# Visual Studio Code vs Zed

| Attribute | Visual Studio Code | Zed |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 61.4 (67% (medium)) | 56.5 (57% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 1 | 0 |
| adoption.github_stars | 189,621 | 89,264 |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true}` |
| description.long | A multi-platform code editor combining traditional editing, debugging, and terminal capabilities with built-in AI agents that research, modify code, run commands, and iterate toward task completion. | A minimal code editor built for fast, responsive coding and seamless collaboration. Includes built-in AI features with multiple model options, real-time code collaboration with teammates, and agent integration for automated editing and navigation. |
| features.capabilities | `{"type":"full_ide","lsp_dap":true,"builtin_ai":"native","deployment":"both","os_support":"Windows, macOS, Linux","remote_dev":true,"open_source":"open_core","base_platform":"original","extensibility":"marketplace","pricing_model":"free","language_scope":"polyglot","git_integration":true,"code_intelligence":"ide_grade","integrated_debugger":true}` | `{"type":"code_editor","lsp_dap":true,"builtin_ai":"native","deployment":"desktop","os_support":"macOS 10.15+, Windows, Linux","remote_dev":true,"open_source":"oss","base_platform":"original","extensibility":"plugins","language_scope":"polyglot","git_integration":true,"code_intelligence":"ide_grade"}` |
| integrations.count | 7 | 9 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"GitHub Actions"},{"name":"GitHub Copilot"},{"name":"Azure Pipelines"},{"name":"GitLab CI"},{"name":"Azure DevOps"},{"name":"MCP servers"}]` | `[{"name":"Anthropic"},{"name":"OpenAI"},{"name":"Google"},{"name":"xAI"},{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"GitHub Copilot"},{"name":"OpenRouter"},{"name":"AWS Bedrock"},{"name":"Ollama"}]` |
| language.primary | TypeScript | Rust |
| license.spdx | MIT | - |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"web":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` | `{"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"free","summary":"Free","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://code.visualstudio.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T16:40:57.497Z"}` | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"Free","features":["2,000 accepted edit predictions","50 Zed-hosted prompts per month"],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"edit_predictions":"2000/mo","zed_hosted_prompts":"50/mo"}},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"$10/month with $5 token credits; overage at API list price + 10%","features":["Unlimited accepted edit predictions","$5 of token credits included","Additional usage at API list price + 10%","Claude Sonnet and Claude Opus","GPT-5 + mini/nano","Gemini 2.5 Pro/Flash"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":10,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"token"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.1,"currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"token_credits":"$5/mo"}},{"free":true,"name":"Pro Trial","summary":"Free for 14 days with $20 token credits","features":["Unlimited accepted edit predictions","$20 of token credits"],"components":[{"kind":"one_time","amount":0,"currency":"USD"}],"description":"14-day trial of Pro features","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"trial_token_credits":"$20"}}],"summary":"Free tier available. Pro at $10/month with $5 token credits included; token-based billing for additional AI usage at API list price + 10%.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://zed.dev/blog/pricing-change-llm-usage-is-now-token-based","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T16:44:41.880Z","freeTrialDays":14,"startingPrice":{"amount":0.1,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | low |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 6 | - |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.135.0","date":"2026-08-26T16:52:46Z","type":"stable","version":"1.135.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.134.0","date":"2026-08-19T09:08:11Z","type":"stable","version":"1.134.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.133.0","date":"2026-08-12T09:41:17Z","type":"stable","version":"1.133.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.132.1","date":"2026-08-11T22:23:22Z","type":"stable","version":"1.132.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.132.0","date":"2026-08-05T09:49:29Z","type":"stable","version":"1.132.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.131.0","date":"2026-07-29T14:07:58Z","type":"stable","version":"1.131.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.130.0","date":"2026-07-22T17:39:17Z","type":"stable","version":"1.130.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.129.1","date":"2026-07-17T21:32:58Z","type":"stable","version":"1.129.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.129.0","date":"2026-07-15T22:13:23Z","type":"stable","version":"1.129.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.128.1","date":"2026-07-14T20:48:10Z","type":"stable","version":"1.128.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.128.0","date":"2026-07-08T08:25:25Z","type":"stable","version":"1.128.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.127.0","date":"2026-07-01T09:32:59Z","type":"stable","version":"1.127.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.126.0","date":"2026-06-24T12:49:34Z","type":"stable","version":"1.126.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.125.0","date":"2026-06-17T14:59:29Z","type":"stable","version":"1.125.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.124.2","date":"2026-06-12T05:06:56Z","type":"stable","version":"1.124.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.124.0","date":"2026-06-10T13:39:34Z","type":"stable","version":"1.124.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.123.2","date":"2026-06-10T09:39:44Z","type":"stable","version":"1.123.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.123.1","date":"2026-06-10T09:38:39Z","type":"stable","version":"1.123.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.123.0","date":"2026-06-05T08:50:41Z","type":"stable","version":"1.123.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.122.1","date":"2026-05-29T12:53:58Z","type":"stable","version":"1.122.1"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.18.0-pre","date":"2026-08-26T17:33:29Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.18.0-pre"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.17.2","date":"2026-08-26T15:25:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.17.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.17.2-pre","date":"2026-08-25T05:13:03Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.17.2-pre"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.16.3","date":"2026-08-26T02:22:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.16.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.17.1-pre","date":"2026-08-24T14:17:58Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.17.1-pre"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.16.2","date":"2026-08-24T15:47:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.16.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.17.0-pre","date":"2026-08-19T17:47:30Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.17.0-pre"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.16.1","date":"2026-08-19T16:11:34Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.16.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.16.1-pre","date":"2026-08-18T15:58:22Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.16.1-pre"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.15.1","date":"2026-08-18T16:05:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.15.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.16.0-pre","date":"2026-08-12T19:07:34Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.16.0-pre"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.15.0","date":"2026-08-12T15:53:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.15.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.15.0-pre","date":"2026-08-05T17:59:43Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.15.0-pre"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.14.2","date":"2026-08-05T16:57:09Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.14.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.14.2-pre","date":"2026-08-02T16:52:59Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.14.2-pre"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.13.2","date":"2026-08-02T17:33:45Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.13.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.14.1-pre","date":"2026-07-29T17:48:49Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.14.1-pre"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.13.1","date":"2026-07-29T16:07:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.13.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.13.1-pre","date":"2026-07-27T18:21:43Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.13.1-pre"},{"url":"https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.12.1","date":"2026-07-27T18:30:09Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.12.1"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | yes |
| security.gdpr | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 7.4 | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=%40theia%2Fvscode-builtin-javascript&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=cargo&package_name=perf-gpui-standalone&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (IDEs & Code Editors)

| Capability | Visual Studio Code | Zed |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Type | Full IDE | Code editor |
| Language scope | Polyglot | Polyglot |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Deployment | Both | Desktop |
| **Platform support** |  |  |
| OS support | Windows, macOS, Linux | macOS 10.15+, Windows, Linux |
| Base platform | Original | Original |
| **Extensibility** |  |  |
| Extensibility | Extension marketplace | Plugins |
| **DX** |  |  |
| LSP / DAP support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Remote / dev-containers | ✓ | ✓ |
| Integrated debugger / profiler | ✓ | - |
| Code intelligence depth | IDE-grade | IDE-grade |
| Built-in git integration | ✓ | ✓ |
| **AI** |  |  |
| Built-in AI | Native | Native |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Openness | Open-core | Open-source |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Pricing model | Free | - |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T15:00:23.190Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*