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 want a fast native editor and will either paste a key (Personal) or pay $10 for Zed-hosted models. Skip Cursor if non-developers, or teams that cannot send code to a third-party model API. Skip Zed if people who want a VS Code fork with Tab (Cursor) or a browser workspace (Replit).
Best for
Cursor Changing a real repo
Zed Edit a repo from an agent thread next to the buffer
Free plan
Cursor $0 · limited Agent and Chat requests
Zed $0 · forever. Unlimited use with your API keys or external agents
Lowest paid
Cursor Plus $8/mo · Grok models only
Zed Pro $10
Next step up
Cursor Premium $30/mo · other models at API price
Zed Business $30
Coding agent
Cursor Agent + Tab inside the editor
Zed Codex
Runs where
Cursor Desktop editor; models hosted
Zed Hosted
Watch out
Cursor Plus is Grok-only
Zed $10 is Pro, not Personal
Last checked
Cursor 2026-10-19 · cursor.com/pricing
Zed 2026-10-21 · zed.dev/pricing
Which one, then?
Pick Zed if
developers who want a fast native editor and will either paste a key (Personal) or pay $10 for Zed-hosted models.
Read the Zed page