Gemini CLIVS
Zed
Read from each vendor’s own pages last night, so it does not go stale the way a written comparison does.
- GEMINI CLI
- Not read
- ZED
- Free, then $10 / mo
- CHANGES ON EITHER
- 3
- CAVEATS
- 1
GEMINI CLISUNSET SINCE 18 JUNE 2026Gemini CLI has had an access tier withdrawn; check what is still available before choosing it. Free consumer access ended 18 June 2026; users were directed to Google Antigravity. The tool still exists for API-key and paid use, so this is a withdrawn access tier rather than a shutdown, a distinction almost every ranked page gets wrong.
On the prices each vendor publishes about itself, Gemini CLI starts at Not read and Zed at Free, then $10 / mo. Before that decides anything: Gemini CLI has had an access tier withdrawn; check what is still available before choosing it. (since 18 June 2026) Both take your own API key, so on either one the subscription and the model bill are separate decisions. Both are open source, so neither can withdraw the thing you have already installed. Every figure on this page was read from the two vendors' own pages in last night's run rather than written down once, which is the only reason it is still the current answer. ToolDrift sells neither and takes no referral fee on either.
| COMPARED ON | GEMINI CLI | ZED |
|---|---|---|
| ASSERTED · WHAT EACH VENDOR PUBLISHES ABOUT ITSELF | ||
| Category | CLI agent | IDE |
| Vendor | Zed Industries | |
| Status | Sunset | Active |
| How it charges | Usage | Hybrid |
| Entry price | Not read | Free, then $10 / mo |
| Default model | google/gemini | None, you choose |
| Your own key | Yes | Yes |
| Source | Open source · Apache-2.0 | Open source · GPL-3.0 |
| Plans | No named tier on Google's pricing page could be read with a price beside it. | Personal · FreePro · $10 / moBusiness · $30 / mo per seat, per month |
| MEASURED · COUNTED ON THE LAST NIGHTLY RUN | ||
| Stars | 107.2K | 90.9K |
| Maintenance | 100/100 | 94/100 |
| Days since last push | 0 | 0 |
| Top model in it | not measured | not measured |
| Its volume | not measured | not measured |
Is Gemini CLI or Zed cheaper?
On the cheapest option each vendor publishes: Gemini CLI is Not read and Zed is Free, then $10 / mo. Treat both as an allowance rather than a bill, every tool in this category meters model usage on top of the plan, and which one costs more in practice depends on the models you drive and how hard. The tier prices are the part that can be checked from outside, so they are the part this page prints.
Can I use my own API key with Gemini CLI or Zed?
Gemini CLI: yes. Zed: yes. It is the row that decides whether the subscription price is most of what you pay or a fraction of it: a tool that takes your own key charges for the software, and one that does not is reselling inference with a margin you cannot see.
Are Gemini CLI and Zed still maintained?
Sunset and Active as of last night's read. Gemini CLI's repository was last pushed 0 days ago and it scores 100/100 on maintenance; Zed's repository was last pushed 0 days ago and it scores 94/100 on maintenance. One caution: Gemini CLI has had an access tier withdrawn; check what is still available before choosing it. (since 18 June 2026) This is the question a written comparison cannot answer, because it was true on the day it was published and nobody went back.