Side-by-side comparison · Coding & Dev Tools
Cline 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 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: 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 | Cline | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | A free, open-source coding agent for VS Code and the terminal that works with any model. | 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 | Free | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $9.99/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 | Cline | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.0 | 4.0 | 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 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 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 | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | No | 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 | 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 | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Open SourceOur pick Free Anyone with their own API key or happy to buy credits. | Free Free Trying autocomplete and light chat. | PersonalOur pick Free Almost everyone. |
ClinePass $9.99/mo People who want cheap daily coding with open models. | ProOur pick $10/mo Individual developers on GitHub. | Pro $10/mo People who want Zed's hosted AI without managing keys. | |
Enterprise Custom Companies rolling it out to a team. | Pro+ $39/mo Developers who run agent tasks every day. | Business $30/seat/mo Teams that need spending and access controls. | |
Max $100/mo Heavy agent-driven work. | |||
Business and Enterprise See website Companies that need admin controls and policy management. | |||
| 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. | 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 | Cline | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Cline | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Cline | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Cline, GitHub Copilot or Zed?
Zed scores highest overall in our ratings (Cline 4.0/5, GitHub Copilot 4.0/5 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. 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, Cline, GitHub Copilot or Zed?
Cline: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $9.99/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, Cline, 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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