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Side-by-side comparison
Cursor vs Zed
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| What matters | ✏️ Cursor | 📝 Zed |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | AI code editor and coding agent for project-aware changes, task delegation, review, and connected development workflows. | Code editor for collaborative development with integrated AI, external agents, and bring-your-own-provider workflows. |
| Best for | Project-aware coding agents and reviewable code changes | Code editing and Collaboration |
| Pricing model | Free plan + paid | Free plan + paid |
| Plans | Free: $0 Plus: US$8/month Premium: US$30/month Super: US$100/month Ultra: US$200/month Teams: From US$30/user/month | Personal: $0 Pro: US$10/month |
| Free-plan limits | Free is $0 with limited agent and chat requests. Plus is $8 a month, Premium $30 (4x Plus usage), Super $100 (15x) and Ultra $200 (50x), with Teams from $30 per user a month and custom Enterprise. Third-party models are billed separately at API list price, and some plans bundle Grok and X features. | Personal is free forever and lets you use your own API keys or external agents. Pro is $10/month with unlimited edit predictions and $5 of tokens included, then usage-based billing (API list price plus 10%). Business is $30/seat/month. |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Windows, Linux, API |
| Key capabilities | Project-aware coding agents Composer Code review CLI Cloud agents on eligible plans | Code editing Collaboration AI assistance External agents Provider API keys |
| Strengths | An editor-centered workflow keeps project context and code review close together. | Open a project, select an agent or model provider, and inspect each proposed code change before applying it. |
| Limitations | Third-party models (Claude, GPT, Gemini) are not available on Free and are billed separately at API list price on paid plans Command permissions and the final patch need review; a disabled button alone may not prevent duplicate server work Plan names changed in October 2026, so older articles listing Hobby, Pro $20 and Pro+ $60 describe legacy plans | Personal is free with 2,000 accepted edit predictions. Pro is $10/month with included tokens and usage-based AI billing; your own provider can also charge separately. |
| No signup required | Not verified | Not verified |
| No credit card required | Yes | Not verified |
| Free trial | Not verified | Not verified |
| Details last reviewed | 2026-10-29 | 2026-10-06 |
| Official pricing / source | Check pricing | Check pricing |
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