TLDR: I tested other editors, wrote a whole (not very deep) blog post about it, and ended up changing nothing. I just like WebStorm.
AI writes more and more code these days. We deliver faster, use worktrees, and our workflows keep evolving. I thought it might be a good time to reconsider my code editor, so I tested Zed and VS Code again.
Zed
Zed is nice. It’s fast, uses less RAM, and supports most of the features I need. They even added side-by-side git diff recently, which was a blocker for me before and the main reason I wanted to test it again.
I used it for a couple of hours, and I’m not sure about it. It has some basic worktree support, but I didn’t like it. It reminds me a lot of VS Code. It works, but I had to configure a lot and install plugins to get it where I wanted.
VS Code
VS Code still works the same. It’s a fast and solid editor, and it probably has the best git worktree support of all editors. But every time I think I can go back to it, I give up after starting the configuration process, searching for plugins, and setting everything up.
WebStorm
I try to find something better from time to time (usually without a real reason), but I always end up staying with WebStorm.
It’s sometimes slow, even on a MacBook Pro M4 with 48GB of RAM, and it’s the most memory-hungry app I use, especially when I open multiple projects. But I got used to it. The most important thing for me is that I can open it, and it just works. I don’t want to spend hours configuring and searching for plugins. I want to get the work done.
WebStorm may not be ideal, but all those small things that work out of the box make a big difference. Git integration, database tools, Docker support, pull request reviews, AI assistance, debugging - it’s all there by default. I think its git review and conflict resolution are the best I’ve seen, and I haven’t found a better tool for that.
Sure, it could be faster. Worktree support could be better, though there’s a plugin for it, and it’s enough for now. Other editors probably have more plugins and quicker support for new frameworks and libraries. It could also have better Claude Code integration. I often use Claude Code Desktop, then switch to WebStorm to review the changes, and a tighter integration would be nice.
But for now, I stay with WebStorm. It’s where I’m most productive, and for me, it’s the most aesthetic code editor out there. It has the best UI/UX, and even reading code feels superior somehow. Everything always looks cleaner and easier in my eyes. I’m not sure why, but it does.