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Kilo Code vs Zed

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

Verdict

Kilo Code and Zed are both Coding AI tools. Zed scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.5 vs 8.0 out of 10), led by ease of use and value for money. Both have a free plan or trial. Only Kilo Code is available on Web, iOS and Android.

Best overall

Zed

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

Choose Kilo Code if

  • You want a tool built for developers who want to choose their own models and providers, pay provider rates without markup, and keep an auditable open-source agent inside their existing IDE.
  • MIT-licensed and open source, with a public GitHub repository of more than 27,000 stars.
  • Access to 500+ models across 60+ providers with no stated inference markup.

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
Kilo Code
Best for business
Kilo Code

Features

18 features compared.

  • Multi-Environment Agent
    Kilo Code
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • 500+ Models
    Kilo Code
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • Auto Model
    Kilo Code
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • Specialised Modes
    Kilo Code
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • MCP Support
    Kilo Code
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • Cloud Agents and Code Review
    Kilo Code
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • Parallel Agent Management
    Kilo Code
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • Mobile Companion App
    Kilo Code
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • Open Source and Transparent
    Kilo Code
    Available
    Zed
    Not available
  • Rust-Native Performance
    Kilo Code
    Not available
    Zed
    Available
  • Agentic Editing
    Kilo Code
    Not available
    Zed
    Available
  • External Agents via ACP
    Kilo Code
    Not available
    Zed
    Available
  • Edit Prediction
    Kilo Code
    Not available
    Zed
    Available
  • Multiplayer Collaboration
    Kilo Code
    Not available
    Zed
    Available
  • Debugger
    Kilo Code
    Not available
    Zed
    Available
  • Native Git Support
    Kilo Code
    Not available
    Zed
    Available
  • Remote Development
    Kilo Code
    Not available
    Zed
    Available
  • Flexible Model Access
    Kilo Code
    Not available
    Zed
    Available

Pricing

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

  • Pricing model
    Kilo Code
    Freemium
    Zed
    Freemium
  • Free plan
    Kilo Code
    Yes
    Zed
    Yes
  • Starting price
    Kilo Code
    $0
    Zed
    $0
  • Plans
    Kilo Code
    3 plans
    Zed
    3 plans

Kilo Code plans

  • Free & Open Source

    Most popular

    $0

    Open-source extensions for individuals, with model usage billed separately

    • VS Code
    • JetBrains and CLI extensions
    • agentic coding
    • code completion and generation
    • any AI model
    • BYOK or local models

  • Teams

    $15/user/mo

    Shared tooling and billing for engineering teams

    • Everything in Free
    • usage analytics
    • AI adoption score
    • shared custom agents
    • centralised billing
    • shared BYOK
    • data privacy controls
    • priority support

  • Enterprise

    Custom/custom

    Governance and support for larger organisations

    • Everything in Teams
    • model and provider limits
    • shared private gateway BYOK
    • audit logs
    • SSO/OIDC/SCIM
    • SLA commitments
    • dedicated 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.

Kilo Code
8.0overall
Zed
8.5overall

Kilo Code leads in 1 category and Zed in 4.

  • Ease of Use

    Zed leads by 0.4
    Kilo Code
    7.8
    Zed
    8.2

  • Feature Depth

    Kilo Code leads by 0.2
    Kilo Code
    8.6
    Zed
    8.4

  • Value for Money

    Zed leads by 0.2
    Kilo Code
    8.4
    Zed
    8.6

  • Performance & Speed

    Zed leads by 1.5
    Kilo Code
    7.8
    Zed
    9.3

  • Documentation & Support

    Zed leads by 0.4
    Kilo Code
    7.6
    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

Kilo Code

Pros

  • MIT-licensed and open source, with a public GitHub repository of more than 27,000 stars.
  • Access to 500+ models across 60+ providers with no stated inference markup.
  • Works in VS Code, JetBrains and the terminal, plus cloud agents, Slack and mobile.
  • Supports bring-your-own-key and local models, which avoids lock-in to one provider.
  • Teams plan is $15 per user per month with shared agents and analytics.

Cons

  • Costs are usage-based, so spend is less predictable than a flat subscription.
  • A 5% processing fee applies to credit purchases.
  • Trustpilot reviewers report billing and refund disputes, including an unexpected renewal charge and a declined refund on purchased credits.
  • The desktop app is in beta, and some reviewers cite bugs and rate-limit issues.

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
    Kilo Code
    Supported
    Zed
    Not supported
  • Windows
    Kilo Code
    Supported
    Zed
    Supported
  • macOS
    Kilo Code
    Supported
    Zed
    Supported
  • iOS
    Kilo Code
    Supported
    Zed
    Not supported
  • Android
    Kilo Code
    Supported
    Zed
    Not supported
  • API
    Kilo Code
    Not supported
    Zed
    Not supported
  • Browser Extension
    Kilo Code
    Not supported
    Zed
    Not supported
  • Linux
    Kilo Code
    Supported
    Zed
    Supported
  • VS Code Extension
    Kilo Code
    Supported
    Zed
    Not supported
  • JetBrains Plugin
    Kilo Code
    Supported
    Zed
    Not supported
  • CLI
    Kilo Code
    Supported
    Zed
    Supported
  • Slack App
    Kilo Code
    Supported
    Zed
    Not supported

Integrations

Kilo Code

9 integrations
  • VS Code
  • Cursor
  • Windsurf
  • JetBrains
  • Slack
  • GitHub
  • MCP
  • Ollama
  • LM Studio

Zed

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

Company

  • Company
    Kilo Code
    Kilo Code, Inc.
    Zed
    Zed Industries
  • Founded
    Kilo Code
    2025
    Zed
    2021
  • Monthly users
    Kilo Code
    5M+
    Zed
    Not listed
  • Listing
    Kilo Code
    Claimed
    Zed
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is Kilo Code better than Zed?

It depends on your workflow. Kilo Code is built for developers who want to choose their own models and providers, pay provider rates without markup, and keep an auditable open-source agent inside their existing IDE. 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 Kilo Code and Zed?

Kilo Code: Open-source AI coding agent for VS Code, JetBrains and CLI with 500+ models. Zed: A fast, Rust-built code editor for coding with teammates and AI agents.

Does Kilo Code or Zed have a free plan?

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

Which is cheaper, Kilo Code or Zed?

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