Two AI code editors, side by side. Facts below link to their sources; last checked 2026-10-17.
| Zed | GitHub Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | AI code editor | AI code editor |
| Pricing | From $10/month | From $10/month |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Latest release | — | — |

High-performance open-source code editor written in Rust. The agent discovers context, edits files and keeps going until the task is done; you can also plug in external agents like Codex or Claude Code. source

GitHub's AI pair programmer. Agent mode in VS Code analyzes code, edits multiple files, runs permitted terminal commands, detects errors and iterates until the task is done. source
Zed: Open-source Rust editor at 120fps with an agent panel and parallel agents. GitHub Copilot: Copilot agent mode in VS Code: edits files, runs commands, fixes its own errors.
Zed: From $10/month (free tier available). GitHub Copilot: From $10/month (free tier available). Prices change often; confirm on the official pricing pages.