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Cursor vs Zed

Pricing, founders, indie status and curated alternatives compared from our directory — all data points sourced from each tool's public site or press materials.

Cursor

AI-first code editor built on VS Code.

AI Coding AgentsFreemium · $20/mo (Pro)
Visit Cursor
Zed

Fast, collaborative code editor.

Freemium · FreeOpen source
Visit Zed
At a glance
Pricing
Cursor$20/mo (Pro)
ZedFree
Pricing model
CursorFreemium
ZedFreemium
Founded
Cursor2022
Zed
Location
CursorSan Francisco, USA
Zed
Bootstrapped
Cursor
Zed
Open source
Cursor
ZedYes
Category
CursorAI Coding Agents
Zed
Indie alternatives
Cursor10
Zed0
Founders
CursorMichael Truell, Sualeh Asif, Arvid Lunnemark, Aman Sanger
ZedNathan Sobo

Key differences

  • Funding

    Zed is bootstrapped / open source; Cursor is venture-backed.

  • Open source

    Zed is open source; Cursor is closed source.

  • Indie alternatives

    Cursor has 10 curated indie alternatives in our directory; Zed has 0.

Differences are derived directly from the data on each tool's page. Empty fields mean we haven't verified a value yet — never that one tool lacks the capability.

Founders of Cursor

  • Michael TruellCo-founder & CEO
  • Sualeh AsifCo-founder
  • Arvid LunnemarkCo-founder
  • Aman SangerCo-founder

Founder of Zed

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