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Side-by-side comparison · Coding & Dev Tools

Devin 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.

Devin

3.6

From $20/mo

GitHub Copilot

4.0

From $10/mo

Best overall

Zed

4.3

From $10/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Pick it if: Software teams and technical founders with a backlog of small, clearly defined coding jobs they would rather delegate.

Easiest to use

Pick it if: Teams and developers whose code lives on GitHub and who want AI in the tools they already use.

Zed4.3
Best overallBest value

Pick it if: Developers who want a fast editor and already pay for Claude or another AI provider.

Overview

AttributeDevinGitHub CopilotZed
In one lineAn AI software engineer: hand it a task in Slack or Linear and get back a pull request.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 modelFreemiumFreemiumOpen source
Starting price$20/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.

AttributeDevinGitHub CopilotZed
Overall rating3.64.04.3Winner
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
3.5
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.
3.5
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.
3.5
4.0
5.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeDevinGitHub CopilotZed
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app– Yes No
Desktop app Yes Yes Yes
Browser extension–– 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 score12/ 1712/ 1711/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeDevinGitHub CopilotZed
Plans

Free

Free

Trying Devin Desktop as an editor.

Free

Free

Trying autocomplete and light chat.

PersonalOur pick

Free

Almost everyone.

ProOur pick

$20/mo

Individuals who want the editor and the cloud agent.

ProOur pick

$10/mo

Individual developers on GitHub.

Pro

$10/mo

People who want Zed's hosted AI without managing keys.

Max

$200/mo

Heavy users running agents most of the day.

Pro+

$39/mo

Developers who run agent tasks every day.

Business

$30/seat/mo

Teams that need spending and access controls.

Teams

$80/mo plus $40 per developer seat

Teams of up to 200 who want shared sessions and admin.

Max

$100/mo

Heavy agent-driven work.

Enterprise

Custom

Large companies with security requirements.

Business and Enterprise

See website

Companies that need admin controls and policy management.

Which plan to pickPro at $20 is the place to start, and it is the only sensible way to try the cloud agent. Watch your quota for the first fortnight, and use cheaper models for routine jobs before deciding whether Max or Teams is worth 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

AttributeDevinGitHub CopilotZed
Standout features
  • Devin Cloud
  • Devin Desktop
  • Work from Slack and Linear
  • Devin Review
  • Choice of models
  • DeepWiki and memory
  • Inline suggestions
  • Coding agent
  • Code review
  • Chat everywhere
  • Hand off to other agents
  • Custom instructions
  • Built for speed
  • External agents inside the editor
  • Bring your own keys
  • Edit predictions
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Open source

Pros and cons

AttributeDevinGitHub CopilotZed
Pros
  • Truly hands-off: it works in the background and returns a pull request
  • Editor, cloud agent, terminal and code review on one subscription
  • Picks up tasks from Slack, Teams, Linear and Jira
  • Wide model choice, including cheap open models and its own SWE-2
  • New frontier models usually arrive within days of launch
  • The cheapest paid plan in the category with unlimited autocomplete
  • Works inside the editors and the GitHub site you already use
  • Agent and code review are built into the GitHub workflow
  • Enterprise controls are mature because GitHub already had them
  • Noticeably faster than VS Code and Cursor
  • Free, open source, and no charge for running your own agents
  • Clean agent panel that shows exactly what changed
  • Built-in real-time collaboration
Cons
  • Success drops sharply on vague or complex tasks, so a developer still has to review everything
  • The daily and weekly quota is opaque, and good models can use a day's allowance in minutes
  • The free SWE-2 model, a big reason people subscribe, goes back to paid use after 1 November 2026
  • Users report slow support, including over unexpected on-demand charges
  • The Windsurf-to-Devin switch left gaps between the desktop and cloud versions, and some leftover clutter
  • Agent quality lags Claude Code and Codex on complex tasks
  • $10 of credits a month disappears quickly once you use agents
  • Pretty pointless if your code is not on GitHub
  • Business and Enterprise prices are not published
  • Smaller extension library than VS Code or Cursor
  • Less hand-holding for beginners; it assumes you know your way around an editor
  • Business plan has no SSO yet, which rules it out for some companies
  • Its own hosted AI is basic compared with the agents you can bring

Who each one is for

AttributeDevinGitHub CopilotZed
Best for
  • Clearing a backlog of small bugs and tickets
  • Handing off coding tasks from Slack or Linear
  • Code migrations and writing tests
  • Teams that want an editor and cloud agent on one plan
  • Autocomplete as you type
  • Handing GitHub issues to an agent
  • Automated code review
  • Teams already on GitHub
  • Running Claude Code inside an editor
  • Speed on big projects
  • Using your own AI subscription
  • Pairing with teammates in real time
You'll find it used by
  • Engineering teams
  • Enterprises
  • Technical founders
  • Former Windsurf users
  • Development teams
  • Enterprises
  • Open source maintainers
  • Students
  • Developers
  • Claude Code users
  • Open source fans
  • Small teams

Questions people ask

Which is better, Devin, GitHub Copilot or Zed?

Zed scores highest overall in our ratings (Devin 3.6/5, GitHub Copilot 4.0/5 and Zed 4.3/5). Devin is best for clearing a backlog of small bugs and tickets and handing off coding tasks from Slack or Linear. 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, Devin, GitHub Copilot or Zed?

Devin: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $20/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, Devin, 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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