--- title: "Cork vs Zed (and Delta): an editor and a shared thread, or a coordination layer · Cork" description: "Cork vs Zed: Zed is an editor with external agents and Delta, a multiplayer agent environment on DeltaDB. Cork coordinates the agents you already run." canonical: "https://corkcli.com/blog/cork-vs-zed" last_updated: "2026-11-14" published: "2026-10-03" author: "Kevin Vera" --- # Cork vs Zed (and Delta): an editor and a shared thread, or a coordination layer Cork vs Zed: Zed is an editor with external agents and Delta, a multiplayer agent environment on DeltaDB. Cork coordinates the agents you already run. By Kevin Vera · October 3, 2026 · [Comparisons](https://corkcli.com/blog/c/comparisons) · 7 min read How is Cork different from Zed? Zed is a code editor with built-in AI and support for external agents like Claude Code and Codex, and Zed Industries now also makes Delta, a multiplayer environment where people and agents share a thread backed by a new version control system called DeltaDB. Cork is not an editor and not an environment: it is a [coordination layer](https://corkcli.com/blog/coordination-layer-ai-coding-agents) that keeps the agents you already run, in whatever editor or terminal, from overwriting each other, and briefs each one on the code it is about to touch. Zed changes where you and your agents work together; Cork works underneath wherever that is. ## Cork vs Zed at a glance | Topic | Cork | Zed and Delta (as of October 2026) | |---|---|---| | What it is | Coordination layer for [parallel AI coding agents](https://corkcli.com/blog/parallel-ai-coding-agents) on one codebase | Zed: open source code editor with an agent panel. Delta: standalone multiplayer app for coding with agents | | Where agents run | Where they already run, on your machine | In Zed's agent panel; in Delta threads locally or on a cloud runner | | Agents covered | Claude Code, Codex, Cursor (hooks), plus any MCP client | Zed: its own agent plus external agents over ACP (Claude Agent, Codex, Gemini CLI, Copilot). Delta: third-party harnesses "starting with Claude Code" | | What is shared | Live edits, signatures, callers, recent changes, notes anchored to code | Delta: the conversation and the worktree, replicated in real time per thread | | Conflict handling | Write gate holds edits against code another agent is changing; [semantic lint](https://corkcli.com/blog/semantic-lint) | Not described in Delta's launch post | | Version control | Your git; landing rebases, retests and pushes | DeltaDB, operation-based, works with your existing git repo | | Open source | Not covered here; Cork Free runs locally with no account | Zed editor: GPL-3.0-or-later. Delta: not stated | | Availability | Generally available | Zed: available. Delta: private beta since August 12, 2026 | | Pricing | Free (local, and 10 agent hours a month in the cloud); $20 a month per 100 agent hours, pooled | Zed Personal $0, Pro $10/mo, Business $30/seat/mo | ## What is Zed? Zed is "a high-performance, multiplayer code editor from the creators of Atom and Tree-sitter," licensed GPL-3.0-or-later on GitHub. Its agent panel runs Zed's own agent and, through the Agent Client Protocol (ACP), external agents including Claude Agent (which runs Claude Code under the hood), Codex, Gemini CLI and GitHub Copilot. Zed's docs note it does not charge for external agents. On August 12, 2026, Zed introduced **Delta**, "a multiplayer environment for coding with agents and reviewing what they build." Delta runs on **DeltaDB**, which "replicates the conversation and the worktree together, in real time, for everyone in a thread" and "works with the git repository you already have." In Delta, "every participant gets their own copy of the code on their local machine, kept in sync in real time," work can move to a cloud runner so "the agent keeps going," and comments stay "anchored to the code as it evolves." Delta "connects to third-party agent harnesses, starting with Claude Code." It launched as a private beta. ## What is Cork? Cork (corkcli.com, by Lithometric) keeps several AI coding agents, and the people running them, from overwriting each other on one codebase, and hands each agent what the others already learned. It does not run agents or host machines, and it is not an editor. Hooks in Claude Code, Codex and Cursor run the protocol with no extra model calls, and an MCP server (https://mcp.corkcli.com) serves any MCP client: - **Briefing:** the exact signatures, callers and recent changes of the code an agent is about to touch, on start and on each prompt. - **Live awareness:** a teammate's rename or new signature reaches your agent on its next step. - **[Write gate](https://corkcli.com/blog/write-gate):** an edit against code another agent is changing right now is held until your agent has their version. - **Semantic lint:** a teammate's rename or signature change becomes a rule your agents are checked against. - **Landing:** `git push` becomes one step that rebases onto teammates' commits, reruns tests and pushes. - **Agent messaging** and MCP tools (get_symbol, blast_radius, recap, remember/recall), plus a live code graph and team dashboard on cloud plans. ## Where Zed stands out - **A fast, open source editor.** Zed is a full editor with 91k+ GitHub stars; Cork does not provide an editor. - **Real-time shared worktrees in Delta.** DeltaDB keeps every participant's copy of the code in sync as work happens, between commits, which is a deeper level of sharing than git. - **Review anchored to changes.** Delta keeps comments attached to the code and the conversation that produced it. - **Cloud runners.** Delta can move an agent's work to a cloud runner so it keeps going when you close your laptop; Cork does not host machines. - **Many agents in one UI.** Zed's ACP support brings Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI and Copilot into one panel. ## Where Cork wins - **Works where your agents already are.** Cork coordinates Claude Code, Codex and Cursor in any terminal or editor, including teammates who will not switch editors or join a beta. - **Explicit overwrite prevention.** The write gate holds a conflicting edit until your agent has the other version. Delta's launch post does not describe how simultaneous edits to the same code are resolved. - **Breaking-change awareness.** Semantic lint and live awareness catch renames and signature changes from parallel AI coding agents before they become agent merge conflicts. - **Plain git.** Cork keeps your existing git workflow and makes landing one step, rather than adding a new version control layer. - **Measured savings.** In Cork's benchmark (12 Claude Code agents at once on one repository, hard tasks), agents with Cork used 53% fewer tokens than the same agents without it. ## Can you use both? Yes for Zed the editor: running external agents in Zed's panel does not change where the code lives, so Cork can coordinate those agents alongside teammates' Cursor or terminal sessions. For Delta, the answer is less clear. Delta is a private beta with its own sync layer, and we could not verify whether hooks-based tools can attach to agents inside Delta threads. A reasonable split today: use Zed (or Delta, if you have access) for where people review and pair with agents, and use Cork to keep multiple Claude Code agents and other agents across the team from colliding on the same functions. ## Pricing compared Zed Personal is $0 with unlimited use of your own API keys or external agents; Pro is $10 per month with unlimited edit predictions and $5 of tokens included; Business is $30 per seat per month. Zed's pricing page notes a trial balance "shared across Zed and Delta"; we could not verify separate Delta pricing. Cork Free is unlimited agents and repos on one machine with no account. Cloud Free is 10 agent hours a month per account (30 bonus hours the first month) with a 30-day history. Beyond that you pay for agent hours, not seats: $20 a month per unit of 100 hours, pooled across the workspace, graduated to $17 (units 11 to 50) and $15 (51 and up), with 15% off a year. Enterprise starts from about 100 units. ## Bottom line Zed is where you write and review code, and Delta is Zed's bet on a shared, real-time workspace for people and agents. Cork is not a place to work; it is the layer that stops [multiplayer coding agents](https://corkcli.com/blog/multiplayer-coding-agents) from overwriting each other and makes each one arrive informed. If you want a new environment built around agents, look at Zed and Delta. If you want the agents your team already uses to stop colliding, Cork fits without changing anyone's tools. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Cork an alternative to Zed? Not as an editor. Cork is an alternative to the coordination part of Delta's pitch, and it works with whatever editor you use, including Zed. ### What is Zed DeltaDB? DeltaDB is the operation-based system behind Delta. It replicates the conversation and the worktree in real time for everyone in a thread and works with your existing git repository. ### Does Zed stop AI agents from overwriting each other? Delta keeps everyone's copy in sync in real time, but its launch post does not describe how conflicting simultaneous edits are handled. Cork's write gate holds such edits explicitly. ### Can I use Claude Code in Zed with Cork? Zed runs Claude Code through its external agents support. Cork has hooks for Claude Code; we have not verified that combination inside Zed specifically, so test it on your setup. ## Sources Checked October 2026: - - - - - ## Related reading - [Cork vs AQ: a shared cloud workspace, or a coordination layer for the agents you already run](https://corkcli.com/blog/cork-vs-aq): Cork vs AQ: AQ hosts multiplayer cloud workspaces for coding agents. Cork coordinates the agents you already run so they stop overwriting each other. - [Cork vs Sculptor: an app for parallel agents, or a layer that keeps them from colliding](https://corkcli.com/blog/cork-vs-sculptor): Cork vs Sculptor: Imbue's Sculptor runs coding agents in parallel in isolated workspaces. Cork coordinates parallel agents and teammates on shared code. - [Cork vs Emdash: an agent workbench vs a coordination layer](https://corkcli.com/blog/cork-vs-emdash): Cork vs Emdash: Emdash is an open-source app that runs coding agents in parallel worktrees; Cork keeps those agents from colliding on shared code. - [How to coordinate Cursor and Claude Code on the same codebase](https://corkcli.com/blog/coordinate-cursor-and-claude-code-same-codebase): Run Cursor and Claude Code on one repo without clobbered edits: shared AGENTS.md instructions, worktrees, shared MCP servers, hooks, and a coordination layer. 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