Zed

Zed is a next-generation code editor built from the ground up in Rust, designed to eliminate the performance bottlenecks found in Electron-based editors like VS Code. It delivers sub-millisecond keystroke latency and uses GPU-accelerated rendering via Metal (macOS) and Vulkan (Linux) to maintain smooth performance even in large codebases with millions of lines of code.

Unlike traditional editors that bolt on collaboration features, Zed uses Conflict-free Replicated Data Types (CRDTs) at its core data model, enabling real-time multiplayer editing where multiple developers can work on the same file simultaneously with no lag or merge conflicts. This approach is architecturally similar to how Google Docs handles concurrent editing, but optimized for code.

Zed integrates AI assistance directly into the editing workflow through its built-in Assistant Panel. Developers can interact with LLMs like Claude, GPT-4, and Gemini to generate code, refactor functions, explain unfamiliar code, and run inline transformations — all without leaving the editor. The AI context engine can index entire project trees so that prompts carry relevant file and symbol context automatically.

The editor supports Language Server Protocol (LSP) for intelligent features like autocomplete, go-to-definition, and diagnostics across 30+ programming languages. It also includes a built-in terminal, project-wide search with regex support, multi-cursor editing, split panes, and a Vim mode for keyboard-driven workflows.

Zed is open-source under a combination of GPL and AGPL licenses, with active development led by the team behind Atom and Tree-sitter. The project has grown rapidly since its public launch in January 2024, accumulating over 50,000 GitHub stars and an active community of contributors. Linux support was added in mid-2024, and Windows support is under active development as of early 2026.

Performance benchmarks consistently show Zed starting 2–5x faster than VS Code and using significantly less memory, making it particularly well-suited for developers working on resource-constrained machines or those who simply value a responsive editing experience. The Rust foundation also means fewer runtime crashes and more predictable memory usage compared to JavaScript-based editors.