Cursor Overview
Cursor is a versatile standalone tool designed for developers across various platforms including Windows, macOS, and Linux. Developed by Cursor, it supports an extensive range of language models such as GPT-4, GPT-4 Turbo, and others, making it highly adaptable for different user needs. One of its standout features is its impressive context window that allows for 1 million tokens. Cursor supports agentic editing across multiple files, providing full terminal access for advanced operations. Predictive edits enhance the coding experience by suggesting improvements in real-time. Privacy is maintained with a standard privacy policy and SOC2 Type II certification for enterprise users. The tool offers a seamless migration process and is available in both free and premium tiers, with pricing starting at $20 per month.
Pros
- ✓ Supports a wide range of language models.
- ✓ Large context window of 1M tokens.
- ✓ Full terminal access.
- ✓ Predictive edits for efficient coding.
- ✓ Seamless migration process.
Cons
- ✕ Higher pricing for premium tier.
- ✕ No local inference capability.
Zed Overview
Zed is a standalone development tool compatible with macOS, Linux, and Windows, offering support for innovative language models like Claude 3.7 Sonnet and Gemini 2.5. It features local inference capabilities, enabling more efficient processing without reliance on external servers. With a context window of 200k tokens, Zed is designed for robust performance in multi-file agentic editing and full terminal access. While it shares a standard privacy policy with SOC2 Type II certification similar to Cursor, Zed requires some setup for migration. It provides a dynamic range of functionalities within its free and professional tiers, positioning it as a competitive choice for developers seeking flexibility and control.
Pros
- ✓ Local inference capability.
- ✓ Multi-file agentic editing.
- ✓ Full terminal access.
- ✓ Flexible free and professional tiers.
Cons
- ✕ Smaller context window of 200k tokens compared to competitors.
- ✕ Requires setup for migration.
Comparison Table
| Feature | Cursor | Zed |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture Type | standalone | standalone |
| Supported Os | Windows, macOS, Linux | macOS, Linux, Windows |
| Developer | Cursor | Zed |
| Supported Llms | GPT-4, GPT-4 Turbo, GPT-4o, GPT-5 (High MAX), Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Gemini, cursor-small, Supermaven | Claude 3.7 Sonnet, Gemini 2.5, Ollama (local), Zeta (open-source) |
| Custom Model | cursor-small | – |
| Context Window | 1M tokens | 200k tokens |
| Agentic Editing | Yes, multi-file | Yes, multi-file |
| Terminal Access | Full | Full |
| Privacy Mode | Standard Privacy Policy | Standard Privacy Policy |
| Certifications | SOC2 Type II (Enterprise) | SOC2 Type II (Enterprise) |
| About Price | Free – $20/mo | Free/Pro |
| Config File | .cursorrules | .zedrc |
| Migration | Seamless | Requires setup |
Conclusion
Both Cursor and Zed are powerful tools tailored for developers with distinct features. Cursor excels with its extensive range of supported language models and larger context window, making it ideal for projects requiring significant token processing. On the other hand, Zed’s local inference capability and efficient multi-file editing make it a strong contender for developers prioritizing flexibility and control. The choice between them will depend on specific project requirements and user preferences.