Continue vs Zed

A detailed comparison to help you choose between Continue and Zed.

Continue

Continue

Open-source AI code assistant for any IDE

Zed

Zed

High-performance multiplayer code editor with AI

Rating4.4 (281 reviews)4.8 (236 reviews)
Pricing Modelfreefreemium
Starting PriceFreeFree tier available
Best ForPrivacy-conscious developers wanting a free, self-hostable AI coding assistantPerformance-focused developers wanting the fastest editor with integrated AI
Free Tier
API Access
Team Features
Open Source
Tags
free tieropen sourcebyok
free tieropen sourcebyok
Visit Continue →Visit Zed →

Continue

Pros

  • + Fully open-source
  • + Any LLM or self-hosted model
  • + VS Code and JetBrains support

Cons

  • - Requires setup and API keys
  • - UI less polished than Cursor
View full Continuereview →

Zed

Pros

  • + Blazing fast performance
  • + Native multi-model AI
  • + Real-time collaboration built-in

Cons

  • - Mac only (Linux beta)
  • - Smaller extension ecosystem vs VS Code
View full Zedreview →

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Continue vs Zed — Comparison 2026 | ToolSpotter