I Blew $400 Testing These AI Code Tools So You Don't Have To

Look, I've been using all three tools for months because I'm apparently a masochist.

Here's what happens when you actually try to build real shit with them, not the polished demos they show you.

Cursor: Great AI, Terrible Everything Else

Cursor looks amazing in demos.

Claude 4 gives genuinely smart suggestions, and when it works, it's magic. But holy shit, the crashes.

What actually breaks:

• Agent Mode gets halfway through and just... gives up.

Deletes your functions and says "refactoring complete!"

• You're constantly playing file detective with those @symbols
• They jacked up pricing in September
• now it's $20 base + token costs when Auto mode goes crazy
• Extensions randomly break after updates. Vim mode?

Good luck.

• RAM usage is insane
• my 16GB MacBook sounds like a jet engine

War story: I was refactoring a React component tree at 2AM (classic mistake).

Cursor started strong, then completely lost its mind and deleted my entire src/components folder. Just... gone. Spent the next 2 hours recovering from Git while questioning my career choices.

There's a whole Reddit thread about this exact bug.

Use Cursor if:

• You're debugging weird shit at 3AM and need Claude 4's brain
• You have 16GB+ RAM and accept that it'll crash during demos
• You can tolerate 1995-era file management
• Your budget can handle surprise token bills

Don't use Cursor if:

• You want tools that don't crash during important work
• You're broke (free tier lasts maybe 2 days)
• File hunting drives you insane

Windsurf:

Pretty but Shallow

Windsurf is what happens when designers make a coding tool.

Everything looks pretty and works great... until you try building something that isn't a todo app.

What actually works:

• Setup is brain-dead easy
• just imports your VS Code stuff
• One-click deploy to their subdomain actually works (for simple shit)
• $15/month won't break your budget
• UI makes Cursor look like it was designed by programmers (not a compliment)

What breaks when things get real:

• Any project over 50 files?

Crash city.

• "Smart" context includes your entire node_modules. Thanks, I love 500MB of dependencies in my context.
• Gemini is fast at being wrong. Claude costs extra because apparently good AI is expensive.
• Deploy anything with environment variables? Good fucking luck.

War story: Built a Next.js app with auth.

Windsurf deployed it in like 30 seconds

• felt like magic! Then I needed database env vars.

Spent 3 hours in their custom config hell before giving up and using Vercel like a normal person.

Use Windsurf if:

• You're learning and need training wheels
• You're prototyping simple apps
• Gemini's mediocre suggestions are good enough

Don't use Windsurf if:

• Your codebase has actual complexity
• You need AI that doesn't suggest broken imports
• You deploy real applications to production

Claude Code:

Smart but Expensive as Hell

Claude Code is what happens when AI researchers build a tool for other AI researchers.

It's terminal-only because apparently GUIs are for weaklings. The AI is genuinely smart, but your credit card will hate you.

What's genuinely good:

• The AI is actually smart
• like, scary smart
• Security reviews caught 3 real bugs that would've bit us in prod
• 200K context that doesn't just forget your conversation halfway through
• Never crashes because there's nothing to crash

What'll make you cry:

• $17/month gets you "basic" usage (lol) with weekly limits they added in August
• $100/month for real usage, but still has weekly limits because apparently $100 isn't enough
• No autocomplete, no syntax highlighting, just you and a terminal like it's 1985
• Good luck if your internet goes out
• this thing is 100% cloud

War story: Had a memory leak in our Go service that was driving me insane.

Claude Code looked at 40 files, found the exact goroutine leak, and gave me the fix in 10 minutes.

Same thing would've taken me half a day. Cost me $30 in usage for that session, which hurt, but honestly worth it to not spend my weekend debugging.

Use Claude Code if:

• You live in the terminal already
• You can expense $100-200/month
• You debug complex shit that makes other AIs cry
• You value brains over pretty interfaces

Don't use Claude Code if:

• You need syntax highlighting (terminal only, deal with it)
• You're broke or have a normal job
• You point and click instead of typing commands

The Brutal Truth

If you're broke: Bounce between free tiers like a degenerate gambler.

Windsurf until you hit limits, then Cursor until it crashes, repeat.

If you're learning: Windsurf for a few months until you realize it's holding you back.

If you're experienced and enjoy suffering: Cursor with Claude 4.

The AI is brilliant when it's not deleting your code.

If you have fuck-you money: Claude Code Max plan.

Expensive as hell but actually works.

If you want my actual advice: Just use GitHub Copilot + ChatGPT Plus ($30 total). Stop chasing shiny objects.

Look, all three tools are solving problems that don't exist while creating new ones. They promise 10x productivity but deliver 1.1x productivity with 10x the headaches. Pick based on which type of pain you can tolerate, not which demo impressed you most.

Forget the polished demos. Here's what happens when you're actually trying to ship code.

Which AI Model Sucks Less?

I've been daily driving all these models for months. Here's what they actually feel like when you're debugging at 2AM.

Cursor models:

• Claude 4 is genuinely smart - figured out a React state bug that had me banging my head against the wall for 3 hours
• GPT-4 gives you the same Stack Overflow answers you could've found yourself
• Gemini is fast at being wrong - suggests obvious fixes that miss the actual problem
• Catch: Switching models burns credits, so you're stuck with your choice

Windsurf's Gemini:

• Fast and confident about being wrong
• Fine for basic CRUD stuff, useless for anything interesting
• You can bring your own Claude API key, but then why use Windsurf?
• Reality: Optimized for speed over being right - you'll waste time fixing its confident mistakes

Claude Code models:

• Consistently the smartest - actually understands complex architecture decisions
• Doesn't randomly suggest breaking changes like the others
• Security mode caught 3 production bugs that would've fucked us later
• Downside: No model choice - you get what Anthropic gives you

Context Management: Where They All Shit The Bed

Every single one of these tools has the same fundamental problem: they forget what the hell you're working on. Here's how each one fails:

Cursor's @file bullshit:

• You spend half your time playing file detective with @symbols
• Miss one file? Enjoy completely irrelevant suggestions
• @codebase includes everything and burns through tokens like a crypto miner
• Reality: You waste more time managing context than coding

Windsurf's \"smart\" context:

• Sometimes nails exactly what you need
• Sometimes includes 2GB of node_modules because why not
• \"Memories\" feature has Alzheimer's - forgets everything between sessions
• Classic failure: Works perfectly for 2 hours, then suddenly thinks you're building a different app

Claude Code's black box:

• 200K tokens sounds huge until you hit the wall mid-conversation
• No idea what's in context - it's a complete mystery
• Restart from scratch every few hours when it fills up
• Killer: Zero persistence between sessions

Speed Tests That Actually Matter

Forget synthetic benchmarks. Here's what matters in real development:

Startup speed:

• Cursor: 30 seconds to load, 5 more minutes for extensions to stop fucking up
• Windsurf: Loads in 15 seconds and actually works immediately
• Claude Code: Instant because it's just a terminal command

How long you wait for answers:

• Cursor: 10-30 seconds for simple shit, 2+ minutes to think about hard problems
• Windsurf: Fast on easy stuff, gives up on anything complex
• Claude Code: Consistently 5-15 seconds no matter what you throw at it

Battery murder (2019 MacBook Pro):

• Cursor: 2 hours with Agent Mode before the battery dies screaming
• Windsurf: 3-4 hours of normal usage
• Claude Code: 4-6 hours because terminals don't need fancy graphics

RAM consumption:

• Cursor: 2-4GB, laptop fan goes brrrr
• Windsurf: 1-2GB, actually reasonable
• Claude Code: 50MB because it's just text in a terminal

Integration Nightmares Nobody Tells You About

VS Code extensions that break:

• Cursor: Vim extensions have weird conflicts, Prettier sometimes doesn't work
• Windsurf: Most popular extensions work fine, but some debugging extensions are flaky
• Claude Code: No extensions because it's terminal-only, deal with it

Git integration problems:

• Cursor: Sometimes suggests changes to files not tracked by Git
• Windsurf: One-click deployment ignores your .gitignore file
• Claude Code: Works fine because it doesn't try to be clever about Git

Deployment reality check:

• Cursor: You're on your own - back to Vercel/Netlify like a caveman
• Windsurf: One-click works for simple apps, breaks with environment variables, databases, or any real complexity
• Claude Code: Assumes you know Docker, AWS, and have unlimited cloud budget

The Five Stages of AI Tool Grief

Week 1: "Holy shit, this is the future!"
Week 2: "Why does it crash every time I need it?"
Month 1: "I spend more time fighting this tool than coding"
Month 3: "Maybe Copilot wasn't so bad..."
Month 6: "I just blew $400 to be less productive. Great."

Actual performance ranking:

1. Claude Code - Expensive but doesn't randomly break
2. Windsurf - Good for beginners until they hit the wall
3. Cursor - Brilliant AI in a house of cards

Here's the thing: they're all beta products cosplaying as production tools. Every dev I talk to has the same arc - amazing demos, daily disappointment.

After wasting $400 and 6 months of my life, here's the guidance you actually need.

I spent $400 and half a year testing these tools so you don't have to. Here's what actually matters for your decision - hint: it's not which one has the fanciest AI.

Don't Pick Cursor If...

You need tools that work when you need them. Cursor crashes at the worst possible moments - middle of debugging prod issues, during client demos, right before deployments.

The AI is genuinely brilliant when it's not shitting the bed, but that's a big "when." You'll waste hours playing @file detective, and Agent Mode will randomly delete functions while proudly announcing it "improved" your code.

Real talk: If you already have anger issues, Cursor will send you over the edge.

Don't Pick Windsurf If...

You build real applications. Windsurf is great for bootcamp projects and "my first React app" tutorials. The second you need environment variables, authentication, or anything production-ready, you hit a brick wall.

The one-click deploy is impressive until you need actual features. I wasted 3 hours trying to deploy a Next.js app with a database before giving up and using Vercel like a normal person.

Real talk: Perfect for learning, useless for shipping.

Don't Pick Claude Code If...

You're broke or need modern conveniences. $100-200/month is fucking ridiculous for most developers. The AI is genuinely the smartest I've used - caught 3 production bugs that would've killed us - but the price is insane.

If you're used to syntax highlighting, autocomplete, and visual debugging, going back to pure terminal feels like coding in the Stone Age. Even the $17 "basic" plan has weekly limits that make it barely usable.

Real talk: Great AI, but you'll pay through the nose for it.

What I Actually Recommend

If you're learning: Try Windsurf for a few months, then graduate to GitHub Copilot when you outgrow it. Don't waste $400 testing everything like I did.

If you're experienced: Just use GitHub Copilot + ChatGPT Plus ($30 total). Stop chasing shiny objects that promise to revolutionize your workflow.

If you have stupid money: Claude Code Max is genuinely impressive, but the new weekly limits make it less appealing than before.

If you enjoy pain: Get Cursor and prepare for the most toxic relationship of your career.

The Uncomfortable Truth

All three tools are solving the wrong fucking problem. Instead of cramming more AI features, they should make them actually work. I don't need a million tokens if it crashes every hour. I don't need one-click deployment if it only works for hello world apps.

The truth: These are demo tools pretending to be daily drivers. They promise 10x productivity but deliver 1.1x productivity with 10x the frustration.

What I Actually Use Now

After this whole experiment, I went crawling back to:

• VS Code with vim mode (doesn't randomly crash)
• GitHub Copilot ($10/month, boring but works)
• ChatGPT Plus ($20/month for hard problems)
• Total: $30/month, zero surprises

I keep Claude Code around for security reviews ($17/month basic) and use it maybe twice a month. The Max plan isn't worth it with the new limits.

Stop Overthinking This

Pick one, use it for a month, move on with your life. You're spending more time researching AI tools than you'll ever save using them.

The best AI coding tool is the one you'll actually stick with, not the one with the coolest demo or smartest AI.

Just ship your fucking code. The tool matters way less than you think.