For years, Visual Studio Code has been the go-to code editor for many developers. It has never been without drawbacks. The performance cost of running VS Code becomes apparent as you add extensions. It becomes apparent as you add AI tools or open numerous files. These actions can quickly max out memory usage. These actions can slow down the editor to a crawl. With recent advancements, however, a new open-source alternative has emerged. A new open-source alternative is shaking up the landscape. Zed, built entirely in Rust, offers a significantly faster experience. It is optimized for AI agent workflows, making it a fresh contender in the race for the best code editor.
Zed's performance edge over VS Code
Zed is built from the ground up in Rust. This allows it to sidestep the Electron framework altogether. Unlike Electron-based editors such as VS Code, Zed doesn’t rely on Chromium and Node.js. Both of these are known for their heavy resource usage. VS Code is often reported to consume anywhere from 3 to 4GB of RAM. This is when working with large projects. This causes sluggish performance and high memory pressure on development machines. In contrast, Zed boasts a minimal idle memory footprint. This means developers can run multiple tools, AI agents, and even Docker containers. They can do this without nearing the limits of their system's RAM.
In Zed's own benchmarking tests, opening a large project containing thousands of files is completed in just 0.25 to 0.6 seconds. VS Code, on the other hand, takes between 1.3 to 3.8 seconds to open the same project. These numbers, though unverified by independent sources, align with anecdotal reports from users who have noticed a noticeable speed improvement when using Zed, especially with larger projects.
Zed’s performance gains stem from its unique rendering system. It uses the GPUI framework, developed specifically for Zed, to render UI components directly on the graphics card. This GPU-accelerated approach allows for fluid, high-refresh-rate interactions such as 120 FPS scrolling, which is a significant upgrade over the Electron-based Chromium rendering used by VS Code.
Zed's AI integration with Parallel Agents
The April 2026 release of Zed marked a major milestone. It marked the introduction of the Parallel Agents feature. This update brings a Threads Sidebar to the editor. It enables developers to run and monitor multiple AI agent sessions. They can do this within the same window. These threads can be organized by project. Each thread can utilize a different AI agent. This makes it possible to have Codex, Claude, and Zed’s native agent working on separate parts of a single codebase. This can be done simultaneously.
Zed’s Parallel Agents are powered by the Agent Client Protocol (ACP). ACP is an open protocol that allows external AI agents to integrate seamlessly with the editor. Each agent operates as a separate process. It retains its authentication, subscriptions, model settings, and tools. While still benefiting from Zed’s capabilities like multi-file editing. It also benefits from change-review workflows and contextual awareness within the project. This integration eliminates the need to juggle multiple windows or applications. It allows managing different AI tools during the development process.
A month after the Parallel Agents launch, Zed introduced Terminal Threads, an extension of the Threads Sidebar. Terminal Threads allow developers to run command-line AI agents such as Codex or Claude directly in the editor. Each terminal is isolated to its specific project and worktree, ensuring that changes and commands are scoped appropriately. These terminals appear alongside AI agent threads in the Threads Sidebar and can even send notifications when processes require attention. ACP-powered agents and terminal agents can now coexist side by side in the same panel, streamlining complex workflows that involve both interactive and command-line-based tools.
What’s missing when you switch from VS Code
Despite Zed’s impressive performance and AI integration features, there are some limitations that developers may find important, especially those who are already deep into the VS Code ecosystem. VS Code has a far more mature extension system, with thousands of community and enterprise plugins available. These extensions offer a range of functionalities, from advanced debugging tools to remote development capabilities and Git integrations, which are still catching up or not fully implemented in Zed.
Collaboration features such as Live Share are also more refined in VS Code and offer better real-time co-development experiences than Zed’s current equivalents. Additionally, VS Code benefits from a strong community and years of consistent development, which has contributed to the editor's widespread adoption and robust support across different programming languages and platforms.
For developers who prioritize performance, AI integration, and a modern UI, Zed is a compelling alternative. While it may not yet match every feature that VS Code offers, especially in the domain of extensions and collaborative tools, it presents a leaner, faster, and more focused environment. For those willing to trade some convenience for efficiency, Zed is a strong contender for replacing VS Code in 2026 and beyond.