Zed

What is Zed?

Zed is a code editor written from scratch in Rust. The documentation describes it as a high-performance, multiplayer code editor from the creators of Atom and Tree-sitter, with a built-in AI agent. The GitHub repository shows 87,602 stars, indicating significant community interest. Zed is designed to be fast at startup, editing, and rendering. Its multiplayer feature allows multiple developers to edit the same file in real time, similar to collaborative tools but integrated directly into the editor. The built-in AI agent can assist with code generation, completion, and explanation. Zed is open source, with the source code available on GitHub under the Zed Industries organization.

Who is Zed for?

Based on its stated features, Zed targets developers who want a locally running editor with low latency and built-in collaboration. The presence of an AI agent suggests it is aimed at programmers who want assistance without switching to a different tool or cloud service. The multiplayer capability makes it suitable for teams that frequently pair-program or review code together. Because it is free and open source, hobbyists and students can also adopt it without cost barriers. The focus on performance means Zed is likely attractive to developers working on large codebases where editor responsiveness matters. The documentation does not list specific supported languages, but its origin in Tree-sitter—a parsing system used for syntax highlighting and code analysis—implies broad language support.

How much does Zed cost?

The pricing page lists Zed as free. The starting price is $0 per month, and there are no paid tiers mentioned in the available data. Users can download and run the editor without any subscription or license fee. The GitHub repository also does not indicate any payment requirements for core functionality. The AI agent and multiplayer features are included at no extra cost. Because the project is open source, users can also inspect and modify the code themselves. There is no enterprise edition, usage cap, or limit on collaborative sessions listed. The only cost noted is time and disk space for installation.