Zed review
A fast, open-source code editor built for AI and teams
- Zed Industries
- Free + paid plans
- Mac, Windows, Linux
Does it deserve #3?
Is Zed worth it?
Yes. Zed scores 9.1/10 and ranks #3 in Developer Tools. It's best for developers who want a quick, modern editor with AI and pair programming built in. Skip it if you depend on a specific VS Code extension or workspace setup. Price: Free with your own API keys; Pro is $10 a month with $5 of AI tokens included.
The verdict
Zed is a code editor written in Rust with its own GPU-rendered interface instead of Electron, built to feel instant. You get real-time multiplayer editing, a debugger, Git, SSH remoting, edit predictions and parallel AI agents that can run Claude, Codex and others. It reached 1.0 in April 2026 and runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. Bring your own API keys for free, or pay for hosted AI. Some long-requested features, like smooth scrolling, are still missing.
- Rust and a GPU-rendered interface
- Real-time multiplayer editing
- Parallel AI agents
- Built-in debugger and Git
- SSH and WSL remoting
Score breakdown
Overall = features 30% · design 20% · speed 20% · value 15% · privacy 15%. Why these weights?
What's new
- Sep 2026Delta, a separate multiplayer agent-coding app, entered public beta
- May 2026Zed for Business launched for teams
- Apr 2026Zed 1.0 shipped, a week after parallel AI agents arrived
Privacy 8.6/10
Telemetry can be turned off in Settings, source code never goes into server telemetry, and Zed doesn't train on your data unless you opt in. AI providers are on zero-retention terms.
What we like
- Native, GPU-rendered and quick to open
- Free and open source, with bring-your-own AI keys
- Collaboration and AI agents built in
What could be better
- Hosted AI use is billed beyond the $5 included
- Still missing requests like smooth scrolling
- No built-in test runner integration yet
Developers who want a quick, modern editor with AI and pair programming built in
you depend on a specific VS Code extension or workspace setup
Questions about Zed
Is Zed worth it in 2026?
Yes. Zed scores 9.1/10 and ranks #3 in Developer Tools. It's best for developers who want a quick, modern editor with AI and pair programming built in. Skip it if you depend on a specific VS Code extension or workspace setup. Price: Free with your own API keys; Pro is $10 a month with $5 of AI tokens included.
Is Zed free?
Yes. The Personal plan is free forever and works with your own API keys; Pro costs $10 a month and includes $5 of hosted AI tokens.
Does Zed run on Windows?
Yes. Zed launched on Windows in October 2025 and also runs on Mac and Linux.
Does Zed train AI on my code?
Not unless you opt in. Zed says it doesn't train on customer data by default and has zero-data-retention agreements with its AI providers.
What are the best alternatives to Zed?
The closest alternatives are Visual Studio Code, Cursor and Ghostty. See all of them ranked on our Zed alternatives page.
Where does Zed rank?
Zed ranks #3 of 10 in our Developer Tools ranking, with an overall score of 9.1 out of 10.