---
title: Zed
slug: zed
url: "https://toolweight.com/options/zed"
homepage: "https://zed.dev"
categories: coding-agents
last_verified: 2026-01-15
license: CC-BY-4.0
---

# Zed

> GPL-licensed Rust editor whose agent panel can host Claude Code, Codex and Gemini CLI.

Zed is a fast, open-source Rust editor with a native agent panel, but its most interesting property in this category is the Agent Client Protocol: external agents run inside Zed's review surface, so you can drive Claude Code or Gemini CLI from an editor rather than a terminal. Bring your own key for free, or pay for hosted models. Local models work. There is no sandbox and no pull-request path.

## Identity

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Name | Zed |
| Company | Zed |
| One-liner | GPL-licensed Rust editor whose agent panel can host Claude Code, Codex and Gemini CLI. |
| Site | https://zed.dev |
| Docs | https://zed.dev/docs/ai/overview |
| Repo | https://github.com/zed-industries/zed |
| Founded | 2021 |
| Open source | Yes |
| Licence | GPL-3.0 |
| Brand | https://toolweight.com/vendors/Zed |
| Compared in | 1 |

## Where it is compared

### [Coding agents](https://toolweight.com/compare/coding-agents)
Ranked **#13 of 17** on default weights.
| Field | Value | Confidence | Verified | Source | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Surface | standalone editor | Vendor-claimed | 2026-01-15 | https://zed.dev/docs/ai/overview | - |
| Default model | None, configure a provider, or sign in for hosted models | Inferred | 2026-01-15 | - | - |
| Model breadth | any provider / router | Vendor-claimed | 2026-01-15 | https://zed.dev/docs/ai/llm-providers | - |
| Repo indexing | AST / LSP repo map | Inferred | - | - | The editor's own LSP and tree-sitter infrastructure feeds the agent panel. |
| Plan mode | ◐ | Community-reported | - | - | The agent panel's read-only Ask profile discusses and plans without touching files, but moving to a writing profile is a mode switch rather than approving a plan the agent then executes. Graded like Aider's architect mode: planning without an approval gate. |
| Checkpoint & undo | ● | Community-reported | - | - | Agent edits appear as reviewable, revertable changes in the editor. |
| Headless / CI | ○ | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Local models | ● | Inferred | 2026-01-15 | - | - |
| Where it stops | 3 | Inferred | - | - | The agent panel has a terminal tool, so it edits and runs commands. External agents hosted over ACP go further on their own terms. |
| MCP | ● | Inferred | 2026-01-15 | - | Context servers are MCP servers. |
| Subagents | ○ | Inferred | - | - | No child-agent primitive. The Agent Client Protocol lets Zed host another agent's whole loop, which is a different and genuinely useful thing, but it is not Zed spawning children and collecting their results, so it belongs in the verdict rather than in this cell. |
| Hooks | ○ | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Skills / commands | ◐ | Community-reported | - | - | Rules files and slash commands. |
| Background agents | ○ | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Opens PRs | ○ | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Permissions | granular allowlist | Inferred | - | - | Per-tool confirmation in the agent panel; no OS sandbox. |
| BYOK | ● | Inferred | 2026-01-15 | - | - |
| Licence | GPL-3.0 | Vendor-claimed | 2026-01-15 | https://github.com/zed-industries/zed | - |
| Pricing model | BYOK tokens only | Inferred | 2026-01-15 | - | Free with your own key; a paid tier covers hosted models. |
| Entry price | $0 /seat/mo | Inferred | 2026-01-15 | - | - |
| Token markup | ○ | Inferred | - | - | BYOK at provider list is the default path, not a downgrade. The paid hosted-model tier is the same optional first-party arrangement opencode, Cline and Kilo Code have, and all four are graded the same. |
| GitHub stars | 62,000 | Community-reported | - | - | Rounded. |
| Terminal-Bench | - | Unknown | - | - | - |
| Bench model | - | Unknown | - | - | - |
| Positioning | The editor for humans and AI, written in Rust. | Vendor-claimed | - | https://zed.dev | - |
| First release | 2023-03-22 | Community-reported | - | - | Editor launch; the agent panel arrived in 2025. |

**Verdict.** The hedge in this category: a fast GPL editor that hosts other people's agents over ACP, so your harness choice stays reversible while you keep a proper review surface. Weak as an agent in its own right, a read-only Ask profile rather than a real plan-and-approve gate, no subagents, no PR path, no headless mode.

## Alternatives

- [Aider](https://toolweight.com/options/aider), Minimal terminal pair-programmer with a tree-sitter repo map and automatic git commits.
- [Amp](https://toolweight.com/options/amp), Sourcegraph's opinionated agent with no model picker and an ad-supported free tier.
- [Claude Code](https://toolweight.com/options/claude-code), Anthropic's terminal-first agent, with IDE, web and GitHub Action surfaces.
- [Cline](https://toolweight.com/options/cline), Open-source VS Code and JetBrains agent built around an explicit plan/act split.
- [Codex CLI](https://toolweight.com/options/codex-cli), OpenAI's open-source Rust agent, with the strongest local sandboxing on this page.
- [Cursor](https://toolweight.com/options/cursor), VS Code fork with a real codebase index, background cloud agents and a CLI.
- [Devin](https://toolweight.com/options/devin), Fully delegated cloud engineer: file a task in Slack or the web app, get a PR back.
- [DIY harness](https://toolweight.com/options/diy-harness), Your own loop over a model API with an agent SDK, the build-it-yourself reference point.
- [Gemini CLI](https://toolweight.com/options/gemini-cli), Apache-2.0 terminal agent from Google with an unusually generous free tier.
- [GitHub Copilot (Agent HQ)](https://toolweight.com/options/github-copilot), Copilot's coding agent plus a control plane for running third-party agents on your repos.
- [Goose](https://toolweight.com/options/goose), Block's Apache-2.0 agent, MCP-native from the start, as both a CLI and a desktop app.
- [Grok Build](https://toolweight.com/options/grok-build), xAI's coding harness, launched July 2026, on this page but not yet verified.

## Licence and attribution

Data from toolweight (https://toolweight.com), licensed CC-BY-4.0.

- Licence: [CC-BY-4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
- Canonical HTML: https://toolweight.com/options/zed
- Machine-readable: https://toolweight.com/options/zed.md · https://toolweight.com/api/v1 · https://toolweight.com/mcp
- toolweight takes no affiliate revenue and sells no placements. Corrections: https://toolweight.com/suggest