Zed is the better app overall, scoring 9.1 to 8.2. Zed wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Lovable on 2.
Developers who want a quick, modern editor with AI and pair programming built in
Beginners and founders who want a working web app without writing code
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Zed | Lovable |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools | Developer Tools |
| Category rank | #3 of 18 | #13 of 18 |
| Developer | Zed Industries | Lovable |
| Pricing | Free + paid plans | Free + paid plans |
| Usable for free | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | — | ✓ |
| Android | — | ✓ |
| Mac | ✓ | — |
| Windows | ✓ | — |
| Linux | ✓ | — |
| Web | — | ✓ |
Common questions
Is Zed better than Lovable?
Zed is the better app overall, scoring 9.1 to 8.2. Zed wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Lovable on 2.
Which is cheaper, Zed or Lovable?
Zed: Free with your own API keys; Pro is $10 a month with $5 of AI tokens included. Lovable: Free: 5 build credits a day, up to 30 a month; Pro is $25 a month for 100 credits. On value for money, Zed scores higher.
Do Zed and Lovable work on the same devices?
Only Zed runs on Mac, Windows, Linux. Only Lovable runs on Web, iPhone & iPad, Android.
Which is more private, Zed or Lovable?
Zed scores higher on privacy (8.6/10). Telemetry can be turned off in Settings, source code never goes into server telemetry, and Zed doesn't train on your data unless you opt in. AI providers are on zero-retention terms.
Strengths and weaknesses
Zed
- Native, GPU-rendered and quick to open
- Free and open source, with bring-your-own AI keys
- Collaboration and AI agents built in
- Hosted AI use is billed beyond the $5 included
- Still missing requests like smooth scrolling
- No built-in test runner integration yet
Zed is a code editor written in Rust with its own GPU-rendered interface instead of Electron, built to feel instant. You get real-time multiplayer editing, a debugger, Git, SSH remoting, edit predictions and parallel AI agents that can run Claude, Codex and others. It reached 1.0 in April 2026 and runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. Bring your own API keys for free, or pay for hosted AI. Some long-requested features, like smooth scrolling, are still missing.
Full Zed review
Lovable
- No coding needed to get a working app
- You own the code and can sync it to GitHub
- Logins, database and hosting come included
- Free plan stops at 30 build credits a month
- Code download and custom domains need Pro
- AI training is on by default for Free and Pro
Lovable builds working websites and web apps from a chat. Type what you want, it writes the code, and you see the result right away. Logins, a database and hosting are built in. Lovable says you own the code. The free plan gives 5 build credits a day, capped at 30 a month, and it can sync your code to GitHub. Downloading the code or using your own domain needs Pro at $25 a month.
Full Lovable review
