Zed Editor AlternativesCode & Text Editors like Zed Editor

Zed Editor is described as 'Zed is a blazing fast, multi-user, productivity-focused text editor. From the creators of Atom, Electron and Tree-sitter, the editor features built-in Vim mode with tooltips for key-bindings, language-aware' and is a popular Code Editor in the development category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Zed Editor for a variety of platforms, including Mac, Windows, Linux, BSD and Flathub apps. The best Zed Editor alternative is Notepad++, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Zed Editor are Visual Studio Code, VSCodium, Sublime Text and Vim.

filter to find the best alternatives

Zed Editor alternatives are mainly Code Editors, but if you're looking for Text Editors or IDEs you can filter on that. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Zed Editor.
Zed Editor iconZed Editor
  70
  • ...

Zed is a blazing fast, multi-user, productivity-focused text editor. From the creators of Atom, Electron and Tree-sitter, the editor features built-in Vim mode with tooltips for...

More about Zed Editor
More about Zed Editor
Zed Editor alternatives page was last updated May 16, 2025
Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard
  1. Notepad++ icon

    Notepad++

     4874 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Notepad++ is a free, open-source code editor supporting several languages, offering features like syntax highlighting, plugin support, dark mode, portability, privacy, and efficient resource usage, making it highly customizable and suitable for various programming needs.

    227 Notepad++ alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • FR flagFrance
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    Notepad++ screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Configurable
    3.  Distraction-free

    Features

    1.  Code Formatting
    2.  Portable
    3.  Tabbed interface
    4.  Search and Replace
    5.  Text formatting
    6.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    7.  Multiple Open Tabs
    8.  Multiple languages
    9.  Color coding
    10.  Support for Javascript
    11.  Built-in themes
    12.  Auto-saving

    Notepad++ VS Zed Editor

     

    • Notepad++ is the most popular Windows alternative to Zed Editor.

    • Notepad++ is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Zed Editor.

    • Notepad++ is Free and Open SourceZed Editor is also Free and Open Source
    • Notepad++ is LightweightZed Editor is not according to our users
  2. Visual Studio Code icon

    Visual Studio Code

     1325 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Free and extensible code editor with built-in Git support, smart IntelliSense, integrated debugger, 30,000+ extensions, works offline, supports markdown and syntax highlighting for numerous languages.

    199 Visual Studio Code alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Chrome OS
    • Snapcraft
    Visual Studio Code screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Autocompletion
    3.  Built-in terminal emulation
    4.  Syntax Highlighting
    5.  Code Completion
    6.  Multiple languages
    7. Git icon  Git Support
    8. GitHub icon  GitHub Integration
    9.  Dark Mode
    10.  Supports Python
    11.  Multiple Cursors
    12.  C++

    Visual Studio Code VS Zed Editor

     

    • Visual Studio Code is the most popular Web-based, Mac & Linux alternative to Zed Editor.

    • Visual Studio Code is Free and ProprietaryZed Editor is Free and Open Source
    • Visual Studio Code is CustomizableZed Editor is not according to our users
  4. VSCodium icon

    VSCodium

     353 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    This repository contains a build file to generate FLOSS release binaries of Microsoft's Visual Studio Code - Open Source ("Code - OSS") project, the open source core of the proprietary Visual Studio Code.

    192 VSCodium alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Electron
    VSCodium screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Privacy focused
    3.  Support for Themes
    4.  Lightweight
    5.  Clean design

    Features

    1.  No Tracking
    2.  Prevent telemetry
    3.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    4.  Works Offline
    5.  No registration required
    6.  Autocompletion
    7.  Dark Mode
    8. Git icon  Git integration
    9.  Syntax Highlighting
    10.  MIT License
    11.  Ad-free
    12.  Minimap

    VSCodium VS Zed Editor

     
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    EmEditor icon
    EmEditor

    EmEditor is a versatile text, code, and CSV editor designed for Windows. It offers lightweight, user-friendly, and extendable platform, with both 32-bit and 64-bit builds. The software also features AI-assisted writing.

    https://www.emeditor.com
    Learn More
  6. Sublime Text icon

    Sublime Text

     2021 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Powerful editor blending code, markup, and prose editing with enhanced features like multi-tab selection, side-by-side definition viewing, and multiple selection tools for swift code navigation.

    190 Sublime Text alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • AU flagAustralia

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Sublime Text screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Customizable
    3.  Clean design
    4.  Distraction-free

    Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Package Control
    3.  Syntax Highlighting
    4.  Text editing
    5.  Multiple Cursors
    6.  Dark Mode
    7.  No Tracking
    8.  Simple text editor
    9.  Tabbed interface
    10.  Support for MarkDown
    11.  Works Offline
    12.  No registration required

    Sublime Text VS Zed Editor

     
  7. Vim icon

    Vim

     1320 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Vim ("Vi IMproved") is an advanced text editor that allows syntax highlighting, word completion and has a huge amount of contributed content. It also has a GUI version called GVim.

    205 Vim alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • NL flagNetherlands
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Haiku
    • AmigaOS
    • OpenSolaris
    • MorphOS
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft
    Vim screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Keyboard focused
    3.  Customizable
    4.  Configurable

    Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Syntax Highlighting
    3.  Hackable
    4.  Well documented
    5.  Modal editor
    6.  Command line interface
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Support for MarkDown
    9.  No registration required
    10.  Portable
    11.  Batch Editing
    12.  Terminal-based

    Vim VS Zed Editor

     
  8. Eclipse icon

    Eclipse

     1143 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Eclipse is an extensible development platform with runtimes and application frameworks for building, deploying and managing software across the entire software lifecycle. Many people know Eclipse as a Java IDE, but it is much more than that- Eclipse actually consists of over 60...

    147 Eclipse alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    eclipse on windows 10

    Top Eclipse Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Java IDE
    3.  C++
    4.  Refactoring
    5.  Autocompletion
    6.  Syntax Highlighting
    7.  Portable
    8.  No registration required
    9.  Code Formatting
    10.  Batch Editing
    11.  Works Offline
    12.  Spell Checking

    Eclipse VS Zed Editor

     
  10. Neovim icon

    Neovim

     179 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Refactored version of Vim, simplifying maintenance, improving developer contributions, and enabling new user interfaces. Features extensible plugin architecture, lightweight resource usage, syntax highlighting, no registration, ad-free, and distraction-free mode.

    96 Neovim alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Neovim screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Configurable
    3.  Distraction-free

    Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Lua scripting
    3.  Terminal-based
    4.  Syntax Highlighting
    5.  Asynchronous
    6.  Sane defaults
    7.  Ad-free
    8.  No registration required
    9.  Autocompletion
    10.  Code Formatting

    Neovim VS Zed Editor

     
  11. Kate icon

    Kate

     296 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    The Kate project develops two main products: KatePart, the advanced editor component which is used in numerous KDE applications requiring a text editing component, and Kate, a MDI text editor application.

    137 Kate alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft
    Kate screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Native application
    2.  Themes
    3.  Syntax Highlighting
    4.  Built-in terminal emulation
    5.  Editable text color schemes
    6.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    7.  Tabbed interface
    8.  Code Formatting
    9. Git icon  Git Support
    10.  Support for MarkDown
    11.  Spell Checking
    12.  Full-Text Search

    Kate VS Zed Editor

     
  12. Geany icon

    Geany

     569 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Geany is a powerful, stable and lightweight programmer's text editor that provides tons of useful features without bogging down your workflow.

    145 Geany alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flatpak
    Geany screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Support for Themes
    3.  Minimalistic
    4.  Customizable
    5.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Multiplatform
    2.  Syntax Highlighting
    3.  Code navigation
    4.  Automatic Indentation
    5.  Shell integration
    6.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    7.  Ad-free
    8. LaTeX icon  Support for LaTeX
    9.  Hierarchical Structure
    10.  Live Preview
    11.  Debian package compatible
    12.  Shortcut keys

    Geany VS Zed Editor

     
  13. GNU Emacs icon

    GNU Emacs

     379 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    GNU Emacs is an extensible, customizable text editor—and more. At its core is an interpreter for Emacs Lisp, a dialect of the Lisp programming language with extensions to support text editing. The features of GNU Emacs include:

    168 GNU Emacs alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • BSD
    • F-Droid
    • Haiku
    • Homebrew
    • Snapcraft
    • Debian
    • MacPorts
    The GNU Emacs Manual calls Emacs the extensible, customizable, self-documenting real-time display editor

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Lightweight
    3.  Distraction-free

    Features

    1.  Extensibility
    2.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    3.  Org-mode
    4.  Self-documenting
    5.  Terminal-based
    6.  Syntax Highlighting
    7.  Support for scripting
    8.  Command line interface
    9.  No Tracking
    10.  Works Offline
    11.  Spell Checking
    12.  Ad-free

    GNU Emacs VS Zed Editor

     

    • GNU Emacs is the most popular Android alternative to Zed Editor.

    • GNU Emacs is Free and Open SourceZed Editor is also Free and Open Source
    • GNU Emacs is CustomizableZed Editor is not according to our users
  14. Apache NetBeans icon

    Apache NetBeans

     739 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    A free, open-source Integrated Development Environment for software developers. You get all the tools you need to create professional desktop, enterprise, web, and mobile applications with the Java language, C/C++, and even dynamic languages such as PHP, JavaScript, Groovy, and...

    99 Apache NetBeans alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Editor

    Top Apache NetBeans Features

    1.  Java IDE
    2.  Refactoring
    3.  Code Formatting
    4. Git icon  Git Support
    5.  Embedded debugger
    6.  Built-in terminal emulation
    7.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    8.  Syntax Highlighting
    9.  Simple installation
    10.  Code Completion
    11.  PHP IDE
    12.  Multiple languages

    Apache NetBeans VS Zed Editor

     
  15. PyCharm icon

    PyCharm

     290 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Cross-platform IDE for Python and Django with refactoring capabilities, code completion, VCS integration, deployment, issue tracking, remote debugging, and Community Edition, though lacking database support and web technologies.

    59 PyCharm alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • CZ flagCzechia
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    PyCharm screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Support for Themes
    2.  Privacy focused
    3.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Code Completion
    2.  Python IDE
    3.  Refactoring
    4.  Code Formatting
    5.  Embedded debugger
    6.  Syntax Highlighting
    7.  Ad-free
    8.  Works Offline
    9.  No registration required
    10. Git icon  Git Support
    11.  File Versioning
    12. Git icon  Git integration

    PyCharm VS Zed Editor

     
12 of 75 Zed Editor alternatives