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Amp vs Zed

Features, pricing, ratings, and pros and cons, side by side.

Verdict

Amp and Zed are both Coding AI tools. Zed scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.5 vs 7.9 out of 10), led by ease of use and value for money. Both have a free plan or trial. Only Amp is available on Web and offers an API.

Best overall

Zed

  • Software Engineers
  • Development Teams
  • Open-Source Contributors
  • Developers who prefer lightweight native editors

Choose Amp if

  • You want a tool built for Long-running agent tasks that continue unattended, parallel agent threads without managing worktrees, teams sharing an agent session.
  • Per-thread cloud orbs let agents keep running unattended without worktree or port conflicts.
  • Free Hobby tier includes all product features, with bring-your-own-key and own-runner options.

Choose Zed if

  • You want a tool built for fast native editing, running AI agents alongside a conventional editor, real-time pair programming.
  • Native Rust application designed for low-latency editing on multiple cores and the GPU.
  • Free Personal plan with unlimited use of your own API keys or external agents.
Best for beginners
Amp
Best for business
Amp

Features

18 features compared.

  • Orbs
    Amp
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • Portals
    Amp
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • Event-driven wake-ups
    Amp
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • Multiplayer
    Amp
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • Changes tab
    Amp
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • The Dial
    Amp
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • Puck
    Amp
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • CLI and runners
    Amp
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • amp sync
    Amp
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • Rust-Native Performance
    Amp
    Not available
    Zed
    Available
  • Agentic Editing
    Amp
    Not available
    Zed
    Available
  • External Agents via ACP
    Amp
    Not available
    Zed
    Available
  • Edit Prediction
    Amp
    Not available
    Zed
    Available
  • Multiplayer Collaboration
    Amp
    Not available
    Zed
    Available
  • Debugger
    Amp
    Not available
    Zed
    Available
  • Native Git Support
    Amp
    Not available
    Zed
    Available
  • Remote Development
    Amp
    Not available
    Zed
    Available
  • Flexible Model Access
    Amp
    Not available
    Zed
    Available

Pricing

Plans as listed by each vendor. Check their sites for current prices.

  • Pricing model
    Amp
    Freemium
    Zed
    Freemium
  • Free plan
    Amp
    Yes
    Zed
    Yes
  • Starting price
    Amp
    $0
    Zed
    $0
  • Plans
    Amp
    4 plans
    Zed
    3 plans

Amp plans

  • Hobby

    $0

    Free tier with all product features

    • Pay-as-you-go orbs
    • free own runners
    • bring your own keys
    • public and private repositories

  • Individual (Megawatt)

    $20/month

    Paid individual tier with included orb time

    • 45,000 minutes of orb time
    • bring your own keys
    • no Amp token fees or limits
    • custom domains for portals
    • sticker pack

  • Teams

    $0/user/mo

    No extra charge; members hold Hobby, Megawatt or Gigawatt tiers

    • Thread sharing
    • multiplayer
    • permissions
    • shared portals
    • plugins and skills
    • user analytics
    • pooled credits
    • SAML/OIDC SSO

  • Enterprise

    Custom/custom

    Pooled credits for large organizations

    • SCIM sync
    • spend limits
    • audit logs
    • MCP access controls
    • IP allowlisting
    • regional endpoints
    • priority support

Zed plans

  • Personal

    $0

    Free editor with your own API keys or external agents

    • Unlimited use with own API keys
    • External agents
    • No hosted AI

  • Pro

    Most popular

    $10/month

    Individuals who want Zed-hosted models and edit predictions

    • Unlimited edit predictions
    • $5 hosted token credit
    • Usage billing beyond credit

  • Business

    $30/user/mo

    Teams that need AI policy and data controls

    • Org-wide AI model policies
    • Data governance controls
    • Unified spend visibility
    • Unlimited edit predictions
    • Role-based access

Our ratings

Scored out of 10 by the Finder Atlas editorial team. Last reviewed October 2026.

Amp
7.9overall
Zed
8.5overall

Amp leads in 1 category and Zed in 3, with 1 tied.

  • Ease of Use

    Zed leads by 0.7
    Amp
    7.5
    Zed
    8.2

  • Feature Depth

    Amp leads by 0.1
    Amp
    8.5
    Zed
    8.4

  • Value for Money

    Zed leads by 1.1
    Amp
    7.5
    Zed
    8.6

  • Performance & Speed

    Zed leads by 1.3
    Amp
    8.0
    Zed
    9.3

  • Documentation & Support

    Tied
    Amp
    8.0
    Zed
    8.0

Scores weigh documented features, plan value, platform coverage, integrations and user feedback. A missing score means we have not rated that area yet.

Pros and cons

Amp

Pros

  • Per-thread cloud orbs let agents keep running unattended without worktree or port conflicts.
  • Free Hobby tier includes all product features, with bring-your-own-key and own-runner options.
  • Works across web, Mac, terminal and CI runners, with event triggers from Linear, GitHub and schedules.
  • Multiplayer orbs let teammates share an agent, terminal and running app.
  • Teams plan adds SSO, pooled credits and shared model routing at no extra seat charge.

Cons

  • The Mac app requires macOS 26 or later and the Mac and iOS apps are labelled beta.
  • No App Store iOS release yet; mobile access is through TestFlight.
  • Orb rates, overage behaviour and Gigawatt pricing are not published on the pricing page.
  • Pay-as-you-go orbs on the free tier make costs less predictable than a flat subscription.

Zed

Pros

  • Native Rust application designed for low-latency editing on multiple cores and the GPU.
  • Free Personal plan with unlimited use of your own API keys or external agents.
  • Supports external agents through ACP and MCP rather than locking users to one agent.
  • Built-in multiplayer collaboration, debugger, Git and remote development.
  • Source code is public on GitHub.

Cons

  • No web or mobile version; the README lists web as not yet available.
  • Hosted AI requires a paid plan, billed at API list price plus 10%.
  • Business plan SSO, SAML and SCIM are planned but not yet available.
  • Extension library is described on the site as hundreds of extensions, so niche tooling may need workarounds.

Platforms

  • Web
    Amp
    Supported
    Zed
    Not supported
  • Windows
    Amp
    Supported
    Zed
    Supported
  • macOS
    Amp
    Supported
    Zed
    Supported
  • iOS
    Amp
    Not supported
    Zed
    Not supported
  • Android
    Amp
    Not supported
    Zed
    Not supported
  • API
    Amp
    Supported
    Zed
    Not supported
  • Browser Extension
    Amp
    Not supported
    Zed
    Not supported
  • Linux
    Amp
    Supported
    Zed
    Supported
  • CLI
    Amp
    Supported
    Zed
    Supported

Integrations

Amp

11 integrations
  • Linear
  • GitHub
  • Slack
  • MCP
  • VS Code
  • Cursor
  • Windsurf
  • Zed
  • Neovim
  • ChatGPT subscription
  • Claude subscription

Zed

9 integrations
  • Claude Agent
  • Codex
  • OpenCode
  • MCP servers
  • Language Server Protocol
  • Debug Adapter Protocol
  • Jupyter
  • Git
  • GitHub

Company

  • Company
    Amp
    Amp Frontier Corporation
    Zed
    Zed Industries
  • Founded
    Amp
    2025
    Zed
    2021
  • Headquarters
    Amp
    San Francisco, CA
    Zed
    Not listed
  • Listing
    Amp
    Claimed
    Zed
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is Amp better than Zed?

It depends on your workflow. Amp is built for Long-running agent tasks that continue unattended, parallel agent threads without managing worktrees, teams sharing an agent session. Zed is built for fast native editing, running AI agents alongside a conventional editor, real-time pair programming.

What are the key feature differences between Amp and Zed?

Amp: Coding agent that runs in cloud orbs and keeps working after you close your laptop. Zed: A fast, Rust-built code editor for coding with teammates and AI agents.

Does Amp or Zed have a free plan?

Yes, both do. Amp is freemium and Zed is freemium, and each has a free plan or trial.

Which is cheaper, Amp or Zed?

Both can be used for free. Paid plans differ in limits and features, so compare the tiers in the pricing table above.