Claude Code vs Zed: what each really costs

Claude Code

• 01Codebase understandingUnderstands your codebase, edits files and runs commands.
• 02Terminal and IDE agentAgentic coding tool that works in your terminal and IDE.
• 03Multi-surface controlSteer and review work from the terminal, IDE, Slack or web.
• 04Large codebase mappingMaps and explains large codebases in seconds.
• 05Runs testsFollows imports across the repo and runs your tests.
• 06Permission promptsAsks permission before changing files or running commands.
• 07IDE extensionsNative extensions for VS Code and JetBrains IDEs.
• 08Parallel agent sessionsGroup sessions to run and supervise multiple agents at once.

Zed

• 01Real-time collaborationAims to remove the distinction between local and remote projects.
• 02Multi-buffersPerform multi-cursor edits that span multiple files.
• 03Language server supportDownloads and starts the appropriate language server automatically when supported.
• 04Integrated terminalIncludes a built-in terminal emulator using Alacritty as its backend.
• 05Vim modeOffers a Vim mode tested against Neovim itself.
• 06Project-wide diagnosticsShows the count of errors and warnings across the whole project in the status bar.
• 07Command paletteA command palette gives access to much of the editor's functionality.
• 08BreadcrumbsDisplays a breadcrumb trail at the top of buffers.