This is the 5th post in the 5 part series:
- VScode – leader of the pack
- NeoVim – modal editing experience
- VSCode with Vim – the allure of vim bindings in VSCode
- WebStorm – the premium editing experience
- Zed – the newcomer
A Fresh Approach to Code Editing
The final IDE I want to explore is Zed—an exciting new open-source editor developed in Rust. Despite being relatively new to the scene, Zed brings a fresh perspective to code editing with impressive performance and thoughtful design decisions.
Zed stands out immediately for its exceptional speed. The Rust foundation provides a noticeably responsive experience, with virtually no lag when navigating through large codebases or performing resource-intensive operations. This performance focus permeates throughout the entire editing experience.
Multi-Buffer: A Game-Changing Feature
One of Zed’s standout innovations is its “multi-buffer” approach to editing. This concept fundamentally transforms how you interact with search results and file contents:
When you search across a project, Zed presents results as live, editable content. Rather than having to open individual files to make changes, you can edit directly within the search results—and these modifications are instantly applied to the original files.
This feature mirrors what I praised in WebStorm, but with a faster, keyboard-focused implementation (WebStorm has a lot more options, though). It’s particularly valuable for refactoring operations that span multiple files, making bulk changes more efficient.
Superior Vim Integration
Zed’s approach to Vim keybindings represents what VS Code’s Vim extensions should aspire to be. Rather than bolting Vim functionality onto an existing editor (creating the dual-editor problems I discussed earlier), Zed builds Vim support directly into its core.
This first-class integration means:
- When you initiate a Vim search with
/, it activates Zed’s native search interface - Symbol navigation through Vim commands leverages Zed’s symbol indexing
- Code folding maintains consistency between Vim commands and Zed’s native functionality
- There’s no conflict between separate undo/redo stacks
The result is a harmonious experience where Vim users get the keyboard-driven editing they love without sacrificing integration with the editor’s core features.
Current Limitations
Despite its promise, Zed remains in active development and lacks certain features I consider essential for daily use:
Until recently, Git integration was minimal, though recent releases have started adding more robust source control functionality. The editor still lacks many of the advanced Git features found in VS Code with GitLens or WebStorm’s Git integration.
Other areas where Zed is still maturing include:
- Limited extension ecosystem compared to established editors
- Fewer language-specific features and debugging capabilities
- Less comprehensive framework support
However, Zed’s development pace is impressive. New features arrive frequently, and the project’s fundamental architecture choices suggest a bright future.
Conclusion: The Current State of Code Editors
After exploring these diverse development environments, several conclusions emerge:
VS Code remains the most versatile option with its extensive feature set, broad language support, and excellent AI integration. Its balance of performance, features, and extensibility makes it the current standard for most development scenarios.
JetBrains’ WebStorm offers a more polished UI and thoughtfully integrated features, particularly for web development. However, its resource demands and relatively slower AI capabilities represent drawbacks for many developers.
Neovim has made remarkable progress as a community-driven project without backing from tech giants. Its keyboard-focused approach and modal editing create a uniquely efficient experience for text manipulation. Yet, it still lacks the comprehensive IDE features many developers need for modern workflows. Also, there is a much higher learning curve compared to other editors.
Zed represents an exciting glimpse into the future of code editors. While not yet mature enough for all development scenarios, its performance focus and innovative features demonstrate significant potential.
For now, VS Code remains my primary recommendation for most developers, but I’m eagerly watching Zed’s progression. With continued development at its current pace, Zed could evolve into a serious contender that combines the performance and keyboard focus of Neovim with the feature completeness of modern IDEs.
