A Zed alternative built around agent terminals
Zed is a fast, open-source (GPL-3.0) code editor for macOS, Windows and Linux from the creators of Atom and Tree-sitter. Its agent panel runs Zed’s own agent and external agents such as Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI and OpenCode over the Agent Client Protocol (ACP), several threads at once. AgentVera is not an editor first: it runs each agent’s own CLI in a real terminal and builds flows, checks and team tools around them.
Zed and AgentVera side by side
| Feature | Zed | AgentVera |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | macOS, Windows and Linux. | macOS, Windows and Linux desktop app. |
| Supported agents | Zed’s own agent, plus external agents over ACP: Claude Agent, Codex, OpenCode, Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI and more from the ACP Registry. | 18 CLI coding agents, including Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Copilot, Cursor Agent, opencode, Amp and Aider, plus plain terminals. Each uses its own CLI install and login. |
| Open source / license | Open source, GPL-3.0-or-later with Apache-2.0 components (about 92k GitHub stars). | Closed source. |
| Pricing model | Personal free; Pro $10/month; Business $30 per seat/month. Zed does not charge for external agents. | Free plan with unlimited agents; Pro and Team plans are paid. |
| Git worktrees | Yes, optional per thread: start a thread in a new git worktree for an isolated checkout. | Yes. Create a worktree per task from the Git panel and start an agent in it; night-shift tasks get their own worktree. You are warned when two agents edit the same file. |
| Kanban | not confirmed | Team kanban shared across your organization; hand a card to Claude, Codex or another agent and the reply lands on the card (Pro and Team). |
| Flows and pipelines between agents | not confirmed | Flows pass one agent’s output to the next; a team view of open agents led by a manager; a parallel team that ends in one PR; staged task line; night shift (Pro and Team). |
| Acceptance checks | not confirmed | Verify extracts acceptance criteria from your request and a separate read-only verifier checks each one after the agent’s turn; automatic code review. |
| Database manager / SSH | Remote development over SSH: the editor runs locally, terminals and language servers run on the server. | Database manager for PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB and SQLite (Pro and Team); SSH/SFTP panel; agent SSH and database access with your rules. |
| Token savings | not confirmed | Context profiles, automatic /compact, bundled RTK output compression, automatic per-task model routing and a project map (code graph) for agents. |
| Team features | Business plan: org-wide AI model policies, data controls, spend visibility and role-based access; SSO and SCIM are planned. Zed calls itself a multiplayer editor. | Organizations, team kanban, client boards, AgentVera Runner on your own server, automatic account switching. |
A dash means we could not confirm the feature on Zed’s own pages. It may exist or arrive later; check their site.
When to pick Zed
- You want editing and agents in one window: a fast editor with the agent panel next to your code.
- You want agent threads inside your editor, each with its own context, next to Zed’s own agent and edit predictions.
- You want an open-source editor (GPL-3.0) that costs nothing for personal use.
When to pick AgentVera
- You want each agent’s own CLI in a real terminal, with its native commands, rather than through an editor protocol.
- You want agents to hand work to each other: flows, the team view, the parallel team, night shift.
- You want acceptance checks (Verify), automatic code review and a warning when two agents edit the same file.
- You want a team kanban, a database manager, SSH/SFTP and approvals over Telegram in the same app.
Moving from Zed to AgentVera
- Download AgentVera and open the folder you have open in Zed as a project.
- Add Claude Code, Codex or Gemini CLI; AgentVera starts the installed CLIs with their own logins.
- Worktrees started from Zed threads are ordinary git worktrees: open them from the Git panel.
- Keep Zed as your editor: agents in AgentVera edit the same files on disk, and you review changes in Zed or in AgentVera’s Git panel.
Questions
Can Zed run Claude Code?
Yes. Zed runs Claude Code (as Claude Agent), Codex, Gemini CLI, OpenCode and others as external agents over the Agent Client Protocol, and Zed does not charge for them. AgentVera runs these CLIs directly, each in a real terminal.
Is Zed free?
Personal use is free. Pro is $10 a month with unlimited edit predictions and included tokens; Business is $30 per seat a month. AgentVera has a free plan with unlimited agents; Pro and Team are paid.
Can I use Zed and AgentVera together?
Yes. Edit in Zed and run agents in AgentVera on the same repository; both work with plain files, branches and worktrees.
Is AgentVera open source like Zed?
No. AgentVera is a closed-source desktop app with a free plan. Zed is open source under GPL-3.0-or-later.
Sources
Facts about Zed come from its own pages, checked on the date below. Products change quickly; check them for the current state.
- zed.dev/pricing
- zed.dev/docs: external agents
- zed.dev/docs: parallel agents
- zed.dev/docs: remote development
- github.com/zed-industries/zed
Last checked:
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- Alternatives and comparisons
Try AgentVera next to Zed
The free plan has unlimited agents. Open the same repository, add the CLIs you already use and compare for yourself.