Cline vs Zed
Cline and Zed score the same, 7.2 out of 10 among the AI coding assistants we rate, so the choice comes down to who you are.
Too close to call: 7.2 each
Zed suggests code as you type through what it calls Edit Prediction; Cline does not do this, working instead through chat and agent instructions. Cline can review pull requests using a documented CLI and GitHub Actions workflow, a capability Zed does not have. Zed's Pro plan costs $10 a month; we could not find Cline's monthly price on its site. Both are free to start, open source, and let you run models on your own machine.
Pick Cline if you want built-in pull request review.
Pick Zed if you want inline code suggestions as you type.
Best for
Who each one suits, decided on the criteria that matter to that buyer and the checked facts where the two differ.
- Suggests code as you type: Zed yes, Cline no
- But Cline leads on reviews pull requests: Cline yes, Zed no
- Editors and terminals it works in: Cli, vscode, jetbrains, own editor against Cli, own editor
- Option to keep no copy of your code: Zed yes, Cline no
How they score
Both are scored the same way, against the other AI coding assistants we rate, from facts on each vendor's own pages. Zed leads on 2 of 5 criteria.
Where they differ
Every point where the two vendors' published facts disagree, with a link to where each fact was read. "Not published" means the vendor does not say either way.
Published by only one of them
Where they match (11)
Pricing, plan by plan
Every plan each vendor publishes, monthly and yearly where both are offered.
Cline
Zed
For everything else about each tool, read the full Cline review and Zed review.
Cline vs Zed: common questions
Which is better, Cline or Zed?
They score the same, 7.2 out of 10 among the AI coding assistants we rate. Cline is ahead on where it works. Zed is ahead on agents and your codebase and privacy and security.
Is Cline or Zed cheaper?
Cline's cheapest paid plan is Free for individuals and Zed's is $0/mo. Compare what each plan includes below before going on price alone.
Do Cline and Zed have a free plan?
Yes, both do.
What can Cline do that Zed cannot?
On the facts both vendors publish: reviews pull requests.
What can Zed do that Cline cannot?
On the facts both vendors publish: suggests code as you type and option to keep no copy of your code.
