Amazon Q Developer vs Z Code: Side-by-Side Comparison 2026

Amazon Q Developer vs Z Code comparison for 2026. Features, pricing, AI capabilities, and editor support analyzed side by side to help you choose the right coding tool for your workflow.

Amazon Q Developer is an editor extension from Amazon (AWS) — ai coding assistant built for aws developers. Z Code is an AI IDE from Z.ai (Zhipu AI) — ai-powered code editor from zhipu ai (z.ai).

Amazon Q Developer

AWS-native AI coding assistant for IDE plugins (VS Code, JetBrains) and the AWS console. Strong AWS service knowledge (CDK, Lambda, IAM, infrastructure-as-code). AWS announced end-of-support April 30, 2026 with replacement product Kiro.

  • ✓ Code completions
  • ✓ AI chat
  • ✓ Agentic mode
  • ✓ Multi-file editing
  • ✓ Terminal commands

Free / $19/mo · 2 plans

Z Code

Desktop code editor from Z.ai (Zhipu AI) powered by GLM models. Integrates multiple AI agents within one interface with codebase understanding, automated code review, and support for external models. Also available as a VS Code extension.

  • ✓ GLM-5 flagship model (77.8% SWE-bench)
  • ✓ 200K token context window
  • ✓ OpenAI-compatible API
  • ✓ Free GLM-4.7-Flash model
  • ✓ Vision capabilities (Pro/Max)

$18/mo · 3 plans

Feature Amazon Q Developer Z Code
Category ExtensionAI IDE
Starting Price Free $18/mo
Model Family Multi-modelGLM
Open Source NoModels are open-weight (MIT for GLM-4.6)

Pricing verified May 4, 2026. Amazon Q Developer pricing | Z Code pricing

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Key Differences

  • Category: Amazon Q Developer is an editor extension; Z Code is an AI IDE.
  • Free tier: Amazon Q Developer has a free tier; Z Code does not.
  • Starting price: Amazon Q Developer starts at $19/mo; Z Code starts at $18/mo.
  • Model family: Amazon Q Developer uses Multi-model; Z Code uses GLM.
  • Open source: Amazon Q Developer: No. Z Code: Models are open-weight (MIT for GLM-4.6).
  • Bring your own key: Z Code supports BYOK; Amazon Q Developer does not.
  • Platforms: Amazon Q Developer runs on Desktop, Web; Z Code runs on Windows, macOS.
  • Provider: Amazon Q Developer is built by Amazon (AWS); Z Code is built by Z.ai (Zhipu AI).

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Amazon Q Developer if you want AWS-integrated coding with deep cloud service understanding. Choose Z Code if you want competitive coding AI starting at $10/mo with free model access. Read our full reviews to see which fits your workflow.

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