Is Zed Free? What the AI Plan Really Costs
Zed's editor is free and open source, and the Personal plan is $0 forever with 2,000 edit predictions a month. The part most people miss: bring your own API key and edit predictions become unlimited at no cost. If you want Zed's hosted AI instead, Pro is $10/month with $5 of token usage, metered after that at API list price +10%.
AICoding score
Quick Verdict
8.3 / 10 — The cheapest route to unlimited AI predictions, if you accept a smaller ecosystem.
Zed is a different kind of AI editor: instead of bundling credits and hiding usage numbers, it gives you a fast open-source editor, a free tier that stays useful, and the option to plug in your own key and pay nothing to Zed at all. Pro at $10 adds convenience — unlimited predictions and $5 of hosted usage — but the BYOK path is where the value is, especially with a local model through Ollama or LM Studio. The trade-offs are real: a smaller extension ecosystem than VS Code, a 10% markup on hosted usage, and Business-tier SSO that is still on the roadmap.
Zed is right if…
- You want unlimited AI predictions without a subscription (BYOK)
- Editor performance and latency matter more than extension count
- You run local models through Ollama or LM Studio for privacy
- You want an editor that works perfectly well with AI switched off
Look elsewhere if…
- You need VS Code's full extension ecosystem
- You want a managed agent with included credits and no key management
- You need SSO/SCIM at the team tier today — it is still planned
- You depend on hosted frontier models through the vendor rather than your own keys
What You Get for $0
Unlimited Predictions With BYOK
Bring a key for Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Bedrock, DeepSeek, OpenRouter, Mistral, Vercel, GitHub Copilot, LM Studio or Ollama and edit predictions stop being metered entirely. Pair it with a local model and your AI cost is genuinely $0.
Free Tier That Stays Useful
2,000 accepted edit predictions a month at no cost, with no credit card and no trial clock. External agents such as the Claude Agent and Codex CLI also run unlimited on the free plan.
Pro at $10 With $5 Usage
Unlimited predictions plus $5 of hosted token usage, then metered at API list price plus 10%, settling at month end or each additional $10 — with a spend limit you can set to prevent surprises.
GPU-Accelerated Performance
Written in Rust with GPU-accelerated rendering, which is why developers who switch rarely go back for performance reasons. The editor works fully with AI disabled, so you are not paying a model tax for speed.
Bring Your Own Agent
Zed works with external agents including the Claude Agent and Codex CLI, so you can keep the editor and still use the agent ecosystem you already pay for elsewhere.
Business Governance
At $30 per seat: organisation-wide model policies, the ability to disable edit prediction for the whole org, locked data-sharing settings, role-based access and unified spend visibility. No minimum seats, but SSO and SCIM are still pending.
Pricing
The full editor plus 2,000 accepted edit predictions per month, unlimited predictions when using your own key or external agents, and multiplayer collaboration. No credit card, no trial expiry.
- 2,000 predictions/mo
- Unlimited with BYOK
- External agents unlimited
- Open source
Unlimited edit predictions plus $5 of Zed-hosted token usage per month, then metered at API list price +10%. Includes a 14-day trial with $5 of GPT-5.6 Luna usage and a spend limit.
- Unlimited predictions
- $5 hosted usage
- Overage at list +10%
- 14-day trial, no card
Organisation-wide AI model policies, data governance controls, unified spend visibility, unlimited edit predictions and role-based access. No bundled LLM allowance and no free trial; order forms at 25+ seats.
- Org model policies
- Data governance
- Unlimited predictions
- No minimum seats
The unofficial best-value tier: use your own provider keys — including local models via Ollama or LM Studio — and Zed charges you nothing for AI. You pay only your model provider, or nothing at all locally.
- 11+ providers supported
- Local models supported
- Unlimited predictions
- $0 to Zed
* Verified from zed.dev/pricing on September 12, 2026. Hosted usage is billed at API list price plus a 10% markup, and charges settle at month end or each additional $10 of usage — whichever comes first. Business seats do not include a fixed LLM allowance.
Zed Real Cost Breakdown
| Task / Plan | Usage | Typical cost | What to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Editor only | No AI features enabled | $0 | Zed is genuinely usable with AI switched off — it is a fast editor first and an AI product second. |
| Personal with BYOK | Your own key, unlimited predictions | $0 to Zed | You pay only your model provider. With a local model via Ollama or LM Studio, total cost is $0. |
| Personal hosted | 2,000 accepted predictions/month | $0 | The free allowance covers light daily use; heavier prediction use is what pushes people to Pro or BYOK. |
| Pro | $10/mo with $5 hosted token usage | $10/mo | Unlimited predictions plus a starter credit. Most individual developers who use hosted models stay near the $10. |
| Hosted overage | Above the $5 credit | List price +10% | A 10% markup on top of provider rates — modest, but set a spend limit so it stays visible. |
| Business rollout | $30 per seat, no bundled LLM credit | From $30/seat/mo | You get governance rather than AI quota: model policies, data controls and spend visibility. |
| Local-model setup | Ollama or LM Studio behind BYOK | $0 | The cheapest credible AI editing setup in this category if your hardware can run the model. |
* From zed.dev/pricing (checked September 12, 2026). Token costs depend on the model you choose and the size of prompts and responses; the 10% markup applies only to Zed-hosted usage, never to BYOK.
Zed Deals & Ways to Pay Nothing
Zed's best discount is structural rather than promotional: BYOK removes the AI fee entirely.
Zed vs The Field
Zed vs Cursor
Cost and speed vs agent depthCursor is $20/month with deeper agent UX and Composer, but its included usage is unpublished. Zed is free with BYOK, charges $10 for hosted access, and is markedly faster as an editor. If your workflow is agent-heavy and budget-insensitive, Cursor; if you want performance and control over model spend, Zed.
Zed for cost controlZed vs GitHub Copilot
Free-with-BYOK vs unmetered completionsCopilot is $10 with $15 in credits and never meters completions, across ten editors. Zed gives unlimited predictions free with your own key but lives in one editor with a smaller extension ecosystem. Copilot suits broad IDE coverage; Zed suits developers who already have a model provider.
Depends on key ownershipZed vs VS Code
Performance vs ecosystemVS Code has the larger extension ecosystem, and its AI story comes from extensions. Zed is a purpose-built, GPU-accelerated editor with AI designed in. The honest trade-off is that some plugins and workflows will need rethinking.
Zed for performanceZed vs Cline / Continue
Editor vs extensionCline and Continue are free and BYOK but run inside existing editors. Zed offers the same economics with an editor purpose-built around them — at the cost of moving your whole development environment.
Zed if you will switchWho Zed Is Best For
Cost-conscious AI editing
BYOK plus a local model makes Zed the cheapest credible AI coding setup available — $0 in tool and AI fees.
Performance-sensitive developers
Rust and GPU rendering keep latency low on large files and monorepos where heavier editors stutter.
Privacy-first teams
Local models through Ollama or LM Studio mean code never leaves your machine, with no hosted metering to worry about.
Hosted-model convenience
Pro at $10 with $5 of usage suits developers who want hosted frontier models without managing keys.
Teams needing AI policy control
Business lets admins pick which models are allowed, disable predictions organisation-wide and lock data-sharing settings.
Multiplayer collaboration
Real-time collaborative editing is built in, which is unusual for a native editor and useful for pairing sessions.
Get Unlimited Predictions for Free
Install free and turn AI off first
Evaluate the editor on its own merits — speed, keymaps, multiplayer — before adding AI. Zed is designed to be perfectly usable without it.
Try the 14-day Pro trial
$5 of GPT-5.6 Luna usage and unlimited predictions, no credit card. The trial ends when the credit runs out or 14 days pass.
Then connect your own key
Add an Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter or local Ollama key. Edit predictions become unlimited and Zed charges you nothing for AI.
Or pay $10 for hosted convenience
If you would rather not manage keys, Pro includes $5 of hosted usage and meters after that at list price +10%. Set a spend limit either way.
Only add Business for governance
The $30 seat is about organisation policies and spend visibility, not more AI quota — and SSO/SCIM are still on the roadmap, so check timing.
FAQ
Is Zed free?
Yes. The editor itself is free and open source, and the Personal plan is $0 forever. Personal includes 2,000 accepted edit predictions per month, and — this is the part people miss — edit prediction becomes unlimited at no cost if you use your own API key or an external agent such as the Claude Agent or Codex CLI. The editor is GPU-accelerated and written in Rust, and no AI is required at all if you prefer to turn it off.
What does Zed Pro cost?
Pro is $10 per month and includes unlimited edit predictions plus $5 of Zed-hosted token usage. Once that $5 is spent, usage continues on a metered basis at API list price plus a 10% markup. So the effective entry price is $10, and the ceiling depends on how much hosted model usage you add on top.
How does Zed's token billing work?
Zed meters tokens — roughly three to four characters of English text each — and only charges for the prompt and the response actually processed. Pro-hosted usage is billed at API list price plus 10%. Charges settle either at month end or each time an additional $10 accumulates, whichever comes first, and you can set a spend limit so the meter cannot run away.
What is included in the free trial?
A 14-day Pro trial with $5 of GPT-5.6 Luna usage and unlimited edit predictions, no credit card required. The trial ends when either the $5 is spent or the 14 days elapse — whichever happens first — and GPT-5.6 Luna is the only hosted model available during the trial. The $5 trial credit is shared between Zed and Delta.
Can Zed be completely free if I bring my own key?
Yes, and this is Zed's most underrated feature. Bring your own key for Bedrock, Anthropic, GitHub Copilot, DeepSeek, Google AI, LM Studio, Mistral, Ollama, OpenAI, OpenRouter or Vercel, and edit predictions are unlimited with no Zed subscription. Running against a local model through Ollama or LM Studio makes the whole setup $0 ongoing.
What does Zed Business cost, and is it worth it?
Business is $30 per seat per month and adds organisation-wide AI model policies, data governance controls, unified spend visibility beyond the individual seat, unlimited edit predictions and role-based access control. There is no minimum seat count and no free trial, and order forms are available at 25+ seats. Note that Business seats do not bundle a fixed LLM allowance — you either use Zed-hosted models at standard rates or bring your own keys.
Does Zed Business include SSO?
Not yet. SSO, SAML and SCIM are listed as planned but currently unavailable, which matters if your procurement process requires them today. Admins can already restrict or disable hosted models, switch off edit prediction organisation-wide and lock data-sharing settings so members cannot override them.
How does Zed compare with Cursor and Copilot on price?
Zed is the cheapest of the three if you are willing to bring your own key: the editor is free, predictions are unlimited with BYOK, and you only pay the model provider. With hosted AI it is $10 per month plus metered usage at list price +10%. Copilot is $10 with $15 in included credits and unmetered completions; Cursor is $20 with unpublished usage. Zed's distinguishing feature is performance — it is a purpose-built GPU-accelerated editor rather than a VS Code fork.
Is Zed still open source?
The core editor is free and open source. The hosted AI features and the Business governance layer are the commercial additions — which is why the free tier remains genuinely usable rather than a crippled demo.
What are Zed's main limitations?
The ecosystem is smaller than VS Code's, so some extensions and keybindings need adjustment; hosted AI carries a 10% markup over list price; SSO and SCIM are not yet available for Business; and the agent experience, while fast, is less mature than Cursor's. It is a performance-and-cost play rather than a feature-parity play.
Can I use Zed with no AI at all?
Yes — AI features can be disabled entirely, and Zed remains a very fast multiplayer-capable code editor. Teams looking for a lightweight, low-cost editor with optional AI often land here, especially where latency and resource usage matter.
Who should pick Zed?
Developers who care about editor performance, want a $0 setup with their own key, or run local models for privacy. It is also the cheapest way to add unlimited AI edit predictions without a subscription — you just have to accept a smaller extension ecosystem than VS Code.