Zcode vs KiloCode: GLM 5.2 coding editor comparison

The speaker reviews Zcode, Z.AI's desktop coding assistant, and compares it with KiloCode using GLM 5.2. The walkthrough describes downloads for Mac, Windows and Linux, plus connections to providers such as DeepSeek and OpenRouter through a user's own key. The editor runs on the computer, but this demonstration does not establish offline model inference.

The practical test asks GLM 5.2 to create a 3D chess game at maximum thinking level. The speaker reports waiting about four minutes before code generation begins. A separate KiloCode test with the same prompt and model produces a visually similar game, so the example provides limited evidence of differences in generated output.

The speaker prefers KiloCode's VS Code workflow and describes its tool calling as better. Zcode's lack of the project directory view they want makes file inspection less convenient; opening the project separately in VS Code adds another step. They also report that KiloCode uses Chrome DevTools to test the result, while Zcode does not do so in this demonstration.

Zcode also has skills, MCP server connections and plugins for Android emulation and an iOS simulator. The speaker explicitly says they have not tested the iOS option. Although they describe the editor as free to install, the workflow uses provider keys or a GLM coding plan; it does not establish free model access.