Pick Windsurf if
software engineers who want an agent in a VS Code-like desktop and will accept Cognition’s routing.
Read the Windsurf pageWindsurf vs Zed
Our take
Pick Windsurf if software engineers who want an agent in a VS Code-like desktop and will accept Cognition’s routing. 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.
Best for
Windsurf Changing a repo in an editor
Zed A native agent desk you start at a public $
Free plan
Windsurf $0 · limited quota
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
Windsurf Pro $20/mo
Zed Pro $10/mo
Next step up
Windsurf Max from $200/mo
Zed
Coding agent
Windsurf Devin Local
Zed Threads Sidebar
Runs where
Windsurf
Zed Desktop editor; models hosted
Watch out
Windsurf The name moved
Zed Personal has no Zed-hosted token pool
Last checked
Windsurf 2026-10-19 · windsurf.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