Compare
Squirrelsong vs Zed
High-performance editor with built-in AI, not a theme pack
Which to pick
Pick Squirrelsong if you want…
- Low-contrast, neurodiverse-friendly UI themes
- A free, open-source tool
- Integrations with JavaScript, TypeScript or HTML (on Squirrelsong's list, not Zed's)
Pick Zed if you want…
- Fast, AI-augmented collaborative editing
- Fast, AI-integrated development
- Integrations with Vim bindings, Debug Adapter Protocol (DAP) or Git (on Zed's list, not Squirrelsong's)
Side by side
- What it is
- Squirrelsong:Squirrelsong provides low-contrast light and dark themes designed for comfortable, neurodiverse-friendly coding.
- Zed:Zed is a high-performance, Rust-based code editor with built-in AI agents and multiplayer collaboration.
- Best for
- Squirrelsong:Low-contrast, neurodiverse-friendly UI themes
- Zed:Fast, AI-augmented collaborative editing
- Who it’s for
- Squirrelsong:Web developers and anyone seeking low-distraction editor themes.
- Zed:Individual developers and teams needing fast editing, AI assistance, and collaborative features.
- Pricing
- Squirrelsong:Free
- Zed:Freemium
- Plans
- Squirrelsong:—
- Zed:Personal $0 · Pro $10 per month · Business $30 per seat, per month
- Open source
- Squirrelsong:Yes, 58 GitHub stars
- Zed:Yes, 91,166 GitHub stars
- Works with
- Squirrelsong:JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML, CSS, Sass, Markdown, JSON, XML
- Zed:Vim bindings, Debug Adapter Protocol (DAP), Git
Squirrelsong features
- Low-contrast readability. Soft colors reduce eye strain while still distinguishing code elements.
- Neurodiverse-friendly design. Colors minimise sensory overload for ADHD, autism, and high-sensitivity users.
- Web-focused syntax highlighting. Tailored highlighting for JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML, CSS, Sass, Markdown and more.
- Monochrome Markdown styling. Gray-scale Markdown rendering reduces visual clutter while writing docs.
- Consistent cross-language highlighting. Same visual style applied across languages like PHP, Python, Rust, etc.
- Broad app support. Themes available for 34+ editors, terminals and apps including VS Code, Vim, iTerm2, Chrome, Slack and more.
Zed features
- Multicore performance. Written in Rust to leverage multiple CPU cores and GPU for low latency editing.
- Parallel agents. Run multiple AI agents in parallel across projects for tasks like code generation and refactoring.
- Multiplayer collaboration. Chat, share screens, and edit code together in real time with teammates.
- Native Git support. Stage, commit, push, pull and view diffs directly inside the editor.
- Edit prediction. Zeta2 model predicts next code tokens, offering up to 2,000 accepted predictions on the free plan.
- Debugger (DAP). Built-in Debug Adapter Protocol support for debugging many languages.
- Vim-friendly modal editing. First-class Vim bindings with text objects and marks.
- Remote development. UI runs locally while code executes on a remote server.
Squirrelsong vs Zed FAQ
Is Squirrelsong or Zed free?+
Squirrelsong is free. Zed has a free plan (Personal); paid plans start at $10/month (Pro).
Which is cheaper, Squirrelsong or Zed?+
Squirrelsong is free, so it costs less. Zed starts at $10/month (Pro).
Is Squirrelsong or Zed open source?+
Yes, both are open source: Squirrelsong (sapegin/squirrelsong on GitHub, MIT license) and Zed (zed-industries/zed on GitHub).
Do Squirrelsong and Zed integrate with the same tools?+
Their integration lists don't overlap: Squirrelsong lists JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML, CSS and 10 more; Zed lists Vim bindings, Debug Adapter Protocol (DAP) and Git.
On DevHunt
Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.