GNU Emacs vs Zed
GNU Emacs
gnu.org
Zed
zed.devSide by side
| Figure | GNU Emacs | Zed |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $10/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 4 |
| Spec score · Text Editors | 9.0 (#4) | 9.1 (#2) |
| Spec score · Go IDEs | 8.8 (#2) | 8.3 (#11) |
| Spec score · Code editors | 8.9 (#4) | 9.2 (#1) |
| Spec score · Editor Software | 8.7 (#4) | 8.3 (#10) |
| Column editing | Yes | Yes |
| Extension support | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Macro recording | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-cursor editing | Yes | Yes |
| Supported platforms | GNU/Linux, BSDs, Haiku, Windows, macOS, and Android. | Zed is available for macOS, Linux, and Windows. |
Plans
In their own words
Zed
Zed is a code editor for macOS, Windows, and Linux, with Personal, Pro, and Business plans. Personal is free forever and includes 2,000 accepted edit predictions; it also allows unlimited use with API keys or external agents. Pro costs $10.00 per month, includes unlimited edit predictions and $5 of tokens, and bills usage beyond that allowance at API list price plus 10%. The Pro trial lasts 14 days or until its $5 balance is used, with no credit card required. Editing tools include extensions, multi-cursor and column editing, and macro recording; the editor also supports a built-in debugger, remote development, and language servers. Native Git operations include staging, commits, pulls, pushes, and viewing diffs. Users can chat with teammates, code together, and share screens and projects. Supported model providers include Amazon Bedrock, Anthropic, GitHub Copilot, Google AI, and OpenAI; the extension ecosystem has hundreds of extensions. Business costs $30.00 per month and has no minimum seat count. SSO, SAML, and SCIM are planned but not currently available.