Home / AI Code Editors /
AI Code Editors · Research-based score

Zed

The fastest code editor, now with a built-in AI layer.

Zed — The fastest code editor, now with a built-in AI layer. Pricing: Free Personal plan (2,000 edit predictions/mo, unlimited with your own API keys); Pro from $10/mo. Our take: The speed pick: a superb editor first, with a clean and honest AI layer on top. If you value raw performance and model freedom over the most agentic IDE, Zed is the one.

Visit official site →

Compare Zed with another tool →

8.5/10

At a glance

Vendor
Zed Industries
Pricing
Free Personal plan (2,000 edit predictions/mo, unlimited with your own API keys); Pro from $10/mo
Free tier
Yes
Best for
The fastest code editor, now with a built-in AI layer.

Our verdict

The speed pick: a superb editor first, with a clean and honest AI layer on top. If you value raw performance and model freedom over the most agentic IDE, Zed is the one.

Pricing: Free Personal plan (2,000 edit predictions/mo, unlimited with your own API keys); Pro from $10/mo · Vendor: Zed Industries

Scores

★★★★☆8.5/10
Ease Of Use7/10
Output Quality8/10
Speed10/10
Value9/10

Pros & cons

Pros

  • Fastest editor in its class (Rust, GPU-accelerated)
  • Excellent BYOK story — unlimited AI with your own keys
  • Open-source editor with a real free tier
  • MCP and external agents (Claude Code, Codex) built in

Cons

  • Extension ecosystem far smaller than VS Code's
  • Less AI-native than Cursor or Windsurf
  • Hosted model usage is token-billed on top of Pro
📡 On our radar: we re-check this tool's pricing and feature set against official sources on a rolling basis. Last site-wide refresh: 2026-11-09. Prices change fast — confirm on the official site before buying.

FAQ

Is Zed worth it?

The speed pick: a superb editor first, with a clean and honest AI layer on top. If you value raw performance and model freedom over the most agentic IDE, Zed is the one.

How much does Zed cost?

Free Personal plan (2,000 edit predictions/mo, unlimited with your own API keys); Pro from $10/mo. Prices change — check the official site for the latest.

What is Zed best for?

The fastest code editor, now with a built-in AI layer.

Head-to-head comparisons

Related tools

AI Code Editors
● Tracked

Cursor

The AI-first code editor built for pair-programming with AI.

★★★★☆8.5/10
Read review →
AI Code Editors
● Tracked

Windsurf (now Devin Desktop)

The agentic IDE formerly known as Windsurf — now Devin Desktop.

★★★★☆8.0/10
Read review →
AI Code Editors
● Tracked

JetBrains AI

Native AI for IntelliJ, PyCharm, and the JetBrains family.

★★★★☆8.0/10
Read review →
AI Code Editors
● Tracked

Kiro

Spec-driven AI IDE from AWS: plan in structured specs, then ship production-ready code.

★★★★☆7.5/10
Read review →
AI Code Editors
● Tracked

Cline

Open-source autonomous coding agent that lives in your IDE, terminal, or SDK.

★★★★☆7.8/10
Read review →