head to head · open source
OpenCode vs Zed
OpenCode has 208,150 GitHub stars, 27,350 forks, 5,727 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Zed has 90,427 stars, 10,659 forks, 3,159 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenCode leads on adoption by 130% (208,150 vs 90,427 stars). OpenCode is written in TypeScript under MIT; Zed is written in Rust under a custom or non-standard licence. OpenCode has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, Zed 12%. OpenCode was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| OpenCode | Zed | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 208K | ★ 90K |
| License | MIT | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 27K | ⑂ 11K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick OpenCode if
- You weight community size — 208K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Zed if
- You want the Zed feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and Zed fits your workflow better
About OpenCode
OpenCode is an open source AI coding agent designed to operate across terminal, IDE, and desktop environments. It integrates directly into developer workflows to assist with writing, editing, and understanding code using natural language prompts. Built in TypeScript and licensed under MIT, it runs locally or via a desktop app and supports multiple languages and platforms.
read the full OpenCode overview →
About Zed
Zed is a high performance, multiplayer code editor written in Rust, built by the creators of Atom and Tree sitter and aimed at developers who want a native, fast editing surface with AI assistance built in.
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenCode or Zed more popular?
OpenCode has 208,150 GitHub stars and Zed has 90,427. OpenCode has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenCode and Zed free?
Both are open source. OpenCode is licensed under MIT, and Zed has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between OpenCode and Zed?
OpenCode is written in TypeScript and Zed in Rust. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, OpenCode or Zed?
Choose OpenCode if you want the larger community (208,150 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Zed if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.