Zed vs Cline: pricing, limits & real cost
Prices verified 2026-10-18
Key differences
- How usage is metered — Zed: Dollar-denominated credits; Cline: Pay-as-you-go at provider cost.
Estimated monthly cost by usage profile
Model used: Claude Sonnet 5.5 (or each vendor's own model family if it doesn't offer it). Token-per-hour figures are assumptions; open the calculator to change them.
| Profile | Zed | Cline | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light: 1 h/day, 5 days/wk API-equivalent ≈ $25/mo | Pro — $19–$47/mo Computed from published $ rates | Open source — $13–$38/mo Computed from published $ rates | Tweak → |
| Medium: 3 h/day, 5 days/wk API-equivalent ≈ $191/mo | Pro — $110–$320/mo Computed from published $ rates | Open source — $95–$286/mo Computed from published $ rates | Tweak → |
| Heavy: 6 h/day, 6 days/wk API-equivalent ≈ $1,104/mo | Pro — $612–$1,826/mo Computed from published $ rates | Open source — $552–$1,655/mo Computed from published $ rates | Tweak → |
For plans that don't disclose capacity we show the cheapest plan priced at or above your API-equivalent usage. This is a heuristic, not a guarantee you won't hit limits.
Zed plans
Cline plans
| Plan | Price | Included | Limits / reset | Overage | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open source | $0 | Free extension; pay inference at cost or BYOK | — | Provider API rates | Verified 2026-10-18 |
Sources
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