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| Compare features | Zed | Continue |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | A desktop editor with model and agent options. Separate editor access from inference billing. | Developer assistance with chat, edit, autocomplete and agent workflows, suited to teams that want to select their model providers. |
| Category | AI coding & development | AI coding & development |
| Paid entry price | US$10 / mo+Billed monthly · Pro Pro is USD10 monthly with additional metered usage beyond included credits. Personal does not pay for your independently configured providers. | Check official pricingUsage-based or variable · Provider-dependent inference Budget provider charges or local-runtime resources separately. Installing the client does not guarantee free inference. |
| Free plan | Supported | Unverified |
| Japanese support | Unverified | Unverified |
| Deployment | Desktop | Cloud / self-hosted |
| Reasons to choose |
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| Pricing checked | 2026-10-28 | 2026-10-27 |
| Official pricing | Check pricing | Check pricing |
Prices exclude tax, currency conversion and introductory discounts. Different currencies and billing periods are not directly comparable. Japanese support can apply to input, output or the interface; check each tool’s scope.
Define the scope of change
Decide whether retaining the current editor is a requirement. Include essential extensions and debugger behavior in migration checks. A complaint about AI assistance does not automatically require moving the entire editing environment. Pilot one project so configuration effort and ordinary editing differences remain attributable.
Test assistance roles separately
Completion, explanation, editing and delegated changes impose different requirements. Map Continue’s configured roles and Zed’s provider or external-agent route. Do not require one model for everything merely for symmetry; evaluate whether each ordinary operation remains usable and reviewable under the chosen arrangement.
Assign configuration ownership
Provider choice creates responsibility for updates and troubleshooting. Separate individual settings from team policy and keep a non-secret configuration record. If the setup cannot be reproduced on another machine, diagnose configuration and dependencies before purchasing more access. Greater capacity does not fix an unexplained operating difference.
Check the data boundary by feature
For local inference, inspect completion and auxiliary tools as well as the primary conversation. A Zed external agent has an independent provider relationship. Continue also needs each required role checked. The client’s location is not evidence that every inference and tool operation obeys the same data condition.
Example: move from explanation to a small edit
In a hypothetical pilot, request an explanation of an input function, then one change to invalid-value handling. Record context, patch and independent expected-result checks. Add a relevant caller during the task to test how missing evidence is supplied. That exercises a working interaction rather than only the first short answer.
Choose by total effort and handoff
Separate client, hosted usage, independent-provider costs and maintenance effort. Once a second maintainer can repeat the task, compare interaction preference and administration. Review unused contracts and credentials and preserve shared configuration in the repository before treating the switch as complete.
Official sources
Pricing, availability and feature limits can change. Check the linked official pages before subscribing.
- AI in ZedInformation checked: 2026-10-28
- Zed external agentsInformation checked: 2026-10-28
- Zed LLM providersInformation checked: 2026-10-28
- Zed local modelsInformation checked: 2026-10-28
- Continue documentationInformation checked: 2026-10-27
- Continue offline configurationInformation checked: 2026-10-27
- Zed pricingInformation checked: 2026-10-28
- Continue model providersInformation checked: 2026-10-27