Pick Windsurf (Devin Desktop) if…
you want an AI that takes on whole tasks, plus free completions good enough for daily use.
Windsurf, now called Devin Desktop, is an IDE built to hand work to autonomous agents. Zed is a native, Rust-built editor whose AI is mostly edit prediction, with multiplayer editing and an open-source core. They overlap on day-to-day AI-assisted editing, and that's where the free plans differ most: Windsurf's includes unlimited Tab completions, Zed's has no hosted AI at all.
Pick Windsurf if you want agents that write, test and ship code, and a free plan with unlimited Tab completions and inline edits; Pro is $20/mo. Pick Zed if editor speed and pair-editing matter more than agents: Pro ($10/mo) adds unlimited hosted edit predictions.
| App | Free tier | Paid from | Top plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windsurf (Devin Desktop) | Yes | $20/mo | $200/mo | Developers who want Devin's autonomous coding agent paired with a full IDE, not just a chat sidebar |
| 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
| Windsurf (Devin Desktop) | Zed | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | IDE + autonomous agent hybrid | Native Rust editor with AI edit prediction |
| AI on the free plan | Unlimited Tab completions and inline edits, light quota | None hosted — your own API keys or external agents |
| Entry plan | Full model access, Devin cloud agents | Unlimited hosted edit predictions + monthly model credits |
| Collaboration | Teams: centralized billing and admin dashboard | Multiplayer editing; Business adds team management |
| Watch out for | Old reviews under the Windsurf name may be outdated | Smaller plugin ecosystem than VS Code forks |
you want an AI that takes on whole tasks, plus free completions good enough for daily use.
you want a fast, open-source editor for hands-on coding with predictions, and would bring your own keys for anything more.
Yes. The free plan keeps unlimited inline edits and Tab completions, with a light usage quota and limited models.
For a fast native editor with multiplayer editing, Zed. For agentic workflows, Windsurf: Zed's AI centres on edit prediction rather than full agents.
Zed Pro ($10/mo) is the lower-priced entry plan. Windsurf Pro is $20/mo and includes Devin cloud agents.
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.