# Visual Studio Code review, pricing and alternatives

Source: https://listme.name/software/vs-code
Website: https://code.visualstudio.com/

Free code editor with built-in Git, terminal and a large extension marketplace

Visual Studio Code is a free code editor from Microsoft for Windows, macOS and Linux, with a browser version as well. Its source code is published on GitHub under the MIT license, and extensions add languages, debuggers and tools.

Visual Studio Code is a lightweight editor with an integrated terminal, Git source control, task runner and debugger. Most language support and framework tooling comes from extensions in its marketplace, so a setup can stay small or grow to cover many languages. The same editor runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and Visual Studio Code Web runs it in a browser.

The source is MIT-licensed on GitHub, but Microsoft's official builds are distributed under its own product license, so the free download and the open-source code differ in license terms. VS Code suits developers who work across many languages in one editor. Full IDEs such as IntelliJ IDEA and Visual Studio go deeper into one stack but start heavier.

- Free | Windows, macOS, Linux, Web | open source (MIT)
- Price: Free to download and use; official builds use Microsoft's product license
- Checked: 2026-10-10

## Strengths

- Free to download and use
- Large extension marketplace
- Runs on Windows, macOS and Linux

## Limits

- Many features depend on third-party extensions
- Official builds use Microsoft's product license, not MIT

## Rankings

- #1 of 7 in [best Code editors and IDEs](https://listme.name/best/code-editors-and-ides), score 94.5: Free, widely used and extensible, with an integrated terminal, Git tools and a large extension marketplace. Its source is MIT-licensed on GitHub, though the official build uses Microsoft's product license.

## Alternatives

- [IntelliJ IDEA](https://listme.name/software/intellij-idea), score 91.0
- [Zed](https://listme.name/software/zed), score 88.0
- [Visual Studio](https://listme.name/software/visual-studio), score 86.5
- [Neovim](https://listme.name/software/neovim), score 85.0
- [Xcode](https://listme.name/software/xcode), score 82.5
- [Sublime Text](https://listme.name/software/sublime-text), score 78.0