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Zed vs CotEditor: catalog facts
Zed	CotEditor
Freemium The editor is free and open source. Zed's hosted AI plans are paid, and you can use your…	Free Free and open source.
Windows, macOS, Linux	macOS
GPU-rendered and written in Rust, so it stays responsive under load Real-time collaborative editing and a shared terminal	Native macOS interface and fast launch Syntax highlighting for over 60 languages
A much smaller extension ecosystem than VS Code Windows support arrived late and is still the least mature build	macOS only A text editor rather than a full IDE
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-3.0-or-later	License not stated
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

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