Web Developer Setup 2026: Zed, the Editor Atom Wanted to Be
Zed 1.0 review: setup, config and AI architecture for the Rust-based, GPU-rendered open source editor built by Atom's creator.
Built by Atom co-creator Nathan Sobo, Zed hit 1.0 in April after five years of development. Written in Rust with GPU rendering, it treats performance as a founding principle rather than an afterthought, running on macOS, Linux and Windows — with macOS the most mature and Windows the newest, roughest platform.
Structurally, Zed differs from VS Code by design: its extension catalogue is nearly empty because language servers, Prettier-style formatting, a native Git panel, terminal and Vim mode are all built in rather than bolted on. At roughly 800 extensions versus VS Code's tens of thousands, the gap shows mainly in niche tooling and internal company extensions — the main reason holdouts haven't switched.
What sets the 2026 setup apart is that AI is architecture, not an add-on: Edit Predictions for inline suggestions, an Agent Panel that runs multiple coding agents in parallel, and support for the open Agent Client Protocol plus bring-your-own-key and local models via Ollama. A single toggle disables all AI features entirely, a notably honest design choice for the current moment.
The upshot: developers with deep extension dependencies or a need for maximum stability should stick with VS Code, but for native performance paired with an open, optional AI architecture, Zed is the strongest new entrant in this editor series.