# Zed review

> Zed is a multiplayer code editor written in Rust from the creators of Atom and Tree-sitter, built for collaboration with humans and AI agents.

Devtoolwatch Board, the week of Oct 25–31, 2026. Canonical page: https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/zed/

## TL;DR

Zed is a code editor written from scratch in Rust that uses multiple CPU cores and the GPU. It is for developers who want an editor with built-in AI agents and real-time collaboration. Zed runs agents in parallel, supports third-party ACP agents, and lets teammates chat, code together, and share screens.

## Zed at a glance

- **Category:** [Coding agents](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/categories/coding-agents/)
- **Maintained by:** Zed Industries (organization, [@zed-industries](https://github.com/zed-industries) on GitHub)
- **Language:** Rust, Python, Inno Setup
- **Repository:** [github.com/zed-industries/zed](https://github.com/zed-industries/zed)
- **Website:** [zed.dev](https://zed.dev)
- **Latest release:** [v1.25.3](https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.25.3) on GitHub, Oct 23, 2026
- **First published:** Feb 20, 2021

## What Zed does

- Zed runs AI agents in parallel to edit files, navigate code, and run tools.
- Zed works with its own Zed Agent and with third-party agents that use ACP.
- Zed lets you chat with teammates, code together, and share your screen and project.
- Zed connects to model providers such as Amazon Bedrock, which offers Claude and GPT models.
- Zed includes a debugger that lets you expand and inspect nested variable values in hovers.
- Zed offers Pyrefly as an optional built-in Python language server in a pre-release.
- Zed provides context compaction and session notices for external agents.

### How it works

Zed is a desktop editor for macOS, Linux, and Windows. It is written in Rust and uses multiple CPU cores and the GPU. Agents run inside the editor and can edit files, navigate code, and run tools. Zed connects to AI model providers such as Amazon Bedrock and to external agents through ACP, including OpenCode.

### Requirements

- Zed requires macOS, Linux, or Windows. A web version is not yet available.

### First steps

1. Download Zed from zed.dev/download, or install it with your platform's package manager on macOS, Linux, or Windows.
2. Choose a model or agent in the agent model picker, such as Zed Agent or a third-party ACP agent.

## Who Zed is for

- Developers who want AI agents built into a native desktop editor.
- Teams that pair program and share projects or screens in real time.
- Developers who want to use third-party ACP agents such as OpenCode inside their editor.

### Limitations

- Zed is not available on the web yet. A tracking discussion exists for web support.
- GitHub Sponsors support goes to Zed Industries, a for-profit company, and gives no perks or entitlements.

## Usage data (the week of Oct 25–31, 2026)

- Board rank: #161 overall, #59 in Coding agents, momentum score 49
- New GitHub stars per week (last 12 weeks): Aug 9: 448; Aug 16: 449; Aug 23: 430; Aug 30: 427; Sep 6: 409; Sep 13: 460; Sep 20: 405; Sep 27: 395; Oct 4: 358; Oct 11: 383; Oct 18: 346; Oct 25: 387

## Zed alternatives

| Rank | Tool | Stars | Downloads/wk |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | [Cindy](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/makecindy-cindy/) | 8.8k | – |
| #2 | [OpenMausBot](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/milind-soni-openmausbot/) | 9.6k | – |
| #3 | [Orca](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/stablyai-orca/) | 111.7k | – |
| #4 | [OpenBot](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/copilotkit-openbot/) | 9.1k | – |
| #5 | [Agent Reach](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/panniantong-agent-reach/) | 107.2k | – |
| #6 | [Skill Recorder](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/microsoft-skill-recorder/) | 5.6k | – |

## Zed FAQ

### Is Zed free and open source?

Zed's code is on GitHub (zed-industries/zed), but the repository doesn't declare a standard open-source license. Check its license file before using it commercially. Its website links to a pricing page: https://zed.dev/pricing.

### Is Zed still maintained?

Yes. The zed-industries/zed repository was last updated on Oct 25, 2026, and the latest release, v1.25.3 on GitHub, came out on Oct 23, 2026.

### How popular is Zed?

Zed has 92.5k GitHub stars as of Nov 1, 2026. It gained 387 new stars in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, against a 12-week average of 408 a week. That made it #59 among AI coding agents on the Devtoolwatch Board.

### What are the best alternatives to Zed?

Other AI coding agents on the Devtoolwatch Board in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, by momentum: Cindy (#1), OpenMausBot (#2), Orca (#3), OpenBot (#4), Agent Reach (#5). The alternatives table above has their numbers.

### Is Zed open source?

Yes. Zed's source code is licensed mainly under GPL-3.0-or-later, and some components are under Apache-2.0 where marked. Zed Industries, Inc., a for-profit company, develops it.

### How do I use Zed as a code editor?

Download Zed for macOS, Linux, or Windows, or install it with a package manager. Then open a project. Zed supports editing, debugging, language servers, AI agents, and real-time collaboration with teammates.

### Can I use external AI agents in Zed?

Yes. Zed supports third-party agents through ACP alongside its own Zed Agent. Release notes mention OpenCode compatibility and context compaction and session notices for external agents.

### Which AI models can Zed use?

Zed connects to model providers, including Amazon Bedrock. Version 1.25.2 added GPT-6 Astra, Claude Fable 5.1, and Claude Opus 5.5 to the Bedrock provider.

### What platforms does Zed run on?

Zed runs on macOS, Linux, and Windows. A web version is not yet available.

## Sources

1. [zed-industries/zed on GitHub](https://github.com/zed-industries/zed)
2. [Zed README](https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/blob/main/README.md)
3. [Zed website](https://zed.dev)
4. [Release v1.25.3 (Oct 23, 2026)](https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.25.3)
5. [Release v1.26.2-pre (Oct 23, 2026)](https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.26.2-pre)
6. [Release v1.26.1-pre (Oct 21, 2026)](https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.26.1-pre)
7. [Hacker News: Zed 1.0](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47949027)
8. [Hacker News: Zed, a collaborative code editor, is now open source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39119835)
9. [Hacker News: Zed on Linux Is Here](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40928893)
10. [Devtoolwatch Board, the week of Oct 25–31, 2026](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/)