Side-by-side comparison · Coding & Dev Tools
Cursor 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 curious beginners who want AI help but still want a visual editor.
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 | Cursor | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | A code editor with AI built in, for people who want to watch every change happen. | 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 | Open source |
| Starting price | $8/mo | $10/mo | $10/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | No | No | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Cursor | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.3Winner |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers the job it's built for, 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. | 3.0 | 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 | Cursor | 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 | – | – | – |
| 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 | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Trying the editor and a few agent runs. | Free Free Trying autocomplete and light chat. | PersonalOur pick Free Almost everyone. |
Plus $8/mo Light users who are happy with Grok models only. | ProOur pick $10/mo Individual developers on GitHub. | 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. | Pro+ $39/mo Developers who run agent tasks every day. | Business $30/seat/mo Teams that need spending and access controls. | |
Super $100/mo Heavy daily agent users. | Max $100/mo Heavy agent-driven work. | ||
Teams From $30/user/mo Companies that need admin controls and SSO. | Business and Enterprise See website Companies that need admin controls and policy management. | ||
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. | 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 | Cursor | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Cursor | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Cursor | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Cursor, GitHub Copilot or Zed?
Zed scores highest overall in our ratings (Cursor 3.9/5, GitHub Copilot 4.0/5 and Zed 4.3/5). Cursor is best for editing with AI autocomplete and learning by watching changes happen. 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, Cursor, GitHub Copilot or Zed?
Cursor: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $8/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.
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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