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Together AI vs Zed

Together AI logo

Together AI

Software

Open-source AI at scale

From
Free
Rated
-
Zed logo

Zed

Software

Code at the speed of thought

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Together AI fine tuning carries a minimum charge of $4.00 per job regardless of dataset size; Zed newer product with smaller ecosystem than established editors
  • They diverge on capability: Together AI covers Open-source models, Zed covers Real-time collaboration.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Together AI and Zed actually diverge.

Attributes where Together AI and Zed differ
AttributeTogether AIZed
Pricing modelusage-basedfreemium
PlatformsApi, CloudmacOS, Linux, Windows
Founded20222023

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 Together AI

  • Open-source models
  • Fine-tuning
  • Fast inference
  • Embeddings
  • REST API
  • Python SDK
  • OpenAI compatible
  • Api support

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.

Together AI

  • Serverless inference against open source chat, vision, embedding, image and video modelsnot Zed
  • Renting dedicated single tenant H100, H200 or B200 GPU clusters by the hournot Zed
  • Fine tuning open weight models on a per token basisnot Zed

Zed

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

Where each one falls short

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

Together AI

  • Fine tuning carries a minimum charge of $4.00 per job regardless of dataset size
  • Reserved GPU commitments beyond 180 days are priced by contacting sales with no published rate
  • Volume and enterprise discounts are quote only with no published threshold
  • Reserved dedicated inference pricing is contact sales while only on demand rates of $5.49 to $8.99 per GPU hour are published

Zed

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

Pricing, plan by plan

Together AI

Free
  • FreeFree
    • $5 credits
    • API access
  • Pay-per-use$0.2/per-million-tokens
    • All models
    • Fine-tuning

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 Together AI if

  • You need open-source models.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Api, Cloud.
  • You also want fine-tuning.

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.

Questions people ask

Is Together AI or Zed better?
Neither clearly leads. Together AI 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, Together AI or Zed?
Together AI starts at Free and Zed at Free.
Does Together AI or Zed run on more platforms?
Together AI runs on Api, Cloud. Zed runs on macOS, Linux, Windows.
Can I use Together AI for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Together AI best used for?
Together AI is most often used for serverless inference against open source chat, vision, embedding, image and video models, renting dedicated single tenant h100, h200 or b200 gpu clusters by the hour, fine tuning open weight models on a per token basis. Of those, serverless inference against open source chat, vision, embedding, image and video models and renting dedicated single tenant h100, h200 or b200 gpu clusters by the hour are not what Zed is typically brought in for.
What can Together AI do that Zed cannot?
Together AI covers Open-source models, Fine-tuning, Fast inference, Embeddings. Zed covers Real-time collaboration, AI code completion, Lightning-fast performance, Rust-based architecture.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Zed: What platforms does Zed support?

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

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
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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