---
title: "Gemini CLI vs Zed"
description: "Gemini CLI is a terminal agent, Zed is an AI-native IDE. Zed runs Gemini CLI on the login you already have for it."
canonical_url: "https://whichcoding.tools/compare/gemini-cli-vs-zed"
---
# Gemini CLI vs Zed

> Gemini CLI is a terminal agent by Google. Zed is an AI-native IDE by Zed Industries. Every cell below is read from the directory data and points back to a vendor page.

## General

|  | Gemini CLI | Zed |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Layer | Terminal agent | AI-native IDE |
| Vendor | Google | Zed Industries |
| Website | [geminicli.com](https://geminicli.com) | [zed.dev](https://zed.dev) |
| Platforms | macOS, Linux, Windows | macOS, Linux, Windows |
| License | Apache-2.0 (Open source) | GPL-3.0-or-later AND AGPL-3.0-or-later AND Apache-2.0 (Open source) |
| Status | active | active |

## Pricing

|  | Gemini CLI | Zed |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Entry price | Usage-based | Free |
| Top individual plan | — | $10/mo |
| Team plan | — | $30/user/mo |
| Included usage | — | $5/mo (Pro) |
| Beyond the plan | API list price | Blocked, API list price +10% |
| Part of a plan | — | — |

## Models

|  | Gemini CLI | Zed |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Providers | Google | Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, xAI, Mistral, DeepSeek, OpenRouter, Vercel AI Gateway |
| Bring your own key | BYOK | BYOK |
| Local models | No | Yes |

## Features

|  | Gemini CLI | Zed |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subagents | Yes | Yes |
| MCP client | Yes | Yes |
| ACP client | No | Yes |
| ACP agent | Yes | No |
| Sandboxing | Yes | No |
| Remote execution | No | Yes |
| Diff review | No | Yes |
| Checkpoints | Yes | No |
| Plugins | Yes | No |
| Hooks | Yes | No |
| Tab completion | No | Yes |

## Works with

|  | Gemini CLI | Zed |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Runs | — | Augment Code, Claude Code, Cline, CodeBuddy, Codex CLI, GitHub Copilot CLI, Cursor, Devin, Factory, Gemini CLI, Google Antigravity, goose, Grok Build, Junie CLI, Kilo Code, Kimi Code CLI, MiniMax Code, Mistral Vibe, OpenCode, Qoder, Qwen Code |
| Runs inside | agent-manager, Claude Squad, cmux, Devin Desktop, dmux, JetBrains AI, OpenHands, Superset, Vibe Kanban, Warp, Zed | — |
| Pricing verified | 2026-09-23 | 2026-09-18 |

## Related

[Add more tools](https://whichcoding.tools/compare?tools=gemini-cli,zed), up to four at a time.

Data: CC BY 4.0. Credit whichcoding.tools and link to https://whichcoding.tools. Full terms in [LICENSE-DATA](https://github.com/benjamincanac/whichcodingtools/blob/main/LICENSE-DATA).

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