Back in August, we launched the Zed AI beta. Since then, thousands of users per day have been using the Assistant Panel and the inline assistant to write and transform code. We're excited to see how much value people have been getting out of it!
Changes to Our Billing Model
During this beta period, we've aimed to make Zed AI easy to use while learning about usage patterns and costs. We initially made it completely free and unlimited, but to ensure sustainability, we're implementing an interim update that will affect only our most active users.
We're introducing a usage-based billing system for high-volume users, while maintaining a free tier for everyone else. For now, we'll bill at cost, which keeps things simple and fair. This approach ensures that heavy users contribute proportionately to the costs they incur.
What This Means for You
Most of our users will continue to enjoy Zed AI without any charges. For our power users:
- You can manage your billing from the account page.
- You'll only pay for the tokens (units of AI processing) you use beyond the free tier.
- You can set a maximum monthly spend limit to avoid surprise bills.
Using External AI Services
If you're already paying for AI services outside of Zed, you can continue using Zed with your existing keys. Our new subscription service is optional and designed for convenience.
Next Steps
We're still developing features and haven't finalized our long-term pricing model. We do intend to build a business around AI as we expand our offerings, but for now, our goal is to make AI convenient to use in Zed while ensuring the sustainability of our service. We'll be sure to communicate clearly about any changes going forward.
If you have any questions or issues, please email us at [email protected] or open an issue in our issue tracker.