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Software · head to head

Ory vs Zed

Ory logo

Ory

Software

Open-source identity, authentication, and permissions infrastructure

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zed logo

Zed

Software

Code at the speed of thought

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Ory production and Growth plans are billed annually ($770/year and $9,350/year), which is a larger upfront commitment than monthly-only competitors.; Zed newer product with smaller ecosystem than established editors
  • They diverge on capability: Ory covers Authentication APIs, Zed covers Real-time collaboration.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ory and Zed actually diverge.

Attributes where Ory and Zed differ
AttributeOryZed
Pricing modelusage-basedfreemium
Platformsweb, apimacOS, Linux, Windows
FoundedUnknown2023

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Ory

  • Authentication APIs
  • Permissions engine
  • Machine-to-machine tokens
  • B2B organizations
  • SAML SSO
  • Multi-region deployments

Only in Zed

  • Real-time collaboration
  • AI code completion
  • Lightning-fast performance
  • Rust-based architecture
  • Multi-language support
  • Integrated terminal
  • Git integration
  • Vim keybindings

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Ory

  • Adding self-hosted or cloud identity to a new productnot Zed
  • Implementing fine-grained permission checksnot Zed
  • Supporting B2B organizations and multi-tenancynot Zed
  • Building machine-to-machine authentication for microservicesnot Zed

Zed

  • Collaborative codingnot Ory
  • High-performance editingnot Ory
  • Real-time pair programmingnot Ory
  • Systems programmingnot Ory
  • Web developmentnot Ory

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Ory

  • Production and Growth plans are billed annually ($770/year and $9,350/year), which is a larger upfront commitment than monthly-only competitors.
  • SAML SSO and multi-region deployments are reserved for the custom-priced Enterprise tier.
  • Usage-based pricing across aDAU, M2M tokens, and permission checks makes cost estimation more complex than flat per-MAU billing.

Zed

  • Newer product with smaller ecosystem than established editors
  • Limited extensions and plugin marketplace compared to VSCode or Sublime Text

Pricing, plan by plan

Ory

Free
  • DeveloperFree
    • Community support
    • No production environments
  • Production$64/month
    • $21 monthly credit included
    • 1 production environment
    • 3 staging environments
  • Growth$779/month
    • $255 monthly credit included
    • 2 production environments
    • B2B organizations (max 3)

Zed

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Single-player editing
    • Local AI assistance
    • Fast performance
  • Plus$10/month
    • Multiplayer collaboration
    • Cloud AI assistance
    • Advanced features

Which should you pick?

Choose Ory if

  • You need authentication apis.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want permissions engine.
Ory review

Choose Zed if

  • You need real-time collaboration.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on macOS, Linux, Windows.
  • You also want ai code completion.
Zed review

Questions people ask

Is Ory or Zed better?
Neither clearly leads. Ory starts at Free and Zed at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ory or Zed?
Ory starts at Free and Zed at Free.
Does Ory or Zed run on more platforms?
Ory runs on web, api. Zed runs on macOS, Linux, Windows.
Can I use Ory for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Ory best used for?
Ory is most often used for adding self-hosted or cloud identity to a new product, implementing fine-grained permission checks, supporting b2b organizations and multi-tenancy, building machine-to-machine authentication for microservices. Of those, adding self-hosted or cloud identity to a new product and implementing fine-grained permission checks are not what Zed is typically brought in for.
What can Ory do that Zed cannot?
Ory covers Authentication APIs, Permissions engine, Machine-to-machine tokens, B2B organizations. Zed covers Real-time collaboration, AI code completion, Lightning-fast performance, Rust-based architecture.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Ory: What does Ory cost?

Ory has a free Developer tier, a Production plan at $770/year including a $21 monthly credit, a Growth plan at $9,350/year including a $255 monthly credit, and custom Enterprise pricing.

Source
Zed: What platforms does Zed support?

Zed is available for macOS, Linux, and Windows, providing cross-platform support for developers.

Source
Ory: How is usage metered?

Beyond the included credit, Ory charges per average daily active user (aDAU), per machine-to-machine token, and per permission check, with lower per-unit rates on the Growth plan.

Source
Zed: Is Zed free to use?

Yes. Zed is open-source software available free to download and use. The editor and GPUI framework are available under open-source licenses (GPL for editor, Apache/MIT for GPUI).

Source
Ory: What payment methods are supported?

Ory accepts credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Amex) and bank transfer, processed via Stripe.

Source
Zed: What makes Zed fast compared to other editors?

Zed is written in Rust and uses GPU-accelerated rendering to achieve startup times under 500ms and keystroke latency below 2ms.

Source
Zed: Does Zed support real-time collaboration?

Yes. Zed provides real-time collaborative editing and screen sharing capabilities, enabling multiple developers to work on the same code simultaneously.

Source
Zed: What AI models does Zed support?

Zed supports multiple AI models and agents for agentic editing, enabling human-AI collaboration during development.

Source
Zed: When was Zed 1.0 released?

Zed 1.0 was officially released on April 29, 2026, marking the stable production release.

Source
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