Zed Code Editor Review: Speed-Focused Alternative to VS Code with Built-in AI and Collaboration
By
Chris Messina
Lightly toasted, lightly seasoned, mostly correct.
Summary
Zed is a next-generation code editor praised primarily for its exceptional speed and performance. Reviewers highlight its fast launch times, responsiveness on older machines, low memory usage, and lack of bloat compared to VS Code and other Electron-based editors. It features a clean UI, built-in collaboration tools, and solid AI capabilities, though the AI features are considered good but not best-in-class. Main drawbacks include a smaller extension ecosystem and lighter support for heavy workflows.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledReviewers mostly praise Zed for one thing above all: speed.
They describe it as fast to launch, responsive on older machines, light on memory, and free of the bloat they associate with VS Code and other Electron-based editors.
Many also like its clean, simple UI, built-in collaboration, and solid AI features, though some see the AI as good rather than best-in-class.
The main caveats are a smaller extension ecosystem, lighter support for heavy workflows.
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