Cline vs Zed AI
55 fields both were evaluated on, 21 of them different — including where one discloses something the other does not. Every value links to the document it came from. 34 further fields are disclosed by neither and are listed at the end rather than tabled.
Assurance
| Field | Cline | Zed AI |
|---|---|---|
| Audit trail· | no public information zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 | |
| Explainability· | “Toggle Plan mode to align on a strategy, then Act to execute.”cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | no public information zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 |
| Runtime governance· | no public information cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | “Sandboxing Zed supports sandboxing to restrict what agents can do while using the terminal and fetch tools.”zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 Not in our latest capture. We captured this page again on Sep 17, 2026 and this quote was not there. How we re-check citations |
| Permission scopes· | “Ship .clinerules with your repo to teach the agent your coding standards, architecture, and deployment conventions.”cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | no public information zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 |
Agency
| Field | Cline | Zed AI |
|---|---|---|
| Human oversight· | “Approve every step, or flip auto-approve for autopilot.”cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | no public information zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 |
| Goal complexity· | no public information zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 | |
| Action space· | “Edits across your project Coordinated multi-file changes with linter-aware fixes, diffs, checkpoints, and one-click undo on every step. Runs bash commands Executes in your terminal and reacts to output as it appears. Long-running dev servers, tests, deploys, all handled live.”cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | no public information zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 |
| Initiative· | no public information zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 |
Practicality
| Field | Cline | Zed AI |
|---|---|---|
| Integrations· | no public information cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | “Bring agents like Claude Agent, Codex, or OpenCode via ACP. Connect MCP servers for extending the agent's knowledge.”zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 |
| Supported regions· | “Works on macOS, Windows, Linux.”cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 Not in our latest capture. We captured this page again on Sep 17, 2026 and this quote was not there. How we re-check citations | no public information zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 |
Foundation models
| Field | Cline | Zed AI |
|---|---|---|
| Base models· | “Claude, GPT, Gemini, local Ollama / LM Studio, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint.”cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | |
| Model provider· | no public information zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 | |
| Model swappable· | “Zed doesn't lock you into one model, it gives you the fastest way to collaborate with any agent.”zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 | |
| Open weights· | no public information cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 |
Ecosystem
| Field | Cline | Zed AI |
|---|---|---|
| Protocols supported· | “Plug in MCP servers for databases, APIs, and infrastructure.”cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | “Connect MCP servers for extending the agent's knowledge.”zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 |
| Tool use· | “Extend with MCP and plugins Register custom tools and lifecycle hooks via the SDK.”cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | “Sandboxing Zed supports sandboxing to restrict what agents can do while using the terminal and fetch tools.”zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 Not in our latest capture. We captured this page again on Sep 17, 2026 and this quote was not there. How we re-check citations |
| Multi-agent· | “Multi-agent teams and schedules Coordinator agents delegate to specialists with their own tools and context.”cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | “Parallel Agents Run multiple threads of your favorite agents across several projects so you never leave your flow.”zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 |
| Open source· | “Edit Prediction An open-source, open-data language model that predicts what you'll type next.”zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 | |
| Marketplace presence· | “8.0M + installs across all platforms marketplace + open vsx registry 65.9k stars ★ 4.1 /5 from 307 VS Code Marketplace ratings”cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 Not in our latest capture. We captured this page again on Sep 17, 2026 and this quote was not there. How we re-check citations | “Growing extensions ecosystem Boost your Zed experience by choosing from hundreds of extensions that broaden language support, offer different themes, and more. Create Extension View All Extensions”zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 |
Impact
| Field | Cline | Zed AI |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment scale· | “8.0M + installs across all platforms marketplace + open vsx registry 65.9k stars ★ 4.1 /5 from 307 VS Code Marketplace ratings”cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 Not in our latest capture. We captured this page again on Sep 17, 2026 and this quote was not there. How we re-check citations | no public information zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 |
| Target sectors· | no public information zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 |
Disclosed by neither
Both Cline and Zed AI publish nothing on these 34 fields. That is a finding about the category rather than a difference between them, so it is recorded here instead of as 34 identical table rows. Each is shown with its source check on the individual profiles.
- Autonomy level
- Operating environment
- User base
- High-risk domains
- Documented incidents
- Pricing model
- Price point
- Availability
- Deployment options
- Support model
- Fine-tuning
- Context window
- API access
- Safety evaluations
- Red teaming
- Safety policy
- Usage restrictions
- Model or system card
- Incident reporting
- Third-party evaluations
- Data handling
- Insurance available
- Insurance carriers
- Coverage limits
- Indemnification
- Liability cap
- Tamper-evident log
- Compliance certifications
- Regulatory alignment
- Outcome-based pricing
- Settlement mechanism
- Dispute process
- SLA terms
- Evaluation coverage