Zed Free Plan 2026: What's Included & What's Not
Honest breakdown of the free tier limits and features
Zed costs Free to $20 per user/month as of May 2026. Pricing depends on your chosen tier, contract length, and negotiated discounts.
Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.
- Free tier: No free tier available
Yes, Zed offers a forever free plan as of May 2026. The free tier includes 7 features with limits on usage. Paid plans start at $20/user/month (Pro). Pricing verified from 1 sources by CostBench.
Zed's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit.
What's Included in the Free Plan
- Full Zed editor (open source)
- 50 AI prompts/month (Zed-hosted)
- Bring your own LLM API key (unlimited)
- Multibuffer editing
- Multiplayer collaboration
- Vim mode
- All language servers
What's NOT Included (Paid Only)
- 500 AI prompts/month (Zed-hosted)
- Access to premium models (Claude, GPT-5, Gemini)
- Edit prediction
- Faster model responses
- Priority support
You'll Need to Upgrade When...
- You exceed the user limit
- You need features like 500 AI prompts/month (Zed-hosted) or Access to premium models (Claude, GPT-5, Gemini)
- You require premium support or SLA guarantees
- You need to remove branding or watermarks
- You need advanced integrations or API access
Hidden Restrictions on Free Plan
- Zed branding may appear on your content or communications
- Support is limited to community forums or email with longer response times
- Export options may be restricted or include watermarks
- API access is typically limited or not available
- Advanced reporting and analytics require paid plans
Free vs Paid: Which Do You Need?
Free Plan is Enough If...
- You're an individual or very small team
- You need only basic features
- You don't mind usage limits
- Branding on output is acceptable
- Community support is sufficient
You Need Paid If...
- Your team is growing beyond limits
- You need advanced features
- Professional branding is required
- You need priority support
- Integrations/API access is critical
Free vs Pro Plan Comparison
| Free $0 | Pro $20/user/month | |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 7 included | 5+ included |
| Support | Community/Email | Priority Support |
| Branding | Zed branding | Your branding |
| Best For | Individuals | Growing teams |
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is Zed free?
Yes, Zed offers a forever free plan with 7 core features included. However, there are limits on users and features that may require upgrading.
02 What's included in Zed's free plan?
Zed's free plan includes: Full Zed editor (open source), 50 AI prompts/month (Zed-hosted), Bring your own LLM API key (unlimited), Multibuffer editing, Multiplayer collaboration, and 2 more features. Key limits include basic usage caps.
03 What's NOT included in Zed's free plan?
The free plan excludes: 500 AI prompts/month (Zed-hosted), Access to premium models (Claude, GPT-5, Gemini), Edit prediction, Faster model responses, Priority support. You'll also have Zed branding and limited support options.
04 When should I upgrade from Zed's free plan?
Consider upgrading when: you hit user or storage limits, need features like 500 AI prompts/month (Zed-hosted) or Access to premium models (Claude, GPT-5, Gemini), require premium support, or want to remove branding. The cheapest paid plan starts at $20/user/month.
05 Is Zed's free plan really free forever?
Yes, Zed's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit. However, feature and usage limits may restrict what you can do without upgrading to a paid plan.