Side-by-side comparison · Coding & Dev Tools
Cursor vs Kiro 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: Developers and technical founders who want a written plan before the AI builds anything, especially teams already on AWS.
Pick it if: Developers who want a fast editor and already pay for Claude or another AI provider.
Overview
| Attribute | Cursor | Kiro | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | A code editor with AI built in, for people who want to watch every change happen. | Amazon's AI code editor that writes a plan and requirements before it writes any code. | 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 | $20/mo | $10/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | 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 | Kiro | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 3.9 | 3.6 | 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 | 4.5 | 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 | 3.0 | 5.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Cursor | Kiro | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | No |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension | No | No | No |
| API access | – | No | – |
| 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 | Kiro | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Trying the editor and a few agent runs. | Free Free Trying spec mode on a small project. | PersonalOur pick Free Almost everyone. |
Plus $8/mo Light users who are happy with Grok models only. | ProOur pick $20/mo Most individuals using it a few days a week. | Pro $10/mo People who want Zed's hosted AI without managing keys. | |
PremiumOur pick $30/mo Most developers, especially if you want Claude alongside Grok. | Pro+ $40/mo Regular daily users. | Business $30/seat/mo Teams that need spending and access controls. | |
Super or Ultra $100/mo or $200/mo Heavy daily agent users. | Pro Max $100/mo Professionals in Kiro for hours each day. | ||
Legacy Pro $20/mo Existing subscribers only. New customers can't buy it. | Power $200/mo The heaviest users. | ||
Teams From $30/user/mo Companies that need admin controls and SSO. | Enterprise Custom Companies that need SSO and central billing. | ||
| Which plan to pick | 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. | Pro at $20 is the place to start, and you get $20 off your first paid month when you upgrade. Use the Auto model to make credits last, and only move up a tier once you know your monthly usage. | 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 | Kiro | Zed |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Cursor | Kiro | Zed |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Cursor | Kiro | Zed |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Cursor, Kiro or Zed?
Zed scores highest overall in our ratings (Cursor 3.9/5, Kiro 3.6/5 and Zed 4.3/5). Cursor is best for editing with AI autocomplete and learning by watching changes happen. Kiro is best for turning a rough idea into requirements and a plan and bigger features you want planned before building. Zed is best for Running Claude Code inside an editor and speed on big projects.
Which is cheaper, Cursor, Kiro or Zed?
Cursor: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $8/mo. Kiro: 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.
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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