Staxly

Anthropic API vs Zed

API for Claude — frontier models for chat, tool use, agents, and long-context reasoning
vs. High-performance code editor, built in Rust, with AI + collaboration

Anthropic websiteZed editor

Pricing tiers

Anthropic API

Opus 4.7 — usage
Input $5 / output $25 / cache-write $6.25 / cache-read $0.50 per 1M tokens. Batch = 50% off.
Custom
Sonnet 4.6 — usage
Input $3 / output $15 / cache-write $3.75 / cache-read $0.30 per 1M tokens. Batch = 50% off.
Custom
Haiku 4.5 — usage
Input $1 / output $5 / cache-write $1.25 / cache-read $0.10 per 1M tokens. Batch = 50% off.
Custom
Anthropic website

Zed

Free
$0. Full editor, extensions, collaboration. AI assistant with BYO API key or limited free tier.
Free
Zed Pro (trial)
$0 limited trial. Zed-hosted AI with Claude/GPT, 150 interactions/mo on Sonnet-tier models.
$0 base (usage-based)
BYO API Key
$0 for Zed. Full AI assistant with your own Claude / GPT / Gemini / Ollama keys — passthrough cost only.
$0 base (usage-based)
Zed Pro
$10/user/mo. 500 Claude Sonnet interactions + unlimited edit-predictions, priority routing.
$10/mo
Zed Business
$20/user/mo. 1,000+ Claude Sonnet interactions, org-level billing, priority support.
$20/mo
Zed editor

Free-tier quotas head-to-head

Comparing opus-4-7 on Anthropic API vs free on Zed.

MetricAnthropic APIZed
discount batch50 % off

Features

Anthropic API · 0 features

    Zed · 20 features

    • Agent PanelMulti-step AI tasks with tool use.
    • AI AssistantInline edits + agent panel.
    • Channels (Multiplayer)Real-time shared editing.
    • EditorCore Rust-based editor.
    • Edit Prediction (Zeta)Next-edit prediction model.
    • Extensions (WASM)WASM-based extension system.
    • GitHub Copilot SupportWorks alongside Copilot subscription.
    • Git IntegrationDiff view, branches, blame.
    • Integrated TerminalBuilt-in shell.
    • LSP SupportWorks with all LSP language servers.
    • MCP SupportConnect to any MCP server.
    • MultibufferEdit multiple files in one view.
    • Remote Dev (SSH)Edit remote filesystems natively.
    • Screen ShareShare editor view live.
    • Sub-16ms LatencyGPU-accelerated rendering.
    • TasksConfigurable build/test/run tasks.
    • ThemesBuilt-in + community themes.
    • Tree-sitter SyntaxIncremental parsing for instant highlighting.
    • Vim ModeFirst-class Vim/Helix bindings.
    • Voice ChannelsTalk while pair programming.

    Developer interfaces

    KindAnthropic APIZed
    CLIClaude Code CLIzed CLI (shell integration)
    SDKGo SDK, Java SDK, Python SDK, Ruby SDK, TypeScript SDK (@anthropic-ai/sdk)
    RESTAWS Bedrock, Google Vertex AI, Microsoft Azure AI, REST API (Messages + Agents)
    OTHERCommand Palette (cmd+shift+p), Multiplayer / Channels, Remote Development (SSH), Zed AI Assistant, Zed Editor, Zed Extensions
    Staxly is an independent catalog of developer platforms. Some links to Anthropic API and Zed may be affiliate links — Staxly may earn a commission if you sign up through them, at no extra cost to you. Pricing is verified against vendor pages at publication time — reconfirm before buying.

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