IntelliJ IDEA vs Zed: Rating, Votes and Features
- License: IntelliJ IDEA — Apache-2.0 core, proprietary; Zed — GPL-3.0.
- Kind: IntelliJ IDEA — Full IDE; Zed — Code editor.
IntelliJ IDEA — November 2026: 4 votes, rating 7.3/10.
Zed — November 2026: 4 votes, rating 7.0/10.
| IntelliJ IDEA | Zed | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | IDE | IDE |
| Developer | JetBrains | Zed Industries |
| Created by | — | Nathan Sobo, Antonio Scandurra, Max Brunsfeld |
| First release | 2001 | 2023 |
| License | Apache-2.0 core, proprietary | GPL-3.0 |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing | Free, with paid plans | Free, with paid plans |
| Website | https://www.jetbrains.com/idea | https://zed.dev |
| Kind | Full IDE | Code editor |
| Written in | Java, Kotlin | Rust |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | macOS, Linux, Windows |
| Extension ecosystem | 4 of 5 | 3 of 5 |
| AI assistance | Built in | Built in |
| Language servers (LSP) | Yes | Yes |
| Remote development | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in debugger | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Java, Kotlin | Almost any language |
| Resource use | Heavy | Light |