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It's a split decision.
Choose Zed if you want multiplayer collaboration, optional AI, and a free plan that works with your own API keys or external agents. Its hosted AI adds usage charges beyond the included credits. Choose Sublime Text if you want a desktop editor for Windows, Mac, or Linux, a Python plugin API, and a one-time personal license. Zed is open source; Sublime’s open-source status is not published. The better fit depends on whether you need team collaboration and AI or a focused editor with predictable personal licensing.
01Side by side
| Zed | Sublime Text | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free, $10/month Pro, $30/seat/month Business | $99 personal license; annual per-seat business plans |
| Free tier | Personal is free; use your keys or external agents | No free plan; evaluation has no time limit |
| Open source | Open-source IDE | Open-source status not published |
| API and plugins | Supports external agents and AI providers | Python 3.8 plugin API; includes LSP plugins |
| Integrations | Bedrock, Anthropic, Copilot, Ollama, OpenAI, others | Plugins, including LSP |
| Platforms | Web | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| Collaboration | Multiplayer collaboration across plans | No multiplayer collaboration listed |
| Editor features | Code editing with optional AI features | Navigation, completion, split views, multiple selections |
Zed Choose Zed if
- Choose Zed if you want multiplayer collaboration in your IDE.
- Choose Zed if you want AI to remain optional.
- Choose Zed if you want a free plan with your own keys.
Sublime Text Choose Sublime Text if
- Choose Sublime Text if you want a desktop editor for Windows, Mac, or Linux.
- Choose Sublime Text if you need a Python plugin API.
- Choose Sublime Text if you prefer a one-time personal license.
02Pricing at real usage
Zed's Personal plan is free and includes unlimited use with your API keys or external agents. Pro costs $10 per month, includes $5 of tokens, and bills hosted usage beyond that at API list price plus 10%. The pricing page lists a 14-day trial, or until the $5 trial balance is used. Business costs $30 per seat per month; hosted AI is billed at standard usage rates, with no fixed LLM credit allotment. Contracts are available at 25 or more seats. Sublime Text lists a $99 one-time Personal License with three years of updates. Its Business License is billed annually: $65 per seat per year for seats 1–10, then lower per-seat rates at higher tiers. Sublime offers an evaluation with no time limit, but no free plan. Zed’s hosted-AI bill scales with use; Sublime’s personal license does not.
03API, SDKs and integration
These products integrate with a codebase in different ways. Zed is an IDE with connections to AI providers and external agents, rather than a general application API or SDK in the listed features. Its supported providers include Amazon Bedrock, Anthropic, GitHub Copilot, DeepSeek, Google AI, LM Studio, Mistral, Ollama, OpenAI, OpenRouter, and Vercel. The Personal plan supports use with your own API keys or external agents; Pro adds Zed-hosted models. Sublime Text exposes a Python API for plugins. The API uses Python 3.8 and maintains compatibility with packages built for Sublime Text 3; supported plugins include LSP. Its editor features include project-aware completions, navigation to definitions and references, and multiple selections. Neither vendor publishes a CLI workflow as part of these product descriptions. For an extension built around Python plugins, Sublime has the explicit API; for AI-provider connections and multiplayer editing, Zed has the listed integrations.
04Open source, self-hosting and lock-in
Zed is open source, but its licence name is not specified. Sublime Text's open-source status is not specified. Neither vendor publishes a self-hosting option or data-export path in the product details. Zed's Personal plan can use your API keys or external agents, which gives developers an alternative to Zed-hosted AI billing; Pro offers Zed-hosted models and usage-based charges. Business adds organization-level AI policies, data controls, spend visibility, and role-based access. Sublime is a desktop editor for Windows, Mac, and Linux, with a Python plugin API and compatibility for packages built for Sublime Text 3. These differences matter when choosing where AI requests run and how extensions are maintained. Check the licence terms, data handling, and export needs before standardizing either editor across a team.
Questions people ask
Is Zed free to use?
Yes. Zed's Personal plan is free and includes unlimited use with your API keys or external agents, plus multiplayer collaboration. Pro is $10 per month and includes $5 of tokens; hosted usage beyond that is billed at API list price plus 10%.
Does Sublime Text have a free version?
Sublime Text offers an evaluation with no time limit, but its pricing details list no free plan. A Personal License costs $99 one time and includes three years of updates. The Business License is billed annually per seat at tiered rates.
Which editor has built-in AI features?
Zed lists optional AI features, Zed-hosted models on Pro, and support for third-party AI providers including Anthropic, OpenAI, and Ollama. The Sublime Text features listed focus on editing, navigation, completion, and plugins; they do not list built-in AI features.
Can Sublime Text use LSP plugins?
Yes. Sublime Text's Python API supports plugins, including LSP, and uses Python 3.8. The API also maintains compatibility with packages built for Sublime Text 3. Zed's integration details instead list AI providers and external agents.