Continue vs Zed
Two Coding AI tools, side by side. Both are verified against their own live sites. Here is what each does well and who it is for, so you can choose what fits.
Continue
www.continue.dev
Open-source AI coding agent
Best forDevelopers wanting an open-source AI coding assistant they can extend
What it doesContinue is an open-source AI coding agent built to assist developers within their workflows, with the stated mission of amplifying rather than automating developers. Its open-source codebase remains available as a foundation for community development.
Capabilities
Visit Continue →- Open-source AI coding agent
- IDE-integrated assistance
- Developer workflow support
- Community-extensible codebase
Zed
zed.dev
A fast, multiplayer code editor with native AI agents
Best forDevelopers who want a fast modern editor with agentic editing and real-time collaboration built in
What it doesZed is a code editor written in Rust that pairs high performance with native AI integration. Developers can delegate work to an agent, follow its progress live, and review changes inline alongside built-in Git and multi-language debugging.
Capabilities
Visit Zed →- Agentic editing with live progress and review
- Edit prediction via an open model
- Native Git integration
- Multi-language debugging (Debug Adapter Protocol)
- Real-time collaboration and screen sharing
How to choose
Choose Continue if you are developers wanting an open-source ai coding assistant they can extend. Choose Zed if you are developers who want a fast modern editor with agentic editing and real-time collaboration built in. Both sit in Coding; the right pick depends on your exact workflow and budget.
Not sure which to pick?
Get our short, vendor-neutral AI briefing and we will help you choose well.
Double opt-in · unsubscribe any time