Devin is an autonomous SWE agent that runs in its own VM and takes tasks like a junior engineer. Moonshift turns one prompt into a deployed Next.js app, repo, database, and launch kit.
Each row names a real thing operators ask about. No category-coded badges, no `we win everything` rows. If Devin is better at something we say so.
Devin is an autonomous engineer that takes a ticket (bug fix, feature request, refactor) and works inside its own VM until it is done. You review the PR. Moonshift is a deterministic 14-stage pipeline that ships a deployed product end-to-end from one prompt. Devin stops at a PR you review; Moonshift stops at a live URL with a drafted launch post.
Cognition launched Devin 2.0 in May 2026 and dropped the Core tier from $500/month to $20/month + $2.25 per ACU. One ACU is roughly 15 minutes of active Devin work. This made Devin accessible to indie operators for the first time; before that the $500 floor restricted Devin to funded teams. Moonshift Hobby starts at $19/month for 5,000 moons (~7 launches); Pro is $99 for 35,000 moons (~50 launches). The two start at similar entry prices for very different jobs.
An ACU is Cognition's normalized billing unit (~15 minutes of work). Real tasks run 1-4 ACUs typically; complex refactors can run 8+. At $2.25/ACU on Core, a single substantial task is $9-20 on top of the $20 base. The Team plan ($500/mo) includes 250 ACUs at a lower $2.00/ACU rate. Moonshift's per-run moon ceiling is a hard cap enforced between pipeline phases; if an agent overshoots, the orchestrator aborts.
Cognition now owns both Devin and Windsurf (acquired Dec 2025 for $250M). The two products are converging: Devin's cloud orchestration tightens into Windsurf's editor experience over time, and Cascade gains Devin-style async runs. For Moonshift users this is largely orthogonal; Moonshift is a zero-to-deployed pipeline, not an editor or async agent.
Devin will not write your launch post, render your hero image, or stage your X thread. After Devin opens its PR, you still configure Vercel, point a domain, write the marketing copy, and ship. Moonshift's marketer agent writes a 5-tweet X thread and a long-form LinkedIn post in your voice during the build. The image-gen agent renders three card sizes. The publisher agent stages everything behind a HITL approval gate.
Public pricing as of 2026-05. Updated when either side changes.
Base subscription + $2.25 per ACU. Up to 10 concurrent sessions. Devin 2.0 entry tier; was $500 before May 2026.
Includes 250 ACUs at $2.00/ACU (slight discount). Unlimited concurrent sessions. Early access to research previews.
VPC deployment, SAML/OIDC SSO, advanced admin, teamspace isolation, dedicated account team.
5,000 welcome moons on sign-up (~7 full launches). No card. One-time grant.
5,000 moons/month (~7 launches). Every launch feature unlocked. Custom domains. Your Vercel + GitHub + Turso.
15,000 moons/month (~21 launches). Adds iterate-tab (chat-turn editing) + run scrub & replay.
35,000 moons/month (~50 launches). Adds full-mode (deeper reasoning) + cinematic landing agent included. Priority support.
Pick Moonshift when you are starting from a prompt and want a launched product on your Vercel + GitHub + Turso plus a drafted launch kit in roughly six minutes. The pipeline is tuned for zero-to-deployed.
Pick Devin when you have an existing engineering workflow and want to hand off tickets (bug fixes, refactors, small features) to an autonomous agent that runs in its own VM. Devin 2.0 (May 2026) dropped the entry price from $500 to $20/month + $2.25 per ACU, which made it accessible to indie operators for the first time.
Devin is a junior engineer on demand for an existing codebase. Moonshift is a one-shot pipeline from idea to launched product. Different categories; many teams use both.
Moonshift builds the app and drafts the launch in one run. You approve. The first user sees a post you would actually publish.
We do not pretend to win every comparison. Cursor is better for IDE work, v0 for components, Base44 for Play Store. Moonshift is the only one that ships your launch posts with the build.
