Zed is the better app overall, scoring 9.1 to 8.1. Zed wins on 4 of the 5 scores, Replit on 1.
Developers who want a quick, modern editor with AI and pair programming built in
Learners and makers who want to build and host an app in one place
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Zed | Replit |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools | Developer Tools |
| Category rank | #3 of 18 | #16 of 18 |
| Developer | Zed Industries | Replit |
| 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 Replit?
Zed is the better app overall, scoring 9.1 to 8.1. Zed wins on 4 of the 5 scores, Replit on 1.
Which is cheaper, Zed or Replit?
Zed: Free with your own API keys; Pro is $10 a month with $5 of AI tokens included. Replit: Free Starter plan with daily Agent credits; Core is $20 a month, or $18 billed yearly. On value for money, Zed scores higher.
Do Zed and Replit work on the same devices?
Only Zed runs on Linux. Only Replit runs on Web, iPhone & iPad, Android.
Which is more private, Zed or Replit?
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
Replit
- Builds, hosts and stores data in one place
- Works in a browser, on phones and on desktop
- Free Mode lets you chat without spending credits
- Free plan is no longer shown on the pricing page
- Free published apps go offline after 30 days
- Only Pro users can switch off AI training
Replit is a coding workspace that lives in your browser. Tell its Agent what you want, and it builds and hosts the app, with a database and logins ready to use. It can make web apps, websites, slide decks and dashboards. You can download any project as a zip. The free Starter plan gives daily Agent credits and one published app that goes offline after 30 days. Core costs $20 a month.
Full Replit review
