agent · ai-coding-agents
Cursor vs Zed AI
55 fields both were evaluated on, 19 of them different — including where one discloses something the other does not. Every value links to the document it came from. 36 further fields are disclosed by neither and are listed at the end rather than tabled.
Assurance
| Field | Cursor | Zed AI |
|---|---|---|
| Runtime governance· | no public information cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 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 |
Agency
| Field | Cursor | Zed AI |
|---|---|---|
| Autonomy level· | full autonomy agentic version “In Cursor, you can do Cmd+K for targeted edits, or let it rip with the full autonomy agentic version.”cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | no public information zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 |
| Human oversight· | “Agents use their own computers to build, test, and demo features end to end for you to review.”cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | no public information zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 |
| Goal complexity· | no public information zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 | |
| Action space· | no public information zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 | |
| Operating environment· | “Cursor runs in your terminal, collaborates in Slack, and reviews PRs in GitHub.”cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | no public information zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 |
| Initiative· | “Set up always-on agents that run on schedules or triggers to build, maintain, and fix your software.”cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | no public information zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 |
Practicality
| Field | Cursor | Zed AI |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment options· | Desktop application; macOS download offered on the homepage “Download for macOS”cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | no public information zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 |
| Integrations· | “Cursor runs in your terminal, collaborates in Slack, and reviews PRs in GitHub.”cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 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 |
Foundation models
| Field | Cursor | Zed AI |
|---|---|---|
| Base models· | Models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, SpaceXAI and Cursor's own; named as written on the page “Choose between every cutting-edge model from OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, SpaceXAI, and Cursor.”cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | |
| Model provider· | “Choose between every cutting-edge model from OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, SpaceXAI, and Cursor.”cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | 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 cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 |
Ecosystem
| Field | Cursor | Zed AI |
|---|---|---|
| Protocols supported· | “Connect MCP servers for extending the agent's knowledge.”zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 | |
| Tool use· | “type @ for tools & MCPs, / for skills and commands”cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 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· | no public information cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 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· | no public information cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | “Edit Prediction An open-source, open-data language model that predicts what you'll type next.”zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 |
| Marketplace presence· | no public information cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | “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 | Cursor | Zed AI |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment scale· | “Trusted by over half of the Fortune 500 to accelerate development, securely and at scale.”cursor.com · checked Aug 3, 2026 | no public information zed.dev · checked Aug 7, 2026 |
Disclosed by neither
Both Cursor and Zed AI publish nothing on these 36 fields. That is a finding about the category rather than a difference between them, so it is recorded here instead of as 36 identical table rows. Each is shown with its source check on the individual profiles.
- User base
- Target sectors
- High-risk domains
- Documented incidents
- Pricing model
- Price point
- Availability
- Supported regions
- 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
- Audit trail
- Tamper-evident log
- Explainability
- Permission scopes
- Compliance certifications
- Regulatory alignment
- Outcome-based pricing
- Settlement mechanism
- Dispute process
- SLA terms
- Evaluation coverage
Questions
- How do Cursor and Zed AI compare on autonomy level?
- Cursor: full autonomy agentic version. Zed AI: no public information disclosed.
- How do Cursor and Zed AI compare on deployment options?
- Cursor: Desktop application; macOS download offered on the homepage. Zed AI: no public information disclosed.