Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Sublime Text VS Zed

Compare Sublime Text VS Zed and see what are their differences

Sublime Text logo Sublime Text

Sublime Text is a sophisticated text editor for code, html and prose - any kind of text file. You'll love the slick user interface and extraordinary features. Fully customizable with macros, and syntax highlighting for most major languages.

Zed logo Zed

Zed is a high-performance, multiplayer code editor from the creators of Atom and Tree-sitter.
  • Sublime Text Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-17
  • Zed Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-06-20

Sublime Text features and specs

  • Speed
    Sublime Text is known for its fast performance, even with very large files and heavy duty workloads, providing a smooth coding experience.
  • Customizability
    It offers extensive customization options via JSON settings files, allowing users to tailor the editor to their specific needs and preferences.
  • Package Control
    The Package Control feature allows for easy installation, management, and discovery of plugins and themes, greatly enhancing functionality.
  • Multi-Platform Support
    Available on Windows, macOS, and Linux, it enables a consistent working environment across different operating systems.
  • Multiple Selections
    Allows for simultaneous editing by making multiple text selections, which is a powerful feature for rapidly making large-scale changes.
  • Distraction-Free Mode
    Offers a distraction-free mode that lets you focus on code by providing a full-screen, minimal interface.
  • Command Palette
    Provides a command palette that gives quick access to various functionalities, making performing complex actions easier.

Possible disadvantages of Sublime Text

  • Cost
    While a free evaluation version is available, continued use requires purchasing a license, which may be a barrier for hobbyists or cash-strapped developers.
  • Limited IDE Features
    It lacks some of the advanced features found in full-fledged Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), such as robust debugging tools and integrated version control.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    The high degree of customizability can be overwhelming for beginners, requiring a significant time investment to master.
  • Plugin Dependencies
    While the extensive plugin ecosystem is an advantage, it can also lead to dependencies on third-party plugins which may not always be reliable or maintained.
  • No Real-Time Collaboration
    Unlike some modern editors, Sublime Text lacks built-in support for real-time collaboration between multiple users.
  • Occasional Plugin Conflicts
    Plugins can occasionally conflict with each other, causing unexpected behavior or performance issues.
  • Less Active Community
    Compared to some other popular editors like VSCode, the Sublime Text community is relatively smaller and less active.

Zed features and specs

  • Collaborative Editing
    Zed offers real-time collaborative editing features, allowing multiple developers to work on the same codebase simultaneously, enhancing team productivity and communication.
  • Minimalist Interface
    The interface is designed to be distraction-free and minimalist, which helps developers focus on coding without unnecessary clutter and distractions.
  • Speed and Performance
    Zed is built with performance in mind, offering fast loading times and a smooth user experience, making coding more efficient.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Zed is available on multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it accessible to a wide array of users regardless of their operating system.
  • Innovative Features
    Zed includes several innovative features such as advanced search and navigation capabilities, which can significantly enhance the coding experience.

Possible disadvantages of Zed

  • Limited Extensions
    Compared to more established editors like VS Code, Zed currently has a more limited library of extensions and plugins, which might restrict customization and functionality.
  • Learning Curve
    New users coming from other development environments may face a learning curve due to Zed's unique interface and features.
  • Early Development
    As a relatively new tool, Zed may still be in its early stages of development, with potential bugs and missing features that could affect stability and user experience.
  • Community Size
    The community and user base for Zed is still growing, which can mean less community support, tutorials, and shared resources compared to more mature editors.

Analysis of Zed

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Zed is considered a good code editor by many developers.

Why this product is good

  • Zed offers a modern and efficient code editing experience with features such as real-time collaboration, a clean interface, and high performance. It is built to be fast and responsive, making it suitable for developers who value speed in their editing tools.

Recommended for

    Developers looking for a collaborative and fast code editor with a modern interface would benefit from using Zed. It is especially suited for teams that require real-time collaboration capabilities.

Sublime Text videos

SUBLIME TEXT REVIEW | CODE EDITOR TOOL

More videos:

  • Review - Visual Studio Code vs Sublime Text - Laravel Dev POV

Zed videos

Zed โ€œkillsโ€ VSCode

More videos:

  • Review - Zed - The 'Visual Studio Code Killer' - Now on Linux!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Sublime Text and Zed)
Text Editors
94 94%
6% 6
IDE
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
81 81%
19% 19
Software Development
92 92%
8% 8

User comments

Share your experience with using Sublime Text and Zed. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Sublime Text and Zed

Sublime Text Reviews

Boost Your Productivity with These Top Text Editors and IDEs
Sublime Text is widely regarded as one of the best text editors for coding. Its speed, flexibility, and ease of use make it a favorite among developers. With a simple and intuitive user interface, Sublime Text allows you to focus on your code without distractions. It supports a wide range of programming languages and offers features like split editing, multiple selections,...
Source: convesio.com
13 Best Text Editors to Speed up Your Workflow
As for the features, Sublime Text has an advantage in that itโ€™s extremely lightweight (low resource usage), but still keeps around some of the more advanced features you would expect out of a top text editor. The primary benefit is that Sublime Text offers shortcuts and search tools for immediately finding certain functions and making changes to multiple lines at once....
Source: kinsta.com
Top 10 Free CSV Readers in 2023!
Sublime Text: A text editor that supports multiple file formats including CSV and has powerful features for viewing and editing large CSV files.
Source: www.retable.io
Top 10 Notepad++ Alternatives for Mac in 2022
Another Notepad++ Mac alternative, Sublime Text is a good choice if youโ€™re going for code sophistication. The tool supports a lot o programming languages and mark-ups. In addition, you can even add in plugins in order to incorporate new functions. Sublime Text can actually be downloaded for free by Mac users. A purchased version is next up after you have finished the license.
Source: www.imymac.com
What's The Best C++ IDE? Our Top C++ IDEs & Editors In 2024
Sublime Text also offers a clean and uncluttered interface, which is great for focusing on your code without unnecessary distractions. This minimalist approach is combined with powerful editing features like syntax highlighting, customizable key bindings, code folding, and an advanced search functionality.
Source: hackr.io

Zed Reviews

We have no reviews of Zed yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Zed seems to be a lot more popular than Sublime Text. While we know about 68 links to Zed, we've tracked only 3 mentions of Sublime Text. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Sublime Text mentions (3)

  • Want better keybinding parity between micro and Sublime Text?
    I went through the key-bindings in Micro (which use different modifier keys) and added them to Sublime Text:. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Trying pop os episode 1
    Oh, and sublimetext.com too if you prefer something "cleaner". It is multi-platform too, like VSCodium. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Sublime Text 3 Setup
    Sublime Text Terminal Shortcuts and menu entries for opening a terminal at the current file, or the current root project folder in Sublime Text. - Source: dev.to / over 4 years ago

Zed mentions (68)

  • Zed for Laravel - Complete Editor Setup in One Command
    Setting up a code editor for Laravel development can be time-consuming. After switching to Zed - the lightning-fast editor from Atom's creators - I spent weeks configuring it perfectly for Laravel. - Source: dev.to / about 21 hours ago
  • KDE is now my favorite desktop
    One thing I'm happy with in KDE is that the menu is still a thing. At least there is an option in many apps, such as the file manager, Dolphin to show the menu. Unlike Gnome which is very inconsistent about hamburger menus and open buttons, KDE just sticks to the old-fashioned menu bar. In this it is like MacOS, (although if you don't use a Mac you mightn't be aware of the universality of the main menu, because... - Source: Hacker News / 16 days ago
  • The Helix Text Editor
    You are looking for https://zed.dev. - Source: Hacker News / 26 days ago
  • Stop Treating Your Blade Files Like Trash Bins. Give Them Contracts And Structure
    This step does not require any code setup but requires installing plugin/extension in your IDE. I use VS Code for Laravel development. I found an excellent extension PHP Tools by DevSense for VS Code which I used to use in Visual Studio when working with .Net framework. This extension is available for Cursor, Zed ,Visual Studio and VS Code. But if you are using a different editor you need to find similar extension. - Source: dev.to / 24 days ago
  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (September 2025)
    Zed is a company for developers, by developers. All 3 of our founders have spent years in the trenches writing software and still do it almost every single day. We know the only way to build the world's best code editor is by equipping every single member of the team to do the best work of their career. We've raised $42M to support our ultimate vision, a new way to collaborate on software, where conversations... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Sublime Text and Zed, you can also consider the following products

VS Code - Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

Vim - Highly configurable text editor built to enable efficient text editing

VSCodium - Binary releases of Visual Sudio Code without Microsoft branding, telemetry and licensing

Notepad++ - A free source code editor which supports several programming languages running under the MS Windows environment.

Eclipse Theia - Extensible cloud & desktop platform for building multi-language IDEs with web technology.

Microsoft Visual Studio - Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) from Microsoft.