Side-by-side comparison · Coding & Dev Tools
Amp 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 2 tools. Add one more if you like.
At a glance
Overview
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Amp | Zed |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.0 | 4.3Winner |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 3.0 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 5.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Amp | Zed |
|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | ||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | No |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension | No | No |
| API access | Yes | – |
| Teams & business | ||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | No |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| AI abilities | ||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | Yes |
| Makes images | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No |
| Writes code | Yes | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | – | Yes |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 13/ 17 | 11/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Amp | Zed |
|---|---|---|
| Plans | HobbyOur pick Free Developers with their own model subscription or keys. | PersonalOur pick Free Almost everyone. |
Megawatt $20/mo Individuals who want Amp to host the machines. | Pro $10/mo People who want Zed's hosted AI without managing keys. | |
Gigawatt $200/mo Heavy users running many big jobs. | Business $30/seat/mo Teams that need spending and access controls. | |
Enterprise Custom Large companies with security and compliance needs. | ||
| 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. | 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
Pros and cons
| Attribute | Amp | Zed |
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| Cons |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Amp | Zed |
|---|---|---|
| Best for |
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| You'll find it used by |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Amp or Zed?
Zed scores highest overall in our ratings (Amp 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. Zed is best for Running Claude Code inside an editor and speed on big projects.
Which is cheaper, Amp or Zed?
Amp: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $20/mo. Zed: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $10/mo.
Which is easier to use, Amp or Zed?
Zed rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Developers who want a fast editor and already pay for Claude or another AI provider.
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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