Continue vs Zed
Auto-updated comparison · last refreshed September 3, 2026
TL;DR
| Continue | Zed | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | vscode-extension | ide-native |
| Vendor | open source | Zed Industries |
| Pricing | Free tier (OSS extension, BYO API keys) | Free tier · Pro $20/month (editor free, AI subscription optional) |
| Autocomplete | Yes | Yes |
| Agent mode | Yes | Yes |
| MCP support | Yes | Yes |
| Local models | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | No |
| Codebase indexing | Yes | Yes |
| Team features | Yes | Yes |
Where Continue wins
- fully OSS
- config-file driven
- local model support
Where Zed wins
- blazing fast Rust core
- native collaboration
- clean UI without VS Code cruft
Weaknesses
Continue: config-heavy; slower to add new features than Cursor
Zed: smaller extension ecosystem than VS Code; AI features newer than Cursor's
Best for
Pick Continue if you are teams that need OSS auditable AI tooling, or local LLM users.
Pick Zed if you are macOS speed enthusiasts, or collaborative pair programming, or devs who find VS Code bloated.
FAQ
Is Continue more expensive than Zed?
Free tier (OSS extension, BYO API keys) vs Free tier · Pro $20/month (editor free, AI subscription optional). Compare the Pro tiers first if you're a solo dev; Business/Enterprise only matters for teams.
Do Continue and Zed use the same AI models?
Continue supports: any via API. Zed supports: claude-sonnet-4-6, gpt-5, gemini-2.5-pro, local-via-ollama. Most modern tools default to Claude Sonnet 4.6 in 2026.
Can I use both?
Yes. They don't conflict at the file level. Some devs use one for autocomplete and one for agent work.
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Best Continue and Zed pairings by language
- Python: Continue for Python · Zed for Python
- TypeScript: Continue for TypeScript · Zed for TypeScript
- Rust: Continue for Rust · Zed for Rust
- Go: Continue for Go · Zed for Go