Visual Studio Code vs Zed

Visual Studio Code9.4Visit Zed8.8Visit

Higher score Visual Studio Code #1 in Text Editors 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit site

vs

Zed #7 in Text Editors 8.8/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 4 of 5 features Visit Zed

• Visual Studio Code fits best

  Developers wanting the broadest free editor

• Zed fits best

  Modern teams wanting collaborative editing

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Side by side

Feature	Visual Studio Code 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Zed 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	8.8
Ranking	#1 in Text Editors	#7 in Text Editors
Best for	Developers wanting the broadest free editor	Modern teams wanting collaborative editing
Pricing model	Free	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Free plan	$10/mo
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	14 days
Deployment	Cloud, Desktop	Cloud, Desktop
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux	macOS, Windows, Linux
Support	Docs	Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Visual Studio Code 4/5 · Zed 4/5
Multi-cursor editing	✓	✓
Macro recording	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Column editing	✓	✓
Large-file handling	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Extension support	✓	✓
Specs
Supported platforms	web, windows, macos, linux	macOS, Windows, Linux
Our review
Pros	Free, open-source access on desktop and in the browser Multi-cursor editing, IntelliSense, navigation, debugging, and testing Git, terminal, extensions, SSH, Dev Containers, and Codespaces support	Free plan includes Git, debugging, extensions, agents, and collaboration Supports macOS, Linux, and Windows with broad developer tooling Native editing, Git, Vim-style, AI, and real-time collaboration features
Cons	Focused on source-code work rather than general-purpose text editing Optional AI features and agent workflows are not the core editor experience Large files require confirmation and optimized handling	Pro costs $10 per month after the free Personal plan Advanced business controls require the $30-per-seat monthly plan AI usage beyond included Pro capacity is billed based on usage
Our verdict	Visual Studio Code is a free, open-source source-code editor for developers working with individual files or complete projects. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, and the web, making it suitable for people who move between desktop and… Read the review →	Zed is a desktop code editor for software developers who want fast editing, collaboration, and integrated AI workflows. It runs on macOS, Linux, and Windows, and combines multibuffer editing, native Git operations, language-server support,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Visual Studio Code — where it wins

  • Free, open-source access on desktop and in the browser
  • Multi-cursor editing, IntelliSense, navigation, debugging, and testing
  • Git, terminal, extensions, SSH, Dev Containers, and Codespaces support

  Where it doesn't

  • Focused on source-code work rather than general-purpose text editing
  • Optional AI features and agent workflows are not the core editor experience
  • Large files require confirmation and optimized handling

• Zed — where it wins

  • Free plan includes Git, debugging, extensions, agents, and collaboration
  • Supports macOS, Linux, and Windows with broad developer tooling
  • Native editing, Git, Vim-style, AI, and real-time collaboration features

  Where it doesn't

  • Pro costs $10 per month after the free Personal plan
  • Advanced business controls require the $30-per-seat monthly plan
  • AI usage beyond included Pro capacity is billed based on usage

• Visual Studio Code9.4/10 · Free plan

  A free, open-source editor with broad development features across desktop and web.

  Visit siteFull verdict →
• Zed8.8/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

  A capable free editor for collaborative teams, with paid AI tiers that cost more.

  Visit ZedFull verdict →