Zed

The fastest code editor, now with a built-in AI layer.

8.5/10

At a glance

Vendor: Zed Industries
Pricing: Free Personal plan (2,000 edit predictions/mo, unlimited with your own API keys); Pro from $10/mo
Free tier: Yes
Best for: The fastest code editor, now with a built-in AI layer.

Our verdict

The speed pick: a superb editor first, with a clean and honest AI layer on top. If you value raw performance and model freedom over the most agentic IDE, Zed is the one.

Pricing: Free Personal plan (2,000 edit predictions/mo, unlimited with your own API keys); Pro from $10/mo · Vendor: Zed Industries

Scores

★★★★☆8.5/10

Ease Of Use7/10

Output Quality8/10

Speed10/10

Value9/10

Pros & cons

Pros

Fastest editor in its class (Rust, GPU-accelerated)
Excellent BYOK story — unlimited AI with your own keys
Open-source editor with a real free tier
MCP and external agents (Claude Code, Codex) built in

Cons

Extension ecosystem far smaller than VS Code's
Less AI-native than Cursor or Windsurf
Hosted model usage is token-billed on top of Pro

📡 On our radar: we re-check this tool's pricing and feature set against official sources on a rolling basis. Last site-wide refresh: 2026-09-29. Prices change fast — confirm on the official site before buying.

FAQ

Is Zed worth it?

The speed pick: a superb editor first, with a clean and honest AI layer on top. If you value raw performance and model freedom over the most agentic IDE, Zed is the one.

How much does Zed cost?

Free Personal plan (2,000 edit predictions/mo, unlimited with your own API keys); Pro from $10/mo. Prices change — check the official site for the latest.

What is Zed best for?

The fastest code editor, now with a built-in AI layer.