<!-- Canonical: https://www.agentlist.io/compare/zed-vs-cursor -->

# [ZedZed Industries · ai-ide](https://www.agentlist.io/systems/zed)vs[CursorAnysphere · ai-ide](https://www.agentlist.io/systems/cursor)

Two AI-native editors with opposite tradeoffs. Zed is fast, Rust-built, and BYOK-friendly; Cursor is the VS Code fork with the deepest agent features.

agentlist.io · spec diff · verified 2026-09-25 — list prices only, not benchmarks

SEC.01

## Spec diff

ZedCursor

vendorZed IndustriesAnysphere

categoryai-ideai-ide

interfaceseditoreditor · api

hostinglocallocal · cloud

pricingEditor free; Pro $10/mo (incl. $5 tokens); Business $30/seatHobby free; Pro $20/mo; Pro+ $60; Ultra $200; Teams $40/user

statusactively maintainedactively maintained

also known asZed AI, Zed Agent

SEC.02

## Pick which

pick Zed if

You want a fast native editor, BYOK freedom, or you live in the OSS/editor-hacker camp.

pick Cursor if

You want the most complete agent UX (Composer, background agents) and don't mind a fork.

watch out

Zed Pro is cheaper ($10/mo) but its agent surface is smaller; model choice is on you.

SEC.03

## Feature notes

-   Zed
-   01Native performance
-   02Agent panel
-   03Edit predictions
-   04Collaboration
-   05BYOK on Free
-   06Open source

-   Cursor
-   01Tab completion
-   02Agent / Composer modes
-   03Project rules
-   04Model choice
-   05Cloud agents
-   06Code review helpers

FAQ

## Frequently asked

### Zed or Cursor — which should I pick?

Two AI-native editors with opposite tradeoffs. Zed is fast, Rust-built, and BYOK-friendly; Cursor is the VS Code fork with the deepest agent features. Pick Zed if: You want a fast native editor, BYOK freedom, or you live in the OSS/editor-hacker camp. Pick Cursor if: You want the most complete agent UX (Composer, background agents) and don't mind a fork.

### Is Zed or Cursor cheaper?

Zed: Editor free; Pro $10/mo (incl. $5 tokens); Business $30/seat. Cursor: Hobby free; Pro $20/mo; Pro+ $60; Ultra $200; Teams $40/user. List prices as of 2026-09-25; usage pools and seat terms change the real cost.

### Does Zed or Cursor run locally?

Zed hosting: local. Cursor hosting: local, cloud. Interfaces differ too: Zed exposes editor, Cursor exposes editor/api.

### Are Zed and Cursor still maintained?

Zed: actively maintained. Cursor: actively maintained. Statuses are re-verified each catalog refresh (2026-09-25); see the changelog for the full history.

ALT

## More comparisons

-   [→Cursor vs Windsurf / Devin Desktop](https://www.agentlist.io/compare/cursor-vs-windsurf)
-   [→Claude Code vs Cursor](https://www.agentlist.io/compare/claude-code-vs-cursor)
-   [→GitHub Copilot vs Cursor](https://www.agentlist.io/compare/copilot-vs-cursor)
-   [→Claude Code vs Codex CLI](https://www.agentlist.io/compare/claude-code-vs-codex-cli)
-   [→Aider vs Claude Code](https://www.agentlist.io/compare/aider-vs-claude-code)
-   [→Cline vs Roo Code](https://www.agentlist.io/compare/cline-vs-roo-code)

A

## Zed

Zed is a fast native editor (Rust, GPU-rendered) with a built-in agent panel, edit predictions, and hosted or BYOK models.

[full spec sheet →](https://www.agentlist.io/systems/zed)

-   [↗ zed.dev/pricing](https://zed.dev/pricing)
-   [↗ zed.dev/docs/account/plans-and-pricing](https://zed.dev/docs/account/plans-and-pricing)

B

## Cursor

Cursor is a VS Code–based AI-native editor with repo-aware chat, multi-file edits, Composer/agent modes, and cloud background agents.

[full spec sheet →](https://www.agentlist.io/systems/cursor)

-   [↗ cursor.com/pricing](https://cursor.com/pricing)
-   [↗ cursor.com/docs/models-and-pricing](https://cursor.com/docs/models-and-pricing)

SRC

## Data

Fields come from the seed catalog, re-verified 2026-09-25. This page compares recorded specs — it does not rank performance. See the [changelog](https://www.agentlist.io/changelog) or the [JSON feed](https://www.agentlist.io/api/v1/systems).

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Source: [Zed vs Cursor: spec comparison | agentlist.io](https://www.agentlist.io/compare/zed-vs-cursor). This is the public page rendered as Markdown; interactive controls require the website.