Side-by-side comparison · Coding & Dev Tools
Cursor vs OpenRouter 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: Business owners and developers adding AI to a product, and anyone who wants to try lots of models cheaply from one account.
Pick it if: Developers who want a fast editor and already pay for Claude or another AI provider.
Overview
| Attribute | Cursor | OpenRouter | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | A code editor with AI built in, for people who want to watch every change happen. | One account and one API key for hundreds of AI models, paid for at the makers' prices. | 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 | Model prices plus a 5.5% fee on credit top-ups | $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 | OpenRouter | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 3.9 | 3.7 | 4.3Winner |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.0 | 3.0 | 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 | 3.5 | 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 | 3.5 | 5.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Cursor | OpenRouter | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | No | No |
| Desktop app | Yes | No | 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 | Yes | No |
| Makes video | No | – | No |
| Writes code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | – | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | – | Yes |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 12/ 17 | 10/ 17 | 11/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Cursor | OpenRouter | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Trying the editor and a few agent runs. | Free Free Trying models and light hobby use. | PersonalOur pick Free Almost everyone. |
Plus $8/mo Light users who are happy with Grok models only. | Pay as you goOur pick Model prices plus a 5.5% fee on credit top-ups Most businesses and developers building with AI. | 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. | Business Model prices plus an 8% fee on credit top-ups Companies that need data kept in the EU or US. | Business $30/seat/mo Teams that need spending and access controls. | |
Super or Ultra $100/mo or $200/mo Heavy daily agent users. | Enterprise Custom Large teams with volume commitments. | ||
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 | 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. | Start free to test, then top up $10 to $20 of credit on Pay as you go. That alone lifts the free-model limit to 1,000 requests a day. Only look at Business if you have a legal reason to keep data in a region. | 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 | OpenRouter | Zed |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Cursor | OpenRouter | Zed |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Cursor | OpenRouter | Zed |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Cursor, OpenRouter or Zed?
Zed scores highest overall in our ratings (Cursor 3.9/5, OpenRouter 3.7/5 and Zed 4.3/5). Cursor is best for editing with AI autocomplete and learning by watching changes happen. OpenRouter is best for Adding AI to your app without five vendor accounts and trying new models cheaply on launch day. Zed is best for Running Claude Code inside an editor and speed on big projects.
Which is cheaper, Cursor, OpenRouter or Zed?
Cursor: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $8/mo. OpenRouter: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at Model prices plus a 5.5% fee on credit top-ups. Zed: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $10/mo.
Which is easier to use, Cursor, OpenRouter 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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