Zed Features
Speed
- GPU-accelerated rendering via custom GPUI framework
- Sub-100ms startup time
- 120fps scrolling and editing
- Minimal memory footprint compared to Electron-based editors
Built-in AI Assistant
- Inline generation — Select code, press Ctrl+Enter, describe what you want
- AI chat panel — Conversational coding with full project context
- Multi-provider — OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Ollama, any OpenAI-compatible API
- Context awareness — Include files, selections, and terminal output in AI context
Multiplayer Editing
Real-time collaboration built into the editor:
- Share your workspace with a link
- See collaborators' cursors in real-time
- Voice chat built-in
- Follow mode — watch a teammate code in real-time
Tree-sitter Powered
- Incremental syntax highlighting
- Structural code navigation (go to definition, references)
- Smart selections that understand code structure
- Code folding based on syntax tree
Language Server Protocol
Full LSP support for intelligent features:
- Autocomplete with type information
- Inline diagnostics and quick fixes
- Go-to-definition across files
- Find all references
- Code actions and refactoring
Vim Mode
{
"vim_mode": true
}Full Vim keybinding support including visual mode, macros, and custom mappings.
Terminal Integration
Built-in terminal with:
- Split panes
- AI can read terminal output
- Shell integration
FAQ
Q: What is Zed? A: Zed is a GPU-accelerated code editor with 78,300+ GitHub stars, built in Rust by the Atom creators. It features real-time multiplayer editing, built-in AI assistant, and Tree-sitter-powered syntax intelligence.
Q: How is Zed different from VS Code? A: Zed is native (Rust, not Electron), so it's dramatically faster — sub-100ms startup vs VS Code's 2-5 seconds. It has built-in multiplayer editing without extensions. AI is natively integrated. Trade-off: fewer extensions (growing ecosystem).
Q: Is Zed free? A: Yes, open-source under AGPL-3.0. Free for all use. Some collaboration features require a Zed account (free).