Zo vs Cursor and Claude Code

Claude Code is Anthropic's AI coding agent that runs in your terminal, helping you write, edit, and manage code through natural language. Cursor is an AI-powered code editor. Both are powerful—and increasingly, non-programmers are using these tools to build apps and automate tasks without traditional coding skills.

But Claude Code and Cursor are tools you run locally. Zo is a complete cloud environment where the AI lives alongside your files, with a visual interface designed for human-AI collaboration.

As one user put it: "I'm so excited about Zo, I've dropped all work on the floor and am building a script to import all my X bookmarks. It seems like the exact Obsidian-in-the-cloud + Claude Code + automation product that I've been looking for."

Terminal vs. Visual Workspace

Claude Code runs in your terminal. Cursor is a desktop application. You type commands, they write code, you review diffs. This works great for developers comfortable with these tools.

Zo gives you a visual workspace:

• File browser to organize and navigate your projects
• Built-in editor for viewing and editing files
• Chat interface alongside your files
• Terminal access when you need it
• Browser and preview for web projects

You get the AI capabilities of Claude Code with an interface designed for collaboration, not just code generation.

Local Machine vs. Cloud Computer

Claude Code and Cursor run on your local machine. Your files stay local, the AI runs commands locally, and you need to set up your own environment.

Zo is a cloud computer, a persistent server that's always online.

• Pre-configured environment ready to go
• Access from anywhere—web, desktop app, or over SSH
• Host sites and services that stay online

The Non-Programmer Revolution

Claude Code and Cursor are part of a growing trend: non-technical users starting to use tools intended for programmers.

But running these tools requires:

• Setting up a development environment
• Understanding the terminal or IDE
• Managing dependencies and packages
• Dealing with local machine limitations

Zo removes these barriers. The environment is ready. The interface is visual. You can focus on what you want to build, not how to set things up.

Beyond Code: Files and Knowledge

Claude Code and Cursor are focused on coding – excellent at writing, editing, and refactoring code. People use them for tasks beyond coding, but the interfaces are optimized for code.

Zo integrates code with everything else:

• Notes and documents of all kinds (PDFs, spreadsheets, etc)
• Data files you can process and analyze
• Media files, including built-in AI image & video generation
• Automations that run on schedules

Pricing Comparison

Claude Pro (includes Claude Code):

• $20/month for ~10-40 Claude Code prompts per 5 hours
• Runs on your local machine
• You provide the development environment

Cursor:

• $20/month Pro plan
• Runs on your local machine
• Limited AI requests per month

Zo Computer:

• Plans start at $18/month
• Cloud server included
• Visual workspace, file storage, hosting
• Access to multiple AI models including Claude

With Claude Code or Cursor, you pay for AI access and provide everything else. With Zo, you get the environment, storage, hosting, and AI together.

Zo enables:

• Everything Claude Code does, plus...
• Persistent projects that run 24/7
• Hosting web apps and APIs with public URLs
• Automations triggered by schedules or events
• Knowledge management, with support for notes and all file types
• Cloud storage, with 100GB free storage
• Self-hosted services like n8n, databases, and more

Get Started

Ready for a Claude Code-like experience in a complete cloud workspace?

Try Zo Computer – Claude Code comes pre-installed. And you'll get a lot more built-in.