# Helix vs Zed

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Zed

| Attribute | Helix | Zed |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 42 (45% (low)) | 56.5 (57% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 27 | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 0 | 0 |
| adoption.github_stars | 45,941 | 89,264 |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true}` |
| description.long | A terminal-based code editor written in Rust featuring multiple cursors as a core editing primitive, Tree-sitter syntax highlighting, and built-in language server support for IDE-like features. | A minimal code editor built for fast, responsive coding and seamless collaboration. Includes built-in AI features with multiple model options, real-time code collaboration with teammates, and agent integration for automated editing and navigation. |
| features.capabilities | `{"type":"terminal_editor","lsp_dap":true,"builtin_ai":"none","deployment":"desktop","os_support":"Cross-platform terminal","remote_dev":true,"open_source":"oss","base_platform":"original","extensibility":"config_only","pricing_model":"free","language_scope":"polyglot","git_integration":false,"code_intelligence":"lsp_grade","integrated_debugger":false}` | `{"type":"code_editor","lsp_dap":true,"builtin_ai":"native","deployment":"desktop","os_support":"macOS 10.15+, Windows, Linux","remote_dev":true,"open_source":"oss","base_platform":"original","extensibility":"plugins","language_scope":"polyglot","git_integration":true,"code_intelligence":"ide_grade"}` |
| integrations.count | - | 9 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"Anthropic"},{"name":"OpenAI"},{"name":"Google"},{"name":"xAI"},{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"GitHub Copilot"},{"name":"OpenRouter"},{"name":"AWS Bedrock"},{"name":"Ollama"}]` |
| language.primary | Rust | Rust |
| license.spdx | MPL-2.0 | - |
| market.availability | - | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true}` | `{"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","summary":"Free, open source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://helix-editor.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T23:03:11.895Z"}` | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"Free","features":["2,000 accepted edit predictions","50 Zed-hosted prompts per month"],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"edit_predictions":"2000/mo","zed_hosted_prompts":"50/mo"}},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"$10/month with $5 token credits; overage at API list price + 10%","features":["Unlimited accepted edit predictions","$5 of token credits included","Additional usage at API list price + 10%","Claude Sonnet and Claude Opus","GPT-5 + mini/nano","Gemini 2.5 Pro/Flash"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":10,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"token"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.1,"currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"token_credits":"$5/mo"}},{"free":true,"name":"Pro Trial","summary":"Free for 14 days with $20 token credits","features":["Unlimited accepted edit predictions","$20 of token credits"],"components":[{"kind":"one_time","amount":0,"currency":"USD"}],"description":"14-day trial of Pro features","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"trial_token_credits":"$20"}}],"summary":"Free tier available. Pro at $10/month with $5 token credits included; token-based billing for additional AI usage at API list price + 10%.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://zed.dev/blog/pricing-change-llm-usage-is-now-token-based","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T16:44:41.880Z","freeTrialDays":14,"startingPrice":{"amount":0.1,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | low |
| pricing.transparent | - | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 75 | - |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/25.07.1","date":"2025-07-18T15:13:19Z","type":"stable","version":"25.07.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/25.07","date":"2025-07-15T19:18:05Z","type":"stable","version":"25.07"},{"url":"https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/25.01.1","date":"2025-01-19T21:31:02Z","type":"stable","version":"25.01.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/25.01","date":"2025-01-03T20:30:05Z","type":"stable","version":"25.01"},{"url":"https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/24.07","date":"2024-07-14T16:53:17Z","type":"stable","version":"24.07"},{"url":"https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/24.03","date":"2024-03-30T14:06:45Z","type":"stable","version":"24.03"},{"url":"https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/23.10","date":"2023-10-25T17:20:28Z","type":"stable","version":"23.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/23.05","date":"2023-05-18T07:56:01Z","type":"stable","version":"23.05"},{"url":"https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/23.03","date":"2023-03-31T09:04:21Z","type":"stable","version":"23.03"},{"url":"https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/22.12","date":"2022-12-07T03:56:16Z","type":"stable","version":"22.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/22.08.1","date":"2022-09-01T17:43:43Z","type":"stable","version":"22.08.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/22.08","date":"2022-08-31T17:44:58Z","type":"stable","version":"22.08"},{"url":"https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/22.05","date":"2022-05-28T16:39:49Z","type":"stable","version":"22.05"},{"url":"https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/22.03","date":"2022-03-29T13:47:14Z","type":"stable","version":"22.03"},{"url":"https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/v0.6.0","date":"2022-01-04T10:15:57Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.6.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/v0.5.0","date":"2021-10-28T07:58:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.5.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/v0.4.1","date":"2021-08-14T04:44:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.4.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/v0.4.0","date":"2021-08-12T16:46:45Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.4.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/v0.3.0","date":"2021-06-27T04:42:22Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.3.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/v0.2.1","date":"2021-06-14T16:22:35Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.2.1"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.18.0-pre","date":"2026-08-26T17:33:29Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.18.0-pre"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.17.2","date":"2026-08-26T15:25:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.17.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.17.2-pre","date":"2026-08-25T05:13:03Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.17.2-pre"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.16.3","date":"2026-08-26T02:22:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.16.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.17.1-pre","date":"2026-08-24T14:17:58Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.17.1-pre"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.16.2","date":"2026-08-24T15:47:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.16.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.17.0-pre","date":"2026-08-19T17:47:30Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.17.0-pre"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.16.1","date":"2026-08-19T16:11:34Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.16.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.16.1-pre","date":"2026-08-18T15:58:22Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.16.1-pre"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.15.1","date":"2026-08-18T16:05:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.15.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.16.0-pre","date":"2026-08-12T19:07:34Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.16.0-pre"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.15.0","date":"2026-08-12T15:53:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.15.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.15.0-pre","date":"2026-08-05T17:59:43Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.15.0-pre"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.14.2","date":"2026-08-05T16:57:09Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.14.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.14.2-pre","date":"2026-08-02T16:52:59Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.14.2-pre"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.13.2","date":"2026-08-02T17:33:45Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.13.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.14.1-pre","date":"2026-07-29T17:48:49Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.14.1-pre"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.13.1","date":"2026-07-29T16:07:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.13.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.13.1-pre","date":"2026-07-27T18:21:43Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.13.1-pre"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.12.1","date":"2026-07-27T18:30:09Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.12.1"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | - | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.gdpr | - | yes |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2FHelix-editor%2Fhelix&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=cargo&package_name=perf-gpui-standalone&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (IDEs & Code Editors)

| Capability | Helix | Zed |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Type | Terminal editor | Code editor |
| Language scope | Polyglot | Polyglot |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Deployment | Desktop | Desktop |
| **Platform support** |  |  |
| OS support | Cross-platform terminal | macOS 10.15+, Windows, Linux |
| Base platform | Original | Original |
| **Extensibility** |  |  |
| Extensibility | Config file only | Plugins |
| **DX** |  |  |
| LSP / DAP support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Remote / dev-containers | ✓ | ✓ |
| Integrated debugger / profiler | ✗ | - |
| Code intelligence depth | LSP-grade | IDE-grade |
| Built-in git integration | ✗ | ✓ |
| **AI** |  |  |
| Built-in AI | None | Native |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Openness | Open-source | Open-source |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Pricing model | Free | - |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T16:54:23.993Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*