Cursor vs Zed
Verdict: in our “Best AI IDE for vibe coding” ranking, Cursor ranks #1 and Zed ranks #4. The table compares their verified basics; how we rank.
| Feature | Cursor | Zed |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | AI code editor built on a VS Code fork, with an agent mode. | Fast open-source code editor with built-in AI agent features. |
| Category | AI IDEs | AI IDEs |
| Pricing model | freemium | open-source |
| Integrations | IDE, MCP | IDE, MCP |
| Self-hostable | No / not listed | No / not listed |
| Open-source repo | — | zed-industries/zed |
| Rank in “Best AI IDE for vibe coding” | #1 | #4 |
| StackRank score | Not yet benchmarked | Not yet benchmarked |
| Last verified | Oct 14, 2026 | Oct 14, 2026 |