Side-by-side comparison · Coding & Dev Tools
Amp vs GitHub Copilot vs Zed
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Developers and engineering teams working on large codebases who want agents running in the background, not tied to their laptop.
Pick it if: Teams and developers whose code lives on GitHub and who want AI in the tools they already use.
Pick it if: Developers who want a fast editor and already pay for Claude or another AI provider.
Overview
| Attribute | Amp | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | A coding agent that keeps working on remote machines after you close your laptop. | GitHub's AI helper: it finishes your code, reviews pull requests and takes on whole tasks. | A fast, free, open-source code editor that runs Claude Code and other AI agents inside it. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $20/mo | $10/mo | $10/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | No | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Amp | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.3Winner |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 3.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Amp | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | No |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension | No | – | No |
| API access | Yes | – | – |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | No |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | Yes | No | Yes |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | – | Yes | Yes |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 13/ 17 | 12/ 17 | 11/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Amp | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | HobbyOur pick Free Developers with their own model subscription or keys. | Free Free Trying autocomplete and light chat. | PersonalOur pick Free Almost everyone. |
Megawatt $20/mo Individuals who want Amp to host the machines. | ProOur pick $10/mo Individual developers on GitHub. | Pro $10/mo People who want Zed's hosted AI without managing keys. | |
Gigawatt $200/mo Heavy users running many big jobs. | Pro+ $39/mo Developers who run agent tasks every day. | Business $30/seat/mo Teams that need spending and access controls. | |
Enterprise Custom Large companies with security and compliance needs. | Max $100/mo Heavy agent-driven work. | ||
Business and Enterprise See website Companies that need admin controls and policy management. | |||
| Which plan to pick | Start on Hobby and link a ChatGPT or Claude subscription you already pay for. Move to Megawatt at $20 a month only when you want Amp to host the machines so tasks run while you're away. Teams can create a workspace at no extra charge. | Pro is the sweet spot for an individual: cheap, unlimited autocomplete and enough credits for a few agent tasks a week. Only move to Pro+ if you find yourself buying extra credits every month. | Personal. If you have Claude Pro, run Claude Code inside Zed and you are done. Pro only makes sense if you want Zed's built-in assistant and edit predictions without setting up API keys. |
Key features
| Attribute | Amp | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Amp | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Amp | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Amp, GitHub Copilot or Zed?
Zed scores highest overall in our ratings (Amp 4.0/5, GitHub Copilot 4.0/5 and Zed 4.3/5). Amp is best for running several coding tasks in the background at once and working on big, messy codebases. GitHub Copilot is best for autocomplete as you type and Handing GitHub issues to an agent. Zed is best for Running Claude Code inside an editor and speed on big projects.
Which is cheaper, Amp, GitHub Copilot or Zed?
Amp: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $20/mo. GitHub Copilot: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $10/mo. Zed: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $10/mo.
Which is easier to use, Amp, GitHub Copilot or Zed?
GitHub Copilot rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Teams and developers whose code lives on GitHub and who want AI in the tools they already use.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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