Tool profile
Zed: cost, fit and limits
Zed is a code editor made by Zed Industries, Inc. for macOS, Linux and Windows that offers edit predictions, an inline assistant and real-time collaboration, and can run AI through your own API keys or Zed-hosted models.
What to know first
Zed offers three plans: Personal is free forever and has no hosted AI, Pro is $10 per month and adds Zed-hosted models with $5 of tokens, and Business is $30 per seat per month. On Personal you can connect your own API keys or external agents such as Claude Agent and Codex CLI. Hosted usage past the included tokens bills at API list price plus 10%.
Zed at a glance
| Maker | Zed Industries, Inc., Not stated on the vendor pages |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes |
| Entry price | $0 forever |
| API access | No |
| Category | Best AI Code Editors in 2026, rank 3 of 13 |
| Website | zed.dev |
Who Zed is best for
Developers who already pay for model APIs
Personal accepts your own keys from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and others, so spend goes to the provider and the editor stays free.
Pairs and small teams
The homepage describes chatting with teammates, coding together and sharing your screen inside the editor, which suits remote pairing without a separate call tool.
Users of external coding agents
Claude Agent and Codex CLI run inside Zed on the free plan, which lets you keep an existing agent subscription and change only the editor.
Zed plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Personal | $0 forever | Unlimited use with your own API keys or external agents such as Claude Agent and Codex CLI; Zed provides no hosted AI on this plan. |
| Pro | $10 per month | Zed-hosted models, unlimited edit predictions and $5 of tokens included, with usage-based billing beyond that amount. |
| Business | $30 per seat, per month | Org-level controls over how Zed is used; members can hold their own Pro subscriptions, and order form contracts apply at 25 or more seats. |
Checked November 2026.
What Zed does
- Edit predictions
- Predictions are unlimited on Pro, according to the pricing page, which makes the paid plan useful even for developers who never open a chat panel or run an agent.
- Inline Assistant and commit messages
- The AI privacy page names an Inline Assistant for editing code in place and Git commit generation, so two everyday tasks have a built-in route.
- Bring your own keys
- Keys from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and others connect directly, and spend goes straight to the provider, so Zed does not sit between you and the model bill on Personal.
- Real-time collaboration
- Chat with teammates, code together and share your screen inside the editor, which the homepage lists next to the AI features as a core capability.
How Zed handles your data
Zed's privacy policy says it does not allow AI providers to train on customer data. The AI privacy page says Zed does not retain prompts or code context by default and keeps AI data only when a user shares feedback or opts in. Hosting region was not stated on the pages we read, and no certifications were listed. With your own keys the model provider's terms also apply, so read those separately.
Where Zed falls short in practice
- Enterprise sign-on is not ready. The pricing page says SSO, SAML and SCIM are planned but not currently available, which blocks teams that require centralized identity management and automated provisioning today.
- Hosted usage costs extra. Beyond the $5 of tokens on Pro, hosted usage bills at API list price plus 10%, so heavy agent users pay more than the $10 headline.
- Short trials. The Pro trial lasts 14 days or until the $5 balance runs out, and Business has no free trial, so evaluating team features requires paying.
Works with
Alternatives to Zed
Zed: common questions
Is Zed free?
Yes, in part. The Personal plan is free forever and supports unlimited use with your own API keys or external agents such as Claude Agent and Codex CLI. It includes no Zed-hosted AI. Pro at $10 per month adds hosted models, and Business costs $30 per seat per month.
Does Zed use my code to train AI models?
Zed's privacy policy says it does not allow AI providers to train on customer data. The AI privacy page adds that prompts and code context are not retained by default, only when you share feedback or opt in. If you use your own keys, the provider's policy applies as well.
What does the Zed Pro trial include?
The pricing page says the Pro free trial lasts 14 days or until the $5 balance is used, whichever ends first. After that, hosted usage is billed beyond the $5 included tokens. Business has no free trial, and monthly plans can be cancelled at any time.
Can Zed run Claude or Codex?
Zed's pricing page names Claude Agent and Codex CLI as external agents you can use on the Personal plan, and says keys from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and others work directly. Zed-hosted models are a separate Pro feature. Setup steps are in Zed's documentation, which we did not read in full.
Does Zed support single sign-on for teams?
Not yet. The pricing page says SSO, SAML and SCIM are planned but not currently available. Business at $30 per seat per month offers org-level controls, and contracts by order form apply from 25 seats. Teams that need identity integration today should check the page again before buying.