Windsurf (now Devin Desktop) vs Zed
Detailed side-by-side comparison to help you choose the right tool
Windsurf (now Devin Desktop)
🔴DeveloperAI Coding
Agentic AI IDE — originally from Codeium, now owned by Cognition and rebranding to Devin Desktop. The Cascade agent does deep-context, multi-file edits with inline diffs.
Was this helpful?
Starting Price
FreeZed
🔴DeveloperCode Editors
High-performance, multiplayer code editor written in Rust with a first-class AI agent panel that supports any LLM and the Model Context Protocol.
Was this helpful?
Starting Price
CustomFeature Comparison
Scroll horizontally to compare details.
💡 Our Take
Choose Zed if you value editor performance and native collaboration more than AI-specific features, and want the flexibility to switch between multiple LLM providers. Choose Windsurf if agentic AI coding workflows are your primary concern and you prefer deeper autonomous AI capabilities over raw editor speed.
Windsurf (now Devin Desktop) - Pros & Cons
Pros
- ✓Agentic feel is closer to 'pair-programmer' than Cursor's chat-driven model
- ✓Multi-file edits with inline diffs are excellent for whole-feature work
- ✓MCP client support is mature — real tool use, not just chat
- ✓Devin Cloud access from inside the IDE post-acquisition is a unique combo
- ✓Enterprise VPC + SAML/OIDC option is rare among agentic IDEs
- ✓Free tier is still usable for hobby projects
Cons
- ✗Mid-rebrand to 'Devin Desktop' is confusing — docs, billing, marketplace are inconsistent
- ✗Cascade is aggressive — when it picks a wrong direction it can break code across many files
- ✗Pro price rose from $15 to $20/month, and the new $200 Max tier surprised some users
- ✗Indexer can lag on very large monorepos, slowing the first edit
- ✗Cursor's UX is still smoother for many users coming from VS Code
Zed - Pros & Cons
Pros
- ✓Genuinely the fastest mainstream editor — perceivable latency improvement
- ✓Native MCP client support is unusual among VS Code competitors
- ✓Open-source core with no required subscription for full AI features
- ✓Multiplayer editing actually works without a screenshare bolt-on
- ✓Bring-your-own-key keeps cost flat for heavy AI users
Cons
- ✗Smaller extension ecosystem than VS Code — niche language plugins lag
- ✗Windows build is still preview-quality compared to macOS
- ✗Some IDE-grade features (refactorings, advanced debug UIs) less polished
- ✗Agent Panel still maturing relative to Cursor's deeper context features
Not sure which to pick?
🎯 Take our quiz →🔒 Security & Compliance Comparison
Scroll horizontally to compare details.
Price Drop Alerts
Get notified when AI tools lower their prices
Get weekly AI agent tool insights
Comparisons, new tool launches, and expert recommendations delivered to your inbox.
Ready to Choose?
Read the full reviews to make an informed decision