Zed Has a Free Code Editor That Is 10x Faster Than VS Code

# zed# editor# vscode# productivity
Zed Has a Free Code Editor That Is 10x Faster Than VS CodeAlex Spinov

VS Code is Electron — a web browser pretending to be a text editor. Zed is built in Rust with GPU...

VS Code is Electron — a web browser pretending to be a text editor. Zed is built in Rust with GPU rendering — it opens instantly and never lags.

Performance

VS Code Zed
Startup time 2-5 seconds 0.1 seconds
RAM usage 300-800MB 100-200MB
Large file (100MB) Freezes Smooth
Rendering DOM-based GPU (Metal/Vulkan)
Extension overhead Significant Minimal (native)
Built with Electron (JS) Rust + GPUI

Key Features

1. Multi-Buffer Editing

Open multiple files in a single buffer and edit across them simultaneously. Like VS Code multi-cursor but across files.

2. Inline AI Assistance 

// Type a prompt inline:
// /edit: refactor this function to use async/await
// Zed rewrites the code in place
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Built-in AI that edits code inline — no sidebar, no copy-paste.

3. Collaboration (Built-in)

Real-time collaboration like Google Docs:

  • Share your workspace with a link
  • See collaborators' cursors in real-time
  • Voice chat built-in
  • No extension needed

4. Language Intelligence

  • Tree-sitter for syntax highlighting (faster than TextMate grammars)
  • Native LSP support
  • Built-in Prettier/Biome formatting
  • Smart indentation

5. Integrated Terminal 

ctrl+` to toggle terminal
Split terminals
Search terminal output
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6. Vim Mode 

// settings.json
{ "vim_mode": true }
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Full Vim emulation with visual mode, macros, and registers.

Configuration 

// ~/.config/zed/settings.json
{
  "theme": "One Dark",
  "ui_font_size": 16,
  "buffer_font_size": 14,
  "buffer_font_family": "JetBrains Mono",
  "format_on_save": "on",
  "formatter": "language_server",
  "tab_size": 2,
  "soft_wrap": "editor_width",
  "vim_mode": false,
  "inlay_hints": { "enabled": true },
  "languages": {
    "TypeScript": {
      "formatter": { "external": { "command": "biome", "arguments": ["format", "--stdin-file-path", "{buffer_path}"] } }
    }
  }
}
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Extensions

Zed has a growing extension ecosystem:

  • Language support (Python, Go, Rust, Ruby, etc.)
  • Themes (Catppuccin, Dracula, Nord, etc.)
  • LSP integrations

Why Developers Switch

  1. Speed — everything is instant, no lag ever
  2. Collaboration — built-in, not bolted on
  3. AI — inline assistance, not a sidebar
  4. Focus — minimal UI, maximum code
  5. Native — feels like a real app, not a web page

Current Limitations

  • Mac and Linux only (Windows coming)
  • Fewer extensions than VS Code
  • No remote SSH development (yet)
  • Newer ecosystem — some features still in development

Looking for developer tools? I build web scraping and data solutions. Email spinov001@gmail.com or check my Apify tools.