Side-by-side comparison · Coding & Dev Tools
Cursor vs Claude Code 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
Cursor
3.9Pick it if: Developers and curious beginners who want AI help but still want a visual editor.
Claude Code
4.4Pick it if: Anyone building software, from first-timers to senior engineers, who wants an AI that does the work itself.
Zed
4.2Pick it if: Developers who want a fast editor and already pay for Claude or another AI provider.
Claude Code scores highest overall, but Zed gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.
Overview
| Attribute | Cursor | Claude Code | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | A code editor with AI built in, for people who want to watch every change happen. | An AI agent that works inside your project: it reads, writes and runs the code for you. | A fast, free, open-source code editor that runs Claude Code and other AI agents inside it. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Paid | Open source |
| Starting price | $8/mo | $20/mo | $10/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | No | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | No | Yes | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Cursor | Claude Code | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 3.9 | 4.4Winner | 4.2 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow much it can do, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 5.0 | 3.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Cursor | Claude Code | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | No | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | 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 | No | 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 | 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 | Cursor | Claude Code | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Trying the editor and a few agent runs. | ProOur pick $20/mo, or $17/mo billed yearly Trying Claude Code and light daily use. | PersonalOur pick Free Almost everyone. |
Plus $8/mo Light users who are happy with Grok models only. | Team From $20/seat/mo billed yearly Businesses with 2 to 150 people who want central billing. | Pro $10/mo People who want Zed's hosted AI without managing keys. | |
PremiumOur pick $30/mo Most developers who want Claude or OpenAI models. | Enterprise $20/seat/mo billed yearly, 20-seat minimum Larger companies with compliance needs. | Business $30/seat/mo Teams that need spending and access controls. | |
Super $100/mo Heavy daily agent users. | Max From $100/mo Anyone running Claude Code for hours a day. | ||
Teams From $30/user/mo Companies that need admin controls and SSO. | API (pay as you go) Usage based Teams who want to pay only for what they use. | ||
Enterprise Custom Large organisations. | |||
| Which plan to pick | Skip Plus unless you are happy with Grok. Premium is the realistic starting point if you want Claude or OpenAI models, and budget for the extra usage billing on top of the $30. There is also a $200 Ultra plan with 50x the Plus usage for people who live in it. | Start on Pro. It is enough to build a small site or tool in evenings and weekends. If you hit the limit most days, Max 5x is the next step; it costs five times as much but usually works out cheaper than paying for the API directly. | 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 | Cursor | Claude Code | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Cursor | Claude Code | Zed |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Cursor | Claude Code | Zed |
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How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability. The "Visit" buttons may use affiliate links, which never affect a score.
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