Pick Cursor if
software engineers already in git who want an agent in the editor.
Read the Cursor pageCursor vs Zed
Our take
Pick Cursor if software engineers already in git who want an agent in the editor. Pick Zed if developers who will stay on Personal at $0 forever (BYO keys / Claude Agent / Codex CLI) while they open a first Threads Sidebar, then Pro at $10/month when they want Zed-hosted models and $5 of included tokens — not Business $30/seat first unless they need org AI policies / unified spend. Skip Cursor if non-developers, or
Best for
Cursor Changing a real repo
Zed A native agent desk you start at a public $
Free plan
Cursor $0 · limited Agent and Chat requests
Zed $0 · forever. Card: “The next-generation code editor. Free forever.” Unlimited use with your API keys or external agents (Claude Agent, Codex CLI, and more)
Lowest paid
Cursor Plus $8/mo · Grok models only
Zed Pro $10/mo
Next step up
Cursor Premium $30/mo · other models at API price
Zed
Coding agent
Cursor Agent + Tab inside the editor
Zed Threads Sidebar
Runs where
Cursor Desktop editor; models hosted
Zed Desktop editor; models hosted
Watch out
Cursor Plus is Grok-only
Zed Personal has no Zed-hosted token pool
Last checked
Cursor 2026-10-19 · cursor.com/pricing
Zed 2026-10-23 · zed.dev/pricing
Which one, then?
Pick Zed if
developers who will stay on Personal at $0 forever (BYO keys / Claude Agent / Codex CLI) while they open a first Threads Sidebar, then Pro at $10/month when they want Zed-hosted models and $5 of included tokens — not Business $30/seat first unless they need org AI policies / unified spend.
Read the Zed page