Zed is a high-performance, open source code editor written in Rust with built-in multiplayer collaboration and native AI assistance, offering a fast alternative to VS Code and Cursor for teams that pair program and want a single editor with low latency on large codebases.
The Problem
VS Code is the dominant editor but runs on Electron, a Chromium-based runtime that adds memory overhead and input latency, particularly on large projects. Real-time collaboration requires the LiveShare extension, which adds another dependency and a managed cloud relay. Cursor adds AI atop VS Code without resolving the underlying performance tradeoffs.
How Zed Solves It
Zed is built in Rust with a GPU-accelerated rendering layer and no Electron dependency. Multiplayer editing is built into the core: share a session with one command, no plugin needed. The AI assistant integrates directly in the editor panel with LLM-powered code completion, inline editing, and agentic task execution. GPL-3.0 applies to the editor; AGPL-3.0 applies to the collaboration server, which you can self-host.
Key Features
- GPU-accelerated Rust rendering: opens large codebases faster than Electron-based editors
- Multiplayer built into core: real-time collaborative editing without a plugin or cloud relay
- Native AI integration: inline editing, code completion, and an AI assistant panel
- Multibuffer editing: view and edit across multiple files in a unified editing surface
- Remote development support: run Zed locally while the codebase lives on a remote server
Self-Hosting
Download the binary for macOS or Linux from zed.dev or build from source. The multiplayer collaboration server is AGPL-3.0 and can be self-hosted; Zed's managed cloud relay is available with a free tier for teams that prefer no infrastructure to run.
License
GPL-3.0 for the Zed editor; AGPL-3.0 for the collaboration server. Both are free for personal and commercial use; distributing a modified collaboration server as a network service requires open-sourcing changes under AGPL.
Who It's For
Zed is best for development teams that pair program frequently and want built-in multiplayer in their editor, and for individual developers who find VS Code slow on large codebases and want a leaner, faster alternative with comparable extensibility.
Compared to VS Code
Unlike VS Code, which uses Electron and relies on the LiveShare extension for collaboration, Zed is written in Rust with multiplayer baked into the core editor. Zed is consistently faster at opening and navigating large files; VS Code has a much larger extension ecosystem and more mature tooling integrations.
