
Zed
Fast collaborative editor with AI built in from the start.
Visit Zed Free, Zed Pro $20/mo for Anthropic + OpenAI access
Quick verdict
- Best for
- Performance-conscious developers
- Pricing
- Free, Zed Pro $20/mo for Anthropic + OpenAI access
- Not ideal if
- Younger ecosystem than VS Code
What is Zed?
Zed is a Rust-built code editor designed for sub-millisecond responsiveness. AI is a first-class citizen — inline edits, repo-wide chat, and multi-buffer agentic workflows all native to the editor.
Key features
- Sub-millisecond editor performance
- Inline AI edits with diff preview
- Repo-aware AI chat
- Multi-buffer agentic edits
- Real-time collaboration like Google Docs
Pros
- Fastest editor you have ever used
- Real-time collab actually works
- AI integration is thoughtful, not bolted on
Cons
- Younger ecosystem than VS Code
- Some extensions still missing
Best for
Performance-conscious developersRemote pair-programming teamsVS Code users wanting something faster
Related comparisons
Alternatives to Zed
Cursor
4.8
The AI code editor most pro developers swap to.
FreemiumFree, Pro from $20/mo
Released March 2023Windsurf
4.6
Agent-first AI code editor — competitor to Cursor.
FreemiumFree, Pro $15/mo
Released November 2024Claude Code
4.7
Anthropic's terminal-based AI coding agent.
PaidRequires Claude API key (~$10-50/mo typical use)
Released February 2025

