Cursor vs Zed
Cursor vs Zed (AI Code Editors & IDEs). Agent test scores: Cursor 8.4/10, Zed 6.8/10. Cursor scored 1.6 higher overall in our separate rubric v0.1 tests (editions and tasks can differ — see Edition tested and the notes below). Pricing: Cursor — Via The X Subscription (prices exclude tax; checked 2026-11-06): Free $0 (limited); Plus $8/mo (Cursor models only; no third-party models; no own API keys); Premium $30/mo (4× Plus usage; third-party models at API list price from prepaid credit); Super $100/mo (15×); Ultra $200/mo (50×); Teams $30/$100/$200 per seat/mo. Annual: Plus $80/yr, Premium $300/yr, Super $1,000/yr, Ultra $2,000/yr. Legacy Pro $20/mo for existing subscribers only. Grok API on paid plans is billed separately and does not draw from the weekly Cursor-model pool.; Zed — Pro $10/mo (unlimited edit predictions, $5 tokens incl.); Business $30/seat/mo.
Every fact on this page comes from our tool records and test logs. Last updated:
- VibeToolRank score
- 8.4/10
- Last tested
- 2026-10-16
- Runs
- 1 (single run)
- Outcome score
- 9/10
- Edition tested
- Cursor 3.25.6 for Linux, Free Hobby plan, Agent with default model Cursor Grok 4.6 Medium
- Free plan, as measured
- 2026-10-16, 1 Hobby run: no visible limit hit; Agent Stats 0/394 after one T1 todo app
- Free plan
- Yes: ongoing Free ($0) — limited Agent, Chat, and Tab with Cursor models (Grok and Composer); not a trial
- Price
- Via The X Subscription (prices exclude tax; checked 2026-11-06): Free $0 (limited); Plus $8/mo (Cursor models only; no third-party models; no own API keys); Premium $30/mo (4× Plus usage; third-party models at API list price from prepaid credit); Super $100/mo (15×); Ultra $200/mo (50×); Teams $30/$100/$200 per seat/mo. Annual: Plus $80/yr, Premium $300/yr, Super $1,000/yr, Ultra $2,000/yr. Legacy Pro $20/mo for existing subscribers only. Grok API on paid plans is billed separately and does not draw from the weekly Cursor-model pool.
- Pricing checked
- 2026-11-06
- VibeToolRank score
- 6.8/10
- Last tested
- 2026-10-17
- Runs
- 1 (single run)
- Outcome score
- 5/10
- Edition tested
- Zed 1.24.2 Linux, Personal free + BYOK OpenRouter cohere/north-mini-code:free
- Free plan, as measured
- $0: the Personal free plan with our own OpenRouter free-model key (BYOK) built the todo app
- Free plan
- Yes (Personal): free forever, unlimited with your own API keys or external agents
- Price
- Pro $10/mo (unlimited edit predictions, $5 tokens incl.); Business $30/seat/mo
- Pricing checked
- 2026-10-16
Side by side
| Field | Cursor | Zed |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | CursorAI-native code editor. | ZedHigh-performance code editor with a built-in Agent; free forever on Personal with your own API keys. |
| Pricing | CursorVia The X Subscription (prices exclude tax; checked 2026-11-06): Free $0 (limited); Plus $8/mo (Cursor models only; no third-party models; no own API keys); Premium $30/mo (4× Plus usage; third-party models at API list price from prepaid credit); Super $100/mo (15×); Ultra $200/mo (50×); Teams $30/$100/$200 per seat/mo. Annual: Plus $80/yr, Premium $300/yr, Super $1,000/yr, Ultra $2,000/yr. Legacy Pro $20/mo for existing subscribers only. Grok API on paid plans is billed separately and does not draw from the weekly Cursor-model pool. | ZedPro $10/mo (unlimited edit predictions, $5 tokens incl.); Business $30/seat/mo |
| Free tier | CursorYes: ongoing Free ($0) — limited Agent, Chat, and Tab with Cursor models (Grok and Composer); not a trial | ZedYes (Personal): free forever, unlimited with your own API keys or external agents |
| Pricing verified | Cursor2026-11-06 | Zed2026-10-16 |
| Edition tested | CursorCursor 3.25.6 for Linux, Free Hobby plan, Agent with default model Cursor Grok 4.6 Medium | ZedZed 1.24.2 Linux, Personal free + BYOK OpenRouter cohere/north-mini-code:free |
| Tested on | Cursor2026-10-16 | Zed2026-10-17 |
| Outcome score | Cursor9 | Zed5 |
| Speed score | Cursor8 | Zed9 |
| Cost score | Cursor9 | Zed9 |
| Developer experience score | Cursor7 | Zed6 |
| Reliability score | Cursor8 | Zed8 |
| Overall score | Cursor8.4 | Zed6.8 |
What our tests found
Cursor
In one agent turn with no follow-ups, Cursor built our T1 todo app as a single index.html in about 2.5 minutes and tested it in its built-in browser. We verified it ourselves in headless Chrome: add, complete, delete, filters, reload persistence and a 375px mobile layout all passed, and the only console error was a missing favicon. On Linux it needed --no-sandbox and showed a keyring dialog. Single run.desktop app, free plan
- Working todo app in one turn, about 2.5 minutes, with no follow-ups
- Every T1 check passed in our own headless browser test, including mobile
- Tested its own work in a built-in browser
- Free Hobby plan was enough for one T1; no visible quota limit hit (Agent Stats 0/394)
- On Linux it needed --no-sandbox and showed an OS keyring dialog on first launch
- The agent ran commands without asking for approval by default
- Free usage is published as Limited, not a hard public number; heavier Agent work needs a paid X Subscription plan
- Free and Plus do not include third-party models; Premium and above bill them at API list price from prepaid credit
Who it’s for: Developers who want an AI-first VS Code-style editor with a built-in agent on Cursor models. Use Free to evaluate Agent on those models. Plus adds a larger weekly Cursor-model pool and still has no third-party models and no own API keys. Premium and above is where the official docs put third-party models, Cloud Agents, Bugbot, and Origin.
Zed
We ran Zed's Agent on the free Personal plan with our own OpenRouter key pointed at the free model cohere/north-mini-code:free (Pro trial was refused because the GitHub account was under 30 days). In about 3 minutes it wrote a single-file todo app. As delivered, two broken HTML tags stopped the UI from mounting, so every check failed until we fixed those two lines; after that, add, complete, delete, filters, reload persistence and mobile all passed. Zed still showed update and sign-in banners.Desktop, BYOK free
- Personal plan is free forever with your own API keys (BYOK)
- OpenRouter free model worked for a full todo app in about 3 minutes
- After two one-line HTML fixes, every T1 check passed including mobile
- No card and no paid Zed plan required for this test
- Generated HTML had two broken tags that made the app non-functional until fixed
- Agent tried to start a blocking http.server twice
- Linux needed a software-Vulkan launch script; update and sign-in banners cluttered the UI
- Pro trial unavailable for GitHub accounts under 30 days
Who it’s for: Developers who want a fast editor and are happy to bring their own model keys, including free OpenRouter models.
Verdict
Scores use rubric v0.1 from separate runs. Editions and tasks can differ (see Edition tested and What our tests found); some tests were a single run, which caps reliability scores. Overall: Cursor 8.4, Zed 6.8. Check the free-tier limits above against your project before choosing.
FAQ
Which is better, Cursor or Zed?
In our tests Cursor scored higher overall (8.4/10 vs 6.8/10). Scores use the same rubric (v0.1) but came from separate runs; editions and tasks may differ (see Edition tested and test summaries), so check the per-dimension scores for what matters to you.
Is Cursor free?
Yes: ongoing Free ($0) — limited Agent, Chat, and Tab with Cursor models (Grok and Composer); not a trial (pricing checked 2026-11-06).
Is Zed free?
Yes (Personal): free forever, unlimited with your own API keys or external agents (pricing checked 2026-10-16).
How much does Cursor cost compared with Zed?
Cursor: Via The X Subscription (prices exclude tax; checked 2026-11-06): Free $0 (limited); Plus $8/mo (Cursor models only; no third-party models; no own API keys); Premium $30/mo (4× Plus usage; third-party models at API list price from prepaid credit); Super $100/mo (15×); Ultra $200/mo (50×); Teams $30/$100/$200 per seat/mo. Annual: Plus $80/yr, Premium $300/yr, Super $1,000/yr, Ultra $2,000/yr. Legacy Pro $20/mo for existing subscribers only. Grok API on paid plans is billed separately and does not draw from the weekly Cursor-model pool.. Zed: Pro $10/mo (unlimited edit predictions, $5 tokens incl.); Business $30/seat/mo.
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Scores come from our own tests and are never for sale; sponsored placements are always labelled. Some links are affiliate links (currently Railway). Disclosure