Cursor vs Zed
Cursor is the AI-first editor — agent mode, tab, BugBot. Zed is the native editor — fast Rust core, real-time collaboration, optional AI assistant. If you want AI to drive your editor, Cursor. If you want a fast, clean editor with collaboration, Zed. If you want to run several agents in parallel on the same repo, run either one inside Agentastic.
Who should choose each option
Cursor
Choose Cursor for an AI-first editor with mature agent mode.
Zed
Choose Zed for raw editor speed and built-in real-time collaboration.
Feature comparison
| Cursor | Zed | |
|---|---|---|
| Implementation | VS Code fork (Electron) | Native Rust |
| AI focus | Agent + tab + chat | Optional AI assistant |
| Real-time collab | No | Yes |
| Bundle size | ~500 MB | ~150 MB |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
Pricing
Cursor
Free; Pro $20/mo.
Zed
Free; Zed AI is paid.
Using them together
Open Cursor or Zed worktrees from Agentastic, run multiple agents in parallel, and review their diffs in Agentastic's built-in diff viewer.
Frequently asked questions
Is Zed faster than Cursor?
Yes, Zed's native Rust core is significantly snappier than Cursor's Electron-based fork on most operations.
Does Zed have an agent mode like Cursor?
Zed AI handles chat and edits but Cursor's agent mode is more mature for delegating long-running tasks.
See also
Agentastic vs Cursor
Compare Agentastic and Cursor. Agentastic runs 30+ coding agents in parallel git worktrees on macOS. Cursor is…
Agentastic vs Zed
Compare Agentastic and Zed. Agentastic runs 30+ AI coding agents in parallel git worktrees on macOS. Zed is a …
Cursor vs Windsurf
Compare Cursor and Windsurf, two VS Code forks built around AI. Cursor pioneered the AI-first editor with Curs…