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Cursor vs Zed

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

Cursor logo

Cursor

AI coding agent and VS Code-based editor for multi-file edits and cloud agents

5.0(1 review)Freemium
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Verdict

Cursor and Zed are both Coding AI tools. Both have a free plan or trial. Only Cursor is available on Web and iOS.

Best overall

Cursor

  • Software engineers
  • Full-stack developers
  • Engineering teams
  • Enterprises

Choose Cursor if

  • You want a tool built for Multi-file feature work, codebase-wide refactoring, delegating tasks to background agents, reviewing pull requests.
  • Familiar VS Code-based editor with extension and keybinding support.
  • Local and cloud agents that can run in parallel on multi-file tasks.

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
Zed
Best for business
Cursor

Features

19 features compared.

  • Agents
    Cursor
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • Cloud agents
    Cursor
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • Tab and inline edits
    Cursor
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • Codebase indexing
    Cursor
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • Model choice
    Cursor
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • Bugbot code review
    Cursor
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • CLI
    Cursor
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • Slack app and iOS app
    Cursor
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • Marketplace and rules
    Cursor
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • Privacy mode
    Cursor
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • Rust-Native Performance
    Cursor
    Not available
    Zed
    Available
  • Agentic Editing
    Cursor
    Not available
    Zed
    Available
  • External Agents via ACP
    Cursor
    Not available
    Zed
    Available
  • Edit Prediction
    Cursor
    Not available
    Zed
    Available
  • Multiplayer Collaboration
    Cursor
    Not available
    Zed
    Available
  • Debugger
    Cursor
    Not available
    Zed
    Available
  • Native Git Support
    Cursor
    Not available
    Zed
    Available
  • Remote Development
    Cursor
    Not available
    Zed
    Available
  • Flexible Model Access
    Cursor
    Not available
    Zed
    Available

Pricing

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

  • Pricing model
    Cursor
    Freemium
    Zed
    Freemium
  • Free plan
    Cursor
    Yes
    Zed
    Yes
  • Starting price
    Cursor
    $0
    Zed
    $0
  • Plans
    Cursor
    7 plans
    Zed
    3 plans

Cursor plans

  • Free

    $0

    Limited usage for trying Cursor and Grok.

    • Limited usage
    • Limited chat requests
    • Limited agent requests

  • Plus

    $8/month

    Basic usage pool, Grok models only.

    • Basic shared usage pool
    • Grok models only
    • Cursor agent
    • Grok API access

  • Premium

    Most popular

    $30/month

    4x the usage of Plus, recommended for new AI users.

    • 4x Plus usage
    • Latest Grok models
    • Cloud agents and automations
    • Bugbot code reviews
    • Third-party models at API list price

  • Super

    $100/month

    15x the usage of Plus, for daily agent users.

    • 15x Plus usage
    • Everything in Premium
    • Priority model access at peak times

  • Ultra

    $200/month

    50x the usage of Plus, for power users.

    • 50x Plus usage
    • Everything in Super
    • Earliest access to new products and models

  • Teams

    $30/user/mo

    Per-seat plans with pooled admin controls; seats are Premium $30, Super $100 or Ultra $200 per user per month.

    • Premium $30
    • Super $100 or Ultra $200 seats
    • Weekly usage pool per seat
    • Centralized billing
    • Usage analytics
    • Team privacy settings
    • SAML/OIDC SSO
    • Team marketplace

  • Enterprise

    Custom/custom

    Invoicing, pooled usage and advanced security.

    • Invoice and PO billing
    • SCIM
    • Audit logs
    • Granular spend controls
    • Repository and MCP access controls
    • 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 November 2026.

Cursor
8.7overall
Zed
8.5overall

  • Inline Code Completion

    Cursor
    9.2
    Zed
    Not rated

  • Codebase Indexing & Context

    Cursor
    9.0
    Zed
    Not rated

  • Multi-file Agentic Edits

    Cursor
    9.3
    Zed
    Not rated

  • IDE & Extension Compatibility

    Cursor
    9.0
    Zed
    Not rated

  • Pricing Clarity

    Cursor
    6.8
    Zed
    Not rated

  • Ease of Use

    Cursor
    Not rated
    Zed
    8.2

  • Feature Depth

    Cursor
    Not rated
    Zed
    8.4

  • Value for Money

    Cursor
    Not rated
    Zed
    8.6

  • Performance & Speed

    Cursor
    Not rated
    Zed
    9.3

  • Documentation & Support

    Cursor
    Not rated
    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

Cursor

Pros

  • Familiar VS Code-based editor with extension and keybinding support
  • Local and cloud agents that can run in parallel on multi-file tasks
  • Choice of models from several providers, including Cursor's own
  • Covers editor, CLI, web, Slack, iOS and PR review in one product
  • Privacy mode and SOC 2 and ISO certifications for team use

Cons

  • Third-party model usage is billed separately from the plan at API list price
  • Pricing is bundled with Grok and uses weekly usage pools, which makes costs harder to predict
  • No Android app, and the iOS app only controls local agents
  • Indexing can be heavy on very large repositories

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

Integrations

Cursor

4 integrations
  • GitHub
  • Slack
  • VS Code extensions
  • MCP servers

Zed

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

Company

  • Company
    Cursor
    Anysphere
    Zed
    Zed Industries
  • Founded
    Cursor
    Not listed
    Zed
    2021
  • Headquarters
    Cursor
    San Francisco, CA
    Zed
    Not listed
  • Listing
    Cursor
    Claimed
    Zed
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is Cursor better than Zed?

It depends on your workflow. Cursor is built for Multi-file feature work, codebase-wide refactoring, delegating tasks to background agents, reviewing pull requests. 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 Cursor and Zed?

Cursor: AI coding agent and VS Code-based editor for multi-file edits and cloud agents. Zed: A fast, Rust-built code editor for coding with teammates and AI agents. Cursor is rated 5.0/5 from 1 user review.

Does Cursor or Zed have a free plan?

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

Which is cheaper, Cursor or Zed?

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