Comparisons / Zed vs Kilo Code
AI coding tools · HN opinions Nov 2025 – Nov 2026
Zed vs Kilo Code: what developers actually say
Based on 488 opinions on Hacker News from developers who discussed these two, most of them first-hand users.
Zed comes out ahead on evidence volume and on UX and speed. It has 457 opinions from 378 authors, 376 firsthand, and an approval score of 59, with UX at 119 positive to 56 negative and speed at 62 to 16. Kilo Code has a higher approval score of 63, but from 31 opinions and 20 firsthand accounts, and it has no 90-day figure; its clearest edges are cost at 4 to 1 and customization at 4 to 0. Neither wins a direct comparison, since no comment picked one over the other; pick Kilo Code inside VS Code when cost and customization matter more than a broad track record.
Choose Zed if
- Want the largest opinion base, with 457 opinions from 378 authors
- Care about UX and speed, which have the strongest positive counts
- Want a standalone editor with agent and terminal workflow features
Choose Kilo Code if
- Work in VS Code and want diff and session views
- Want low running cost and several model options
- Want customization with no negative mentions in the sample
Where each one wins and loses
PraiseComplaintsA = ZedB = Kilo Code
UX
Speed
Reliability
Customization
Privacy & local use
Cost & pricing
Autonomy
Code quality