Visual Studio Code

Free, extensible code editor from Microsoft.

Visit Visual Studio Code See 12 alternatives

Verified facts: 3 of 3
Alternatives ranked: 12
Approved reviews: 0
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About Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code is a free source-code editor from Microsoft and one of the most widely used developer tools. It supports almost every language through extensions, and it includes debugging, an integrated terminal, Git integration and IntelliSense code completion. Remote development lets you work inside containers, over SSH or in WSL, and a browser version runs at vscode.dev. GitHub Copilot integrates directly for AI assistance. The core source is published as the open-source Code - OSS project, while Microsoft's builds add branding and telemetry under a product license.

Best for: Developers who want a free, extensible editor for any language.

What works

Free with a huge extension marketplace
Excellent remote development
Fast and lightweight for an IDE

Why people leave

Microsoft builds include telemetry
Heavy extension use can slow it down

Top Visual Studio Code alternatives

See all 12

1
Zed
Much faster native editor with built-in collaboration, open source.
80.3
2
Sublime Text
Lightweight and very fast, with a one-time license.
76.8
3
Windsurf
VS Code-style editor centered on an AI agent.
70.9
4
Cursor
Same VS Code foundation with deeper AI agent features.
69.3
5
IntelliJ IDEA
Deeper refactoring and built-in tooling for Java and Kotlin projects.
55.0

Why people left Visual Studio Code

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

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Visual Studio Code: common questions

Is Visual Studio Code free?

Yes, Visual Studio Code is free to use.

Is Visual Studio Code open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at microsoft/vscode.

What platforms does Visual Studio Code run on?

Visual Studio Code is available for Windows, macOS, Linux and Web.

What are the best alternatives to Visual Studio Code?

The highest-ranked Visual Studio Code alternatives right now are Zed, Sublime Text and Windsurf. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 12 Visual Studio Code alternatives

Visual Studio Code facts

3 of 3 verified

Price: Free; Checked Oct 24, 2026code.visualstudio.com(opens source in a new tab); “Start building with AI agents for free No trial.”
Open source core: Yes (Code - OSS, MIT); Checked Oct 24, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab); “License: MIT (MIT License).”
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, web; Checked Oct 24, 2026code.visualstudio.com(opens source in a new tab); “editor Your home for multi-agent development Download for macOS Download for Windows Download for Linux (.deb) Download for”