The fastest editor on Earth (literally)

Zed is a code editor written from scratch in Rust by the original Atom team. It uses GPU rendering for the UI, runs at 120fps even on massive files, and ships with a native AI assistant that integrates with any OpenAI-compatible API. In 2026 it's the editor of choice for performance-obsessed developers who can't stand VSCode's Electron weight.

Who it's for: Developers who live in large monorepos, polyglot codebases, or who simply can't tolerate VSCode's startup time. Also great for screen-sharing and pair-programming — built-in voice + video chat.

Key features

GPU GPU-accelerated UI

The entire editor renders on the GPU. 120fps scrolling through a 100K-line file. Cold start in under 100ms. Memory usage is 1/10th of VSCode.

AI inline Native AI assistant

Press Ctrl-Enter to open inline AI. Supports Claude, GPT-4o, Gemini, Ollama, and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Streaming completions feel instant.

Collab Built-in pair programming

Open a channel, share a link, and code together in real time with voice + video. No extension needed. Like Live Share but actually works smoothly.

Extensions Growing extension API

Zed's extension API is small but powerful. Themes, language servers, and AI providers all plug in via WASM. Not as big as VSCode yet, but catching up fast.

The honest take

✓ What works

Speed is genuinely transformative — try it on a big monorepo
Native AI assistant with Claude + GPT-4o streaming
Pair programming baked in — voice, video, screen share
Open source (GPL) with active development
Excellent Vim mode, emacs keybindings, and JetBrains-style shortcuts

✗ What doesn't

Windows support is still beta — macOS and Linux first
Smaller extension marketplace than VSCode
No IntelliJ/JetBrains equivalent — full rewrite needed
AI agent features (multi-file edits) are basic compared to Cursor
Steep learning curve if you're coming from VSCode

Verdict

Zed is what you switch to when VSCode's 800MB idle memory footprint starts hurting. The AI assistant is solid for inline editing and completions, but it's not trying to be Cursor. If your priority is speed, performance, and a beautifully designed editor with collaborative pair programming, Zed is unmatched in 2026.

💡 Transparency: This review contains affiliate links. If you sign up through our link, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. We only recommend tools we use ourselves. Full disclosure.