Pick Kiro if…
you want to delegate whole features to agents and your team works on AWS.
Kiro and Zed are both editors with AI, at opposite ends of how much the AI does. Kiro, from AWS, writes a spec and has parallel agents implement it and run tests. Zed is a native editor from the Atom and Tree-sitter creators whose AI predicts your next edit while you stay in control. Pick by how much of the code you want to write yourself.
Pick Kiro ($20/mo) if you want agents to plan and build features across a large codebase, with 1,000 credits a month on Pro. Pick Zed ($10/mo) if you write the code and want unlimited hosted edit predictions in a native editor; its free plan works with your own API keys.
| App | Free tier | Paid from | Top plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiro | Yes | $20/mo | $200/mo | Teams already on AWS who want an agent that plans a spec and runs tests before generating code across large codebases |
| Zed | Yes | $10/mo | $30/mo | Developers who want a fast, native multiplayer editor with AI edit prediction rather than a heavier Electron-based IDE |
Monthly prices in US dollars before tax, from each vendor's official pricing (US list price; weekly-billed plans converted to a monthly figure). Updated November 2, 2026
| Kiro | Zed | |
|---|---|---|
| AI role | Agents plan a spec, write code, run tests | Edit prediction as you type |
| Free plan | 50 credits/mo, rate-limited | Open-source editor; bring your own API keys |
| Entry plan | 1,000 credits/mo, premium models | Unlimited hosted edit predictions + monthly model credits |
| Plan ladder | Pro, Pro+, Pro Max, Power, Enterprise | Personal, Pro, Business |
| Interfaces | IDE, CLI and web | Native desktop editor with multiplayer editing |
you want to delegate whole features to agents and your team works on AWS.
you want to stay hands-on in a fast editor, value open source, and only need predictions or your own keys.
Zed: Pro is $10/mo and Business $30/mo per seat, while Kiro's paid plans start at $20/mo and climb with credits. They buy very different amounts of AI work, though.
Yes. Kiro Free includes 50 credits a month with open-weight models and Claude Sonnet 4.5. Zed's free Personal plan is the full open-source editor, without Zed-hosted AI predictions.
Paid plans are bought per user, so a team mixes tiers as needed, and Enterprise adds centralized billing through AWS, SSO and usage analytics.
How we choose: prices come from each vendor's official pricing page and are re-checked every week. We take no affiliate fees, so rankings aren't for sale.