Side-by-side comparison · Coding & Dev Tools
Cline vs Cursor 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 technical founders who want a capable coding agent inside their editor and want to choose, and pay for, their own AI model.
Pick it if: Developers and curious beginners who want AI help but still want a visual editor.
Pick it if: Developers who want a fast editor and already pay for Claude or another AI provider.
Overview
| Attribute | Cline | Cursor | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | A free, open-source coding agent for VS Code and the terminal that works with any model. | A code editor with AI built in, for people who want to watch every change happen. | A fast, free, open-source code editor that runs Claude Code and other AI agents inside it. |
| Pricing model | Free | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $9.99/mo | $8/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 | Cline | Cursor | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.3Winner |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 3.5 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.5 | 3.0 | 5.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 3.5 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Cline | Cursor | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | No | Yes | No |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension | No | 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 | 12/ 17 | 12/ 17 | 11/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Cline | Cursor | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Open SourceOur pick Free Anyone with their own API key or happy to buy credits. | Free Free Trying the editor and a few agent runs. | PersonalOur pick Free Almost everyone. |
ClinePass $9.99/mo People who want cheap daily coding with open models. | Plus $8/mo Light users who are happy with Grok models only. | Pro $10/mo People who want Zed's hosted AI without managing keys. | |
Enterprise Custom Companies rolling it out to a team. | PremiumOur pick $30/mo Most developers, especially if you want Claude alongside Grok. | Business $30/seat/mo Teams that need spending and access controls. | |
Super or Ultra $100/mo or $200/mo Heavy daily agent users. | |||
Legacy Pro $20/mo Existing subscribers only. New customers can't buy it. | |||
Teams From $30/user/mo Companies that need admin controls and SSO. | |||
| Which plan to pick | Install the free version and connect a model you already pay for. If you want to code most days without watching an API bill, add ClinePass at $9.99 a month for the open models, and keep a Claude or GPT key for the hard jobs. Enterprise only matters once a company needs JetBrains or central controls. | If you are on the old $20 Pro plan and it covers what you use, stay put; switching is permanent. New customers should skip Plus unless they are happy with Grok. Premium is the realistic starting point if you want Claude, and budget for the extra usage billing on top of the $30. Large companies can ask about a custom Enterprise plan. | 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 | Cline | Cursor | Zed |
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Pros and cons
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Cline | Cursor | Zed |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Cline, Cursor or Zed?
Zed scores highest overall in our ratings (Cline 4.0/5, Cursor 3.9/5 and Zed 4.3/5). Cline is best for AI coding inside VS Code with any model and cheap coding with open models through ClinePass. Cursor is best for editing with AI autocomplete and learning by watching changes happen. Zed is best for Running Claude Code inside an editor and speed on big projects.
Which is cheaper, Cline, Cursor or Zed?
Cline: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $9.99/mo. Cursor: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $8/mo. Zed: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $10/mo.
Which is easier to use, Cline, Cursor or Zed?
Cursor rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Developers and curious beginners who want AI help but still want a visual editor.
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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