GitHub Copilot
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GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered coding assistant that works across multiple environments including IDEs, terminals, and GitHub itself
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Zed
Blazing-fast, open-source code editor with built-in AI agents and real-time collaboration
Free plan Free trial Claimed API Teams
Toolglade’s take
Zed is one of the few genuinely fast, open-source editors that treats AI as a first-class citizen without locking you in. If you want a free, keyboard-driven alternative to VS Code or Cursor and prefer bringing your own AI keys or agents, it is a compelling pick.
About Zed
Zed is a free, open-source, Rust-built code editor with built-in AI agents, Claude-powered edit prediction, and real-time collaboration. The editor is free forever, while paid Pro ($10/month) and Business ($30/seat/month) plans add Zed-hosted AI models and team governance. Developers can also bring their own API keys or external agents at no extra cost.
Zed is a next-generation code editor built from scratch in Rust by Zed Industries, the team behind the Atom editor and the Tree-sitter parsing library. It is engineered for speed, using GPU-accelerated rendering to deliver sub-millisecond keystroke latency, and it bakes real-time collaboration directly into the core, so developers can share projects, follow one another's cursors, and pair-program with voice and screen sharing without any extensions. The editor itself is fully open source under a copyleft license (GPL for the client, AGPL for server components). On top of the editor, Zed layers AI-native workflows: an integrated assistant, Claude-powered Edit Prediction, and an agentic mode for multi-file tasks. Through the Agent Client Protocol (ACP), Zed can run external agents such as Claude Agent, Codex CLI, and Gemini CLI inside its native UI, and it supports MCP (Model Context Protocol) tools and bring-your-own-key access to Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and local models. Users can stay entirely on the free Personal plan with their own API keys, or subscribe to Pro or Business for Zed-hosted models and team-level governance.
TL;DR
Zed is a blazing-fast, open-source code editor written in Rust with built-in AI agents, edit prediction, and real-time collaboration. The editor is free forever, with paid Pro ($10/month) and Business ($30/seat/month) plans adding Zed-hosted AI models and team governance. It is built by Zed Industries, the team behind Atom and Tree-sitter, and backed by a $32M Series B led by Sequoia. It appeals to developers who value performance, openness, and flexible, non-locked-in AI.
Company overview
Zed is built by Zed Industries, Inc., founded by Nathan Sobo, Antonio Scandurra, and Max Brunsfeld, the engineers who previously created the Atom text editor and the Tree-sitter incremental parsing library at GitHub. The company set out to build a next-generation, high-performance code editor from scratch in Rust, open-sourcing the project in 2024. Its mission centers on collaborative, AI-native coding delivered through open standards rather than proprietary lock-in.
In August 2025, Zed Industries raised a $32 million Series B led by Sequoia Capital, bringing total funding to over $42 million. Participating investors included Redpoint Ventures, Root Ventures, Matchstick Ventures, V1.VC, and angels such as Dylan Field (Figma) and Tom Preston-Werner (GitHub).
Product features
Zed's core is a GPU-accelerated, multi-language code editor with Tree-sitter-powered syntax handling, LSP support, and sub-millisecond input latency. Real-time collaboration is built in, including shared projects, follow mode, voice chat, screen sharing, and persistent channels, with no extensions required.
On the AI side, Zed provides an integrated assistant, Claude-powered Edit Prediction, and an agentic mode for multi-file tasks. Through the Agent Client Protocol (ACP) it can host external agents like Claude Agent, Codex CLI, and Gemini CLI in its native UI, and it supports MCP tools plus bring-your-own-key access to Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Bedrock, Mistral, DeepSeek, OpenRouter, and local models via Ollama and LM Studio. Zed-hosted models are available on Pro and Business plans.
Target market
Zed targets professional software developers and engineering teams who prioritize editor performance, openness, and flexible AI. This includes individual developers seeking a fast, free, open-source alternative to VS Code and Cursor; distributed teams that need native real-time collaboration and pair programming; Rust and systems programmers; and organizations that want centralized AI governance while allowing developers to bring their own keys or agents.
Buyer personas
End users
Professional developers, especially performance-conscious engineers, Rust and systems programmers, and open-source enthusiasts who want a fast, keyboard-driven editor with optional AI assistance and native collaboration.
Buyers
Individual developers subscribing to Pro for hosted AI, and engineering managers or team leads purchasing Business seats for org-wide AI policies, data governance, and unified billing.
Key influencers
Senior engineers and tech leads evaluating editor tooling, developer-experience and platform teams standardizing on AI coding tools, and security or compliance stakeholders concerned with data governance and AI model policies.
Ideal customer profile
A modern, developer-led software team that values speed and open-source tooling, practices real-time collaboration or remote pair programming, and wants flexible, non-locked-in AI coding with optional centralized governance over hosted models and data sharing.
Funding & performance
$32M Series B led by Sequoia Capital, announced August 2025, bringing total funding to over $42M. Other investors include Redpoint Ventures, Root Ventures, Matchstick Ventures, V1.VC, and angels Dylan Field and Tom Preston-Werner.
Pros & cons
Pros
- Exceptional performance thanks to Rust and GPU-accelerated rendering
- Free and fully open source
- Built-in real-time collaboration with voice and screen sharing
- AI-native with edit prediction, agents, and MCP support
- Flexible AI options: bring your own keys, use local models, or Zed-hosted
- Not locked to a single AI vendor via the Agent Client Protocol
Cons
- Smaller extension ecosystem than VS Code
- No mobile app or browser-based version
- Windows support is newer and less mature than macOS/Linux
- Hosted AI usage is metered and can add cost beyond included credits
- Fewer enterprise features (SSO/SAML/SCIM still planned)
Pricing plans
Personal
$0 / month
- Free forever, fully open source
- GPU-accelerated, multi-language code editor
- Real-time multiplayer collaboration, voice and screen sharing
- 2,000 accepted edit predictions
- Unlimited use with your own API keys or external agents (Claude Agent, Codex CLI, and more)
Pro
$10 / month
- Everything in Personal
- Unlimited edit predictions
- Zed-hosted AI models out of the box
- $5 of tokens included each month
- Usage-based billing beyond $5 at API list price plus 10%
- Two-week free trial with $20 of token credits
Business
$30 / per seat / month
- Everything in Pro for each member
- Org-wide AI model policies
- Data governance and data-sharing controls
- Unified spend visibility across seats
- Role-based access controls
- No minimum seats; order forms available at 25+ seats
Key features
API
Team collaboration
Multi-language
Integrations
Anthropic, OpenAI, Google AI, Ollama, MCP, Agent Client Protocol, GitHub Copilot
Input types
text, code
Output types
code, text
Best For
Fast native code editing, AI-assisted coding, Real-time pair programming, Rust and multi-language development
Compare key features
View all alternatives →Feature
Zed
GitHub Copilot
Replit AI
Pricing
Freemium
Freemium
Freemium
Free plan
Yes
Yes
Yes
Free trial
Yes
No
No
API
Yes
No
No
Team support
Yes
Yes
Yes
Frequently asked questions
Is Zed free?+
Yes. The Zed editor is free forever and fully open source. The free Personal plan includes 2,000 accepted edit predictions and unlimited use with your own AI API keys or external agents. Paid Pro ($10/month) and Business ($30/seat/month) plans add Zed-hosted AI models and team controls.
How does Zed compare to VS Code and Cursor?+
Zed is built from scratch in Rust and is dramatically faster than the Electron-based VS Code and Cursor, with GPU-accelerated rendering and near-instant keystroke latency. It bakes real-time collaboration and AI agents directly into the core. The trade-off is a smaller extension ecosystem than VS Code and a less bundled AI experience than Cursor's, though Zed lets you bring your own keys or agents.
What are the best Zed alternatives?+
The main alternatives are Visual Studio Code, Cursor, Windsurf, JetBrains IDEs, and Neovim. Cursor and Windsurf offer more tightly integrated AI workflows, while VS Code has the largest extension ecosystem. Zed differentiates on raw speed, open-source licensing, and native collaboration.
How much does Zed Pro cost?+
Zed Pro costs $10 per month. It includes unlimited edit predictions, Zed-hosted AI models, and $5 of tokens each month, with additional usage billed at API list price plus 10%. There is a two-week free trial that comes with $20 of token credits.
Is Zed open source?+
Yes. Zed is open source under a copyleft license: the editor client is licensed under the GPL and the server components under the AGPL. The source is available on GitHub, and you can build it yourself or sponsor Zed Industries via GitHub Sponsors.
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