB to 2GB+ on big TypeScript projects
• needed 16GB RAM minimum
• Gets slow and crashes when you have like 50+ files open.

Learn to close tabs.

Windsurf issues I've noticed:

• Free tier responses take about 10 seconds instead of Cursor's 2 seconds
• Newer tool so you hit more bugs and weird behavior
• Haven't used the team stuff enough to know if it actually works
• Language server crashes with "EMFILE: too many open files" on big projects
• had to increase ulimit
• Free tier kicks you out if you're idle too long, which is annoying

Bolt.new limitations:

• Only works for simple web apps
• Hard to customize beyond what it generates
• Can't handle complex backend logic

Is It Worth Switching?

Switch to Cursor if:

• You do lots of refactoring or work with large codebases
• The extra $10/month isn't a big deal
• You want the best AI chat integration available

Try Windsurf if:

• You want to test advanced features without paying
• You work with a team and need collaboration
• You're curious about newer AI coding tools

Use Bolt.new if:

• You need quick web prototypes
• You're not a full-time developer
• You want to impress clients with rapid prototyping

Stick with GitHub Copilot if:

• It already works well for you
• Price matters ($10 vs $20)
• You're integrated into Git

Hub workflows

Honestly, most devs are probably fine with regular Copilot. These alternatives are better if you're doing complex refactoring or need the AI to actually understand your codebase. But they're not magic

• just slightly better versions of what we already have.