Switching to Zen and Zed

Lately, I’ve swapped out two of the core tools I use every day. As a web developer, I spend a lot of time in my browser and code editor, so replacing those tools is significant. Arc Browser is out, replaced by Zen and VS Code has been set aside in favor of Zed. These weren’t impulsive changes or driven by hot takes—just slow realizations that things were getting too uncertain in one case, and too heavy in the other.

Arc wasn’t broken. It still worked fine day-to-day. But over time, it became harder to ignore how quiet things had gotten. Fewer updates, less communication, and an overall vibe of “coasting.” It stopped feeling like a product with a future. That alone would have been enough to raise questions, but what sealed it was realizing how inward Arc’s ecosystem really is. Once you’re deep in, it’s not easy to get out. Your tabs, your spaces, your habits—they don’t map neatly to any other browser. So I left before the walls closed in. Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t wait for some end-of-life announcement. Migrating would’ve been a mess.

I landed on Zen, a Firefox-based browser that quietly does almost everything I need. No drama, no reinvention of the wheel—just solid fundamentals. It’s quick, extensions work, and it doesn’t try to steer me toward someone else’s idea of productivity. The transition was surprisingly smooth. There’s some polish missing compared to Arc’s UX, sure, but nothing I’ve actually missed in practice.

At the same time, I started reevaluating my editor. VS Code had been my go-to for years, but it had started to drag. Even with a lean set of extensions, it felt like it was carrying more than it needed to. Slow startup, laggy performance on larger projects, and a creeping sense that the tool was no longer tuned for the kind of focus I want when I’m deep in the code.

Zed had been on my radar since it launched, but the early versions felt half-baked. That’s no longer the case. It’s fast—blazingly so. Lightweight without being underpowered. Their new Git integration is clean, albeit not as full-featured. The AI tooling is baked in, not bolted on, and it fits naturally into how I already work. I’m sure I’ll have reasons to open VS Code from time to time, but probably less and less as Zed matures.

There’s a funny symmetry to the switch: Zen and Zed. Both names, and icons, seem like they belong in the same product line, and both tools share the same stripped-back sensibility. They don’t assume they’re the center of my workflow—they just support it without friction. There’s something refreshing about that.

None of this was part of a big reset. It was just a quiet move toward tools that feel more aligned with where things are going—and where I want to be. Tools change. Priorities shift. I’d rather move a little early and stay in control than wait until the writing’s on the wall.