AI Code Editors Compared: My Hands-On Experience with VS Code, Cursor, Kiro & Zed

Since 2025, AI code editors have seen explosive growth. As a web developer, I've been deeply using VS Code, Cursor, Kiro, and Zed. This article documents my real-world experience to help you pick the right tool.

Disclaimer: The opinions in this article are based solely on my personal subjective experience. No benchmarks or quantitative tests were conducted. Use it as a reference only.

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My Background

Here's my context, so you can judge if my experience applies to you:

• Languages: TypeScript / React / Next.js primarily
• Project type: Company projects + indie side projects (websites, tools)
• Usage: 4-8 hours daily
• Core needs: Editor performance, AI assistance, plugin ecosystem, startup speed

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Editor-by-Editor Experience

VS Code

Microsoft's veteran editor with the largest ecosystem. AI capabilities via extensions.

VS Code is the editor I've used the longest. Migrating from Sublime Text and Atom early on, it has been with me for at least five years of my career. Its plugin ecosystem is incredibly rich, performance is solid, and it has essentially become the standard editor for frontend development. But as the AI wave arrived, VS Code noticeably fell behind, with its AI capabilities gradually being overtaken by newer competitors.

Pros:

• Backed by Microsoft and open-source, with stable product quality, an active community, and an unbeatable plugin ecosystem

Cons:

• AI capabilities are lagging behind. It currently relies mainly on the GitHub Copilot extension to catch up, and the experience still falls noticeably short of native AI editors
• The UI feels bloated — probably because of too many plugins installed. Panels and icons pile up, making it visually cluttered compared to cleaner alternatives

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Cursor

VS Code fork with AI built in. Currently the most mature AI coding experience.

This is the editor I've used the most over the past two years. My company covers the Coding Plan, so I use it extensively. Its AI models primarily integrate third-party LLMs like OpenAI and Claude. It took some getting used to after switching from VS Code, but once I got the hang of it, the productivity boost was significant.

Pros:

• Tab auto-completion: Excellent — it accurately predicts code as soon as you move the cursor to the target position, perfect for quick fixes and small modifications to existing code
• AI-native design: In Agent mode, you can describe your needs in the chat and it handles multi-file changes, even running tasks across multiple projects in parallel without manually browsing code

Cons:

• Plan value: The $40/month plan (covered by my company) runs out in about 5 days on larger projects. After that, it downgrades to Cursor's default Composer model — usable, but noticeably weaker than top-tier models like Claude
• Editor performance: On larger projects, loading the file explorer, Git status, and language plugins is slow. This might be a VS Code-family issue, but it's particularly noticeable on Cursor. Memory usage is also high, making it unfriendly for machines with modest specs

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Kiro

AI editor by AWS, focused on Spec-Driven Development.

I haven't used this one much — a friend recommended it recently and I gave it a try. It's also based on a VS Code fork, with performance similar to VS Code. Overall, it feels like a hybrid of VS Code and Cursor without many standout features.

Pros:

• Generous credits: The $40/month plan includes 2000 credits by default, enough for most projects. Light development consumes about 40-80 credits per day, heavy tasks around 100+, which works out to roughly 20 days of usage

Cons:

• Haven't used it long enough to identify clear shortcomings — will update as I gain more experience

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Zed

High-performance editor written in Rust. Blazing fast startup with native AI integration.

I first discovered it through a recommendation on X (Twitter). I tried it briefly before but didn't find it compelling, and the UI felt quite different from VS Code. Recently, my computer kept running out of memory and lagging badly, so I decided to give it another shot — and I was hooked.

Pros:

• Blazing performance: Overall performance far exceeds VS Code. Projects open almost instantly with zero wait time — this is its biggest advantage. The UI supports both editing and AI chat side by side, with quick multi-project switching
• Clean and minimal UI: Compared to VS Code's bloated interface, Zed's UI is much cleaner and more organized — no unnecessary panels or visual clutter, giving you a strong sense of focus
• Multi-model + Agent support: Supports most major model APIs and ACP mode for CLI Agent integration. It comes with rich built-in Agent plugins — Claude, OpenCode, Codex CLI, Cursor CLI, Kiro CLI can all be easily connected, so you're never locked into a specific Agent

Cons:

• Ecosystem maturity: Many features aren't as polished as VS Code yet. Git functionality, for example, is still weak — git merge, which I use frequently, isn't supported yet. While the command line works fine, VS Code's visual approach is simply more convenient. Theme options are also limited. Overall, there's still a lot of room for improvement, though updates come at a rapid pace

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My Final Choice

After months of deep use, Zed is now my daily driver, and I closely follow every update.

I prioritize editor performance — I juggle multiple large projects simultaneously, frequently switching between projects and Git branches. Any editor lag makes the experience miserable. Zed's instant-open speed and built-in multi-Agent support have made my development workflow noticeably smoother.

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Final Thoughts

There's no absolute best editor — the one that fits your workflow is the best. I recommend trying each for a week based on your project type and habits before deciding.

As for Claude Code, OpenCode, Codex and similar products, I consider them AI code Agents rather than editors, so they're outside the scope of this review.

Feel free to share your experience in the comments.