Does Cursor run on Windows?

Yes. The fact sheet lists platforms as Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, web, and CLI.

Does Zed run on Windows?

No. The fact sheet lists platforms as macOS and Linux only, and notes that Zed does not yet offer a stable native Windows build.

What does Cursor cost?

Hobby Free is free; Pro is $20 / mo, Pro+ is $60 / mo, Ultra is $200 / mo, Teams is $40 / user / mo, and Enterprise is Custom. Spend is token-metered across two model pools rather than a fixed request count.

Can I use Zed's AI for free?

Zed is open source and free to use, but the fact sheet notes some AI features require a Zed Pro subscription or your own API keys. Verified plans are not on file.

Which one has the larger extension ecosystem?

Cursor pulls extensions from Open VSX rather than the VS Code Marketplace, so some Microsoft-published extensions are missing. Zed's extension ecosystem is smaller than editors like VS Code according to the sheet.

Cursor vs Zed: How They Actually Differ

Cursor fits developers who want a VS Code-style editor with the broadest model access and reach across Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, web, and CLI. Zed fits macOS and Linux developers who want a free, open-source, Rust-built editor with built-in multiplayer collaboration.

Compiled 2026-08-20 from our catalogue entries for Cursor and Zed.

The short answer

Pick Cursor if: You want a familiar VS Code-style environment with one-click import of settings and extensions, the widest model selection in one tool (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, plus its own Composer model), or you work on Windows, iOS, the web, or the CLI alongside your editor.
Pick Zed if: You're on macOS or Linux, you want a free open-source editor written in Rust for low-latency input and rendering, or you need built-in real-time multiplayer collaboration without installing extra extensions.
Cheapest way in: Cursor's Hobby Free tier and Zed's free open-source build both let you start without paying. We do not have Zed's verified plans or starting price on file, so paid tiers cannot be compared directly.
What we could not compare: Zed has no verified plan list or starting price recorded, no Windows build, and no documented Slack/Jira/Linear or iOS extensions on file. Cursor's exact token allowances and limits are not listed in the sheet.

Cursor and Zed both sit in the AI Code Editors category and both use a freemium model, but they start from very different places. Cursor is forked from VS Code and now defaults to an Agents Window since Cursor 3.0, with model access from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and its own Composer model. Zed is written from scratch in Rust, with built-in AI chat, inline code transformations, and real-time multiplayer collaboration.

The choice comes down to ecosystem and platform. Cursor's pitch is breadth without a rebuild: one subscription reaches frontier models and surfaces outside the editor, including a CLI for headless and CI runs, cloud agents, iOS/iPad, and Slack/Jira/Linear integrations. Zed's pitch is speed and openness: a Rust core tuned for low-latency input and rendering, an open-source build that is free to use, and collaboration baked in rather than bolted on.

Side by side

Every cell is a field on our catalogue entry for that tool, copied as recorded. Rows where the two differ come first; blank fields say so rather than being filled in.

	Cursor	Zed
Starts at	Pro — $20 / mo	Not recorded
Runs on	mac, win, linux, ios, web, cli	mac, linux
Public source code	No public repo listed	Yes — public repo
Public docs	Yes	Not listed
Category	AI Code Editors	AI Code Editors
Pricing model	Freemium	Freemium

Public source code: From the repository link on each catalogue entry, not a licence audit.

Where Cursor is the better fit

Broadest model selection in one tool — Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, plus its own Composer model.
Near-zero migration from VS Code, with one-click import of settings, extensions, and keybindings.
Reaches beyond the editor through a CLI with headless and CI runs, cloud agents, iOS/iPad, and Slack/Jira/Linear integrations.

Full Cursor entry · Cursor pricing, verified

Where Zed is the better fit

Written in Rust and optimized for low-latency input and rendering.
Built-in real-time multiplayer collaboration for editing code with other developers.
Open source and free to use, with an optional paid tier for additional AI features.

Full Zed entry

Which one should you pick?

Solo founder on macOS already comfortable in VS Code

Cursor

One-click import of settings, extensions, and keybindings means no relearning, and the model selection covers Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and Composer in one subscription.

Small pair-programming team on macOS or Linux

Zed

Built-in real-time multiplayer collaboration is included in the editor, no extra extension required, and the open-source build is free to start.

Team on Windows or working from an iPad

Cursor

Listed platforms include Windows, iOS, web, and CLI alongside Mac and Linux, and the CLI supports headless and CI runs.

Frequently asked questions

Does Cursor run on Windows?: Yes. The fact sheet lists platforms as Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, web, and CLI.
Does Zed run on Windows?: No. The fact sheet lists platforms as macOS and Linux only, and notes that Zed does not yet offer a stable native Windows build.
What does Cursor cost?: Hobby Free is free; Pro is $20 / mo, Pro+ is $60 / mo, Ultra is $200 / mo, Teams is $40 / user / mo, and Enterprise is Custom. Spend is token-metered across two model pools rather than a fixed request count.
Can I use Zed's AI for free?: Zed is open source and free to use, but the fact sheet notes some AI features require a Zed Pro subscription or your own API keys. Verified plans are not on file.
Which one has the larger extension ecosystem?: Cursor pulls extensions from Open VSX rather than the VS Code Marketplace, so some Microsoft-published extensions are missing. Zed's extension ecosystem is smaller than editors like VS Code according to the sheet.

What we compared

This page states nothing that is not in the two catalogue entries below. The exact text used to write it is reproduced here so you can check our reading, and both tools link through to their own pages and to the vendor.

/tools/cursor — checked 2026-08-13 · official site
/tools/zed — checked 2026-06-14 · official site

Show the source text

## Cursor (/tools/cursor)
Tagline: VS Code-based, agent-first coding environment — since Cursor 3.0 the default surface is an Agents Window, not an editor.
Category: AI Code Editors
Pricing model: freemium
Starts at: Pro — $20 / mo
Platforms: mac, win, linux, ios, web, cli
Public repo: none listed
Docs: https://cursor.com/docs
Verified plans (read 2026-08-17): Hobby Free | Pro $20 / mo | Pro+ $60 / mo | Ultra $200 / mo | Teams $40 / user / mo | Enterprise Custom
Strengths on file: Broadest model selection in one tool — Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, plus its own Composer model.; Near-zero migration from VS Code: one-click import of settings, extensions, and keybindings.; Reaches beyond the editor — CLI with headless/CI runs, cloud agents, iOS/iPad, and Slack/Jira/Linear integrations.
Limits on file: Spend is hard to predict: usage is token-metered across two model pools rather than a fixed request count.; Extensions come from Open VSX, not the VS Code Marketplace, so some Microsoft-published extensions are missing.; Ownership is in flux — a pending SpaceX acquisition of Anysphere puts vendor neutrality in question.
Cursor is an AI code editor forked from VS Code, adding a built-in agent, multi-file edits, and tab-completion on top of the editor most developers already know.
Its pitch is breadth without a rebuild: one subscription reaches frontier models from Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google, and because it's built on VS Code, existing extensions and keymaps carry straight over.
It fits developers who want an agent inside a familiar editor rather than a new tool to learn. It's a weaker fit on a tight budget — the Pro tier caps fast premium-model requests each month — and teams with private repos should note that telemetry and code-indexing have to be configured explicitly.
In the vibe-coding stack, Cursor is the IDE-native pick, sitting next to terminal-first Claude Code and the more agent-forward Windsurf.

## Zed (/tools/zed)
Tagline: High-performance multiplayer code editor written in Rust with built-in AI chat and inline edits.
Category: AI Code Editors
Pricing model: freemium
Starts at: Not recorded
Platforms: mac, linux
Public repo: https://github.com/zed-industries/zed
Docs: none listed
Verified plans: none on file
Strengths on file: Zed is written in Rust and optimized for low-latency input and rendering.; Zed includes built-in real-time multiplayer collaboration for editing code with other developers.; Zed has a built-in AI assistant that supports chat and inline code transformations.; Zed is open source and free to use, with an optional paid tier for additional AI features.
Limits on file: Zed does not yet offer a stable native Windows build, limiting it to macOS and Linux users.; Zed's extension ecosystem is smaller than that of editors like VS Code.; Some AI features require a Zed Pro subscription or your own API keys.
Zed is a high-performance code editor written in Rust, with a built-in AI assistant for chat and inline edits and real-time multiplayer collaboration baked in.
Its edge is speed and openness: the Rust core is tuned for low-latency input and rendering, the editor is open source and free, and collaboration is built in rather than bolted on.
It's for developers who want a fast, native, hackable editor and don't mind a leaner ecosystem. Three things to watch: there's no stable native Windows build yet (macOS and Linux only), the extension library is smaller than VS Code's, and some AI features need a Zed Pro subscription or your own API key.
Among AI editors it trades the VS Code lineage of Cursor and Windsurf for raw performance and an open-source core.

Change log

2026-08-20 — First published, compiled from the catalogue entries for Cursor and Zed.