Compare software

Nova vs Zed: catalog facts
Nova	Zed
Paid Paid app with a free 30-day trial.	Freemium The editor is free and open source. Zed's hosted AI plans are paid, and you can use your…
macOS	Windows, macOS, Linux
Fully native Mac app with low resource use Terminal, Git, debugging and file transfer in one window	GPU-rendered and written in Rust, so it stays responsive under load Real-time collaborative editing and a shared terminal
macOS only, requiring macOS 15.6 or later Paid after the trial	A much smaller extension ecosystem than VS Code Windows support arrived late and is still the least mature build
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Closed source	Open source
License: Proprietary	License: GPL-3.0-or-later
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.