Zed 2 Freemium

Zed 2 is a GPU-accelerated code editor written in Rust, with AI agents and real-time multiplayer editing built into the core. The editor is free and open source; AI features start at $20/month.

What is Zed 2?

Zed was built by the team behind Atom, with one goal: make typing feel instant. It renders on the GPU, which is why scrolling a 50,000-line file stays smooth where Electron editors stutter.

Version 2 pushes agents from a sidebar add-on to a first-class part of the editor. You can hand an agent a task, watch it edit files, and review each diff inline. It runs natively on macOS, Linux and Windows, with the Windows build now out of preview.

Product Features

• GPU rendering — Rust core with a custom GPU UI framework for low-latency input.
• Inline agents — assign a task, review diffs, accept or reject per hunk.
• Multiplayer — share a project and edit together with presence and follow mode.
• Bring your own model — connect Anthropic, OpenAI or a local model via Ollama.
• Tree-sitter parsing — fast syntax highlighting and structural selection.
• Vim mode — first-class modal editing for keyboard users.

Product Highlights

The speed is real, not marketing. Open a large repo and the difference versus VS Code is obvious within seconds. Multiplayer is a genuine differentiator for pair programming — it feels like Google Docs for code, and you can drop in a teammate without them installing anything heavy.

Extension coverage is the weak spot. The plugin ecosystem is far smaller than VS Code’s, so niche language support or that one linter you rely on may be missing. AI features also need a paid plan or your own API key — there’s no generous free AI tier.

Use Cases

• Working in large codebases where editor lag costs time.
• Pair programming or live mentoring over a shared buffer.
• Delegating refactors to an inline agent with per-hunk review.
• Running a fully local AI assistant through Ollama.
• Switching from VS Code for a lighter, faster daily editor.

Quick Summary

• Zed 2 is a GPU-accelerated, open-source code editor for Mac, Linux and Windows.
• AI agents and multiplayer editing are built into the core.
• The editor is free; AI plans start at $20/month, or use your own key.
• Faster than Electron editors, but its extension library is smaller.