Zed
A fast open editor with agents built in, not a VS Code costume.
Technical Profile & Specs
verified 2026-08-10
- Cost
- $0 / forever (Open Source)
- License
- GPL-3.0+
- Hosting Model
- Local (on your machine)
- Platforms
- desktopone-click install
- Installation
- Direct desktop download, Homebrew, winget or install script
- Operational Setup
- Editor installation is clean; AI needs a Zed account, provider subscription or key, gateway, or local model, and platform hardware support varies
- Where Your Data Lives
- Source files stay local; provider keys use the system keychain, while AI prompts and code context go to the selected provider or local model
- The Catch / Trade-off
- It requires changing editors and still has a smaller extension ecosystem and less mature AI autocomplete and indexing workflow than Cursor.
Replaces 3 paid apps
up to $50/mo ($600/yr) in subscriptions
Zed FAQ
Common questions
Is Zed free and open source?+
Zed is an open-source tool licensed under GPL-3.0+ that runs on local. A fast open editor with agents built in, not a VS Code costume.
What paid software does Zed replace?+
Zed serves as a free replacement for 3 paid SaaS applications: Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf, saving up to $50/month ($600/year) in subscription bills.
How do you install and set up Zed?+
Installation: Direct desktop download, Homebrew, winget or install script. Setup notes: Editor installation is clean; AI needs a Zed account, provider subscription or key, gateway, or local model, and platform hardware support varies
What is the catch or trade-off with Zed?+
It requires changing editors and still has a smaller extension ecosystem and less mature AI autocomplete and indexing workflow than Cursor.