Onlook vs Zed
A side-by-side comparison of two ai coding tools — pricing, integrations, and the trade-offs that matter — so you can pick the right fit fast.
| Feature | Onlook | Zed |
|---|---|---|
| Category | AI Coding | AI Coding |
| Pricing | Freemium · from Free | Freemium · from Free |
| Best for | Developers, Designers | Developers |
| Use cases | Visually editing React app UI in real time, Bridging design and development workflows, Making live code changes through a visual interface | editing code with very low latency performance, pair programming with built-in AI assistance, collaborating on code in real time |
| Integrations | React, GitHub | Git, GitHub |
| Rating | — | — |
| Website | Visit Onlook | Visit Zed |
Onlook
Open-source AI visual editor for React apps with live code editing.
Pros
- +Open-source and free to self-host or contribute to
- +Live visual editing syncs directly with React code
- +Bridges the gap between design and development tools
Cons
- –Currently focused specifically on React applications
- –Newer open-source project with an evolving feature set
Zed
High-performance code editor with built-in AI pair-programming features.
Pros
- +Extremely fast, low-latency editing performance
- +Built-in AI pair-programming features
- +Native collaborative editing support
- +Modern, minimal interface design
Cons
- –Smaller plugin ecosystem than VS Code/JetBrains
- –Newer editor with a smaller user base
- –Some advanced features still maturing
Onlook vs Zed FAQ
- Is Onlook better than Zed?
- Neither is universally better — both are ai coding tools. Onlook (Freemium, from Free) is a strong fit for Visually editing React app UI in real time, while Zed (Freemium, from Free) suits editing code with very low latency performance. Pick by your primary use-case and budget.
- What is the main difference between Onlook and Zed?
- Onlook focuses on "Open-source AI visual editor for React apps with live code editing." whereas Zed focuses on "High-performance code editor with built-in AI pair-programming features.". Their pricing starts at Free and Free respectively.
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