VSCodium vs Zed

VSCodium is a community-built distribution of Microsoft's VS Code editor for Windows, macOS, and Linux desktop computers. Its binaries are licensed under MIT, and telemetry is disabled. The project aims to make the latest MIT-licensed VS Code version easier to obtain; users can also build from Microsoft's vscode repository. Project scripts clone the repository, create binaries, and upload them to GitHub releases. The editor supports extensions, a built-in debugger, remote development, and language servers. Installation routes vary by system: macOS has a Homebrew cask, while Windows supports Windows Package Manager, Chocolatey, and Scoop. Documented Linux packages or repositories cover Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, RHEL, Arch, Gentoo, and others. VSCodium is also available through Snap as Codium, Flathub as a Flatpak, and Nixpkgs, and it is pre-installed in Parrot OS. Windows code signing is provided free by SignPath.io with a SignPath Foundation certificate; a macOS certificate was provided by @daiyam. The project directs package-manager issues to the related repository.

Zed is a code editor for macOS, Windows, and Linux, with Personal, Pro, and Business plans. Personal is free forever and includes 2,000 accepted edit predictions; it also allows unlimited use with API keys or external agents. Pro costs $10.00 per month, includes unlimited edit predictions and $5 of tokens, and bills usage beyond that allowance at API list price plus 10%. The Pro trial lasts 14 days or until its $5 balance is used, with no credit card required. Editing tools include extensions, multi-cursor and column editing, and macro recording; the editor also supports a built-in debugger, remote development, and language servers. Native Git operations include staging, commits, pulls, pushes, and viewing diffs. Users can chat with teammates, code together, and share screens and projects. Supported model providers include Amazon Bedrock, Anthropic, GitHub Copilot, Google AI, and OpenAI; the extension ecosystem has hundreds of extensions. Business costs $30.00 per month and has no minimum seat count. SSO, SAML, and SCIM are planned but not currently available.