Zed Hopes VS Code Forks Lose the AI Coding Race
As VS Code and its AI-enhanced forks continue to dominate the developer workflow, a few new contenders like Zed have been in the news for taking a distinctly different approach.To begin with, Zed is an open-source alternative to AI coding tools like Cursor and Windsurf without being a fork of VS Code. Moreover, it is built using Rust, a known choice for building fast-performance applications. With the advent of AI coding tools, developers might wonder whether Zed is worth trying or best avoided. It’s a question worth considering, especially considering Zed recently claimed to be the fastest AI code editor following the launch of its new Agentic Editor feature on Wednesday. Why Developers Want to Give Zed a Chance Image Credits: Zed Siddharth Balyan, a member of technical staff at Composio, told AIM, “I’ve actually always kept a tab on Zed for over a year now. I used to use it a lot, but then switched to cursor/windsurf for their better agentic editors.”“But as soon as I got the beta invite for their agentic editor, I switched back instantly,” he added. Balyan mentioned that he still uses VS Code forks for a few things here and there, especially the debuggers. “I recommend my friends to switch to Zed because it’s extremely fast and snappy, without the bloat of the VS Code forks.” Balyan noted that he experiences sluggishness with the Cursor when editing larger files on his Mac, which is not a problem for Zed. He particularly praised Zed for its ability to use models locally without the Internet and its approach to Claude Code integration without MCP extensions. “Seriously, folks, if you’re not using Zed, you are missing out. It’s empowering. Clean, fast, lean, and visually appealing. What VS Code could have been had they had a good product manager and locked their scope hard,” a user on X noted. Meanwhile, a developer on Reddit mentioned that they cannot think of any reason to use VS Code, unless someone has a niche use case or a specific plugin requirement that does not exist on Zed. Another developer emphasised the performance, multibuffers, and native Vim mode as the selling points for Zed. For some, the shift toward Zed is driven towards the need for simplicity and speed. Steven Simkins, head of developers relations at Pinata, who moved from Neovim to Zed, wrote in a blog post, “One of the biggest things that has stood out to me using Zed so far is how ‘everything just works’.” He also highlighted that Zed’s built-in Vim mode, responsive UI, and Integrated Language Server Protocol (LSP) have appealed to him. Gerred Dillon, a member of the technical staff at San Francisco Compute Company, considers Zed his favourite tool for technical writing. For his use case, the AI editor feels closest to a workbench. Friction Points Hold Zed Back Zed’s AI integration has also become a sticking point. Shayan Taslim, founder of UserJot, wrote on X, “Zed has a huge opportunity to jump on the AI wave right now. It’s a great product, it feels great to use, and it has all the potential to compete with all these VS Code forks out there. However, every time I want to give it a try, I get frustrated with the AI features and can’t use it for more than a few minutes before jumping back to Cursor.”The inconsistency and lack of polish in Zed’s AI experience have created friction for those expecting seamless assistance. Moreover, another user on X highlighted the issue of autocomplete locked behind a paywall. “Zed got rid of any sort of autocomplete unless you pay a lot per month.” The user added that the change of the autocompletion feature locked to paid subscription felt like a downgrade compared to VS Code. It seems that the issues are not limited to the pricing but also the quality. A user on X stated that the autocomplete feature is not valuable enough and does not add value to the offering at the moment. These shortcomings may seem small, but as AI tools become central to many workflows, such limitations could be challenging to overlook. Zed’s Potential Despite the drawbacks, Zed remains an intriguing entry in the code or text editor space precisely because it is not trying to replicate VS Code. While Cursor and Windsurf build layers atop Microsoft’s foundation, Zed seems to be standing out. Zed has recently added Agentic Editing abilities, powered by an open-source AI Agent Panel. This lets users instruct AI to make changes across a codebase without any setup or indexing. The AI tools run locally by default, do not store conversations unless explicitly opted in, and allow developers to choose which tools or models, like Claude or Gemini, are used for each session. For those who prefer complete control, Zed supports custom models through Ollama and lets users limit or expand an agent’s permissions via profiles. While autocomplete and some AI features sit behind a paywall, the editor remains fully functional without them, making it a privacy-respecting, performance-first code editor. Whether Zed is worth a switch depends entirely on what a developer values most in their environment. Those who prioritise speed and privacy, and want to avoid bloated, browser-like editors, will likely find Zed refreshing. On the other hand, developers who depend on robust extension ecosystems or deeply integrated AI support may find Zed lacking for now. Its potential lies in being an open-source offering with AI features and not being a VS Code fork. For developers looking to try something different, it could be worth a try.
Zed could be a game changer for some, but not the right fit for everyone.
Zed could be a game changer for some, but not the right fit for everyone.
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I am a tech aficionado and a computer science graduate with a keen interest in AI, Coding, Open Source, and Cloud. Have a tip? Reach out to ankush.das@aimmediahouse.com