VS Code Alternatives Filtered by 'programmers-editor'

The best alternative to Visual Studio Code is Kate, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Visual Studio Code and many of them are so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting alternatives to Visual Studio Code are Eclipse, Neovim, Pulsar Editor and Bluefish Editor.

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Visual Studio Code alternatives are mainly Code Editors, but if you're looking for Text Editors or IDEs you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Online, Android, Linux, Windows, iPad, Chrome OS and Open Source. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Visual Studio Code.
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Alternatives list

  1. Kate icon

    Kate

     312 likes

    Kate is a product of the Kate project, which primarily develops two key products: KatePart and Kate. KatePart is an advanced editor component, utilized in a myriad of KDE applications that require a text editing component. On the other hand, Kate is a MDI text editor application. It is a native application that comes with a variety of themes and supports syntax highlighting. Kate has been well-received by users and has garnered numerous positive reviews. It is compatible with multiple platforms including Mac, Windows, Linux, BSD, and KDE.

    As a popular open source and free alternative to Visual Studio Code, Kate offers certain advantages. Unlike Visual Studio Code which is an Electron app, Kate is a compiled C++ application, which results in a more performant operation. This difference is often noted by users who prefer Kate over Visual Studio Code. Additionally, users have pointed out that while Kate may not be suitable for larger projects as of yet, it is an excellent choice for smaller ones due to its syntax highlighting and other features. It's important to note that while both Kate and Visual Studio Code serve as Text Editor, Code Editor & IDE, Visual Studio Code is known for its extensibility through plugins/extensions, customization options, and autocompletion feature.

    144 Kate alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft
    Kate screenshot 1
     
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    4
    28
    Comments about Kate as an Alternative to Visual Studio Code
    Peter Mello
    Positive
    10

    Compiled C++ applications are so much more performant than Electron apps like VS Code.

    Zipping
    Positive
    3

    It's not based on electron.

    Guest
    Positive
    1

    Kwrite is nice too. Use it mainly, has syntax hightligting and other features. Wouldnt use it for big projects just yet though.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 4 comments
    Kate icon
    Kate icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Kate is a great Visual Studio Code alternative.

    • Kate is Free and Open SourceVisual Studio Code is Free and Proprietary
    • Kate is LightweightVisual Studio Code is not according to our users
  2. Eclipse icon

    Eclipse

     1147 likes

    Eclipse is an extensible development platform with runtimes and application frameworks for building, deploying and managing software across the entire software lifecycle. Many people know Eclipse as a Java IDE, but it is much more than that- Eclipse actually consists of over 60...

    147 Eclipse alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    eclipse on windows 10
     
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    3
    27
    Comments about Eclipse as an Alternative to Visual Studio Code
    Ola Johansson
    4

    It's a thin line between IDE and editor nowdays, especially with all the extensions to VS Code.

    Guest
    Negative
    7

    Eclipse is an IDE, VS Code is an editor.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    4

    not a text editor, it is a java ide

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Eclipse icon
    Eclipse icon

    • Most users think Eclipse is a great Visual Studio Code alternative.

    • Eclipse is Free and Open SourceVisual Studio Code is Free and Proprietary
  4. Neovim icon

    Neovim

     187 likes

    Neovim is a text editor, code editor, and integrated development environment (IDE) that is often described as 'Vim out of the box.' It is highly regarded in the software community, with numerous positive reviews. Among its top features are its lightweight design, its configurability, and its extensibility through plugins and extensions. Neovim is compatible with a range of operating systems, including Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, and BSD.

    As an alternative to Visual Studio Code, Neovim stands out in several ways. While both are text editors, code editors, and IDEs, Neovim is particularly popular among Android users. Both Neovim and Visual Studio Code offer extensibility through plugins and extensions, and both are customizable. However, Visual Studio Code also offers autocompletion as one of its top features. It is worth noting that while Visual Studio Code supports Mac, Windows, Linux, Online, and Chrome OS, it does not have support for Android or BSD, both of which are supported by Neovim.

    105 Neovim alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chocolatey
    • Flathub
    • Snapcraft
    Neovim screenshot 1
     
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    18
  5. Pulsar Editor icon

    Pulsar Editor

     48 likes

    A Community-led Hyper-Hackable Text Editor, built on Electron. and based on everything we love about our favorite editors.

    76 Pulsar Editor alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chrome OS
    • BSD
    • Electron
    Welcome tab
     
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    2
    7
    Comments about Pulsar Editor as an Alternative to Visual Studio Code
    RemovedUser
    Positive
    1

    pulsar is slow compared to vs code, which is not that fast to begin with.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Bill
    Positive
    0

    Pulsar is an active community fork of Atom.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Pulsar Editor icon
    Pulsar Editor icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Pulsar Editor is a great Visual Studio Code alternative.

    • Pulsar Editor is Free and Open SourceVisual Studio Code is Free and Proprietary
    • Pulsar Editor is Lightweight and Privacy focusedVisual Studio Code is not according to our users
  6. Bluefish Editor icon

    Bluefish Editor

     162 likes

    Bluefish is a powerful editor targeted towards programmers and webdesigners, with many options to write websites, scripts and programming code. Bluefish supports many programming and markup languages, and it focuses on editing dynamic and interactive websites.

    212 Bluefish Editor alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Haiku
    Bluefish Editor screenshot 1
     
  7. Textadept icon

    Textadept

     39 likes

    Textadept is a fast, minimalist, and ridiculously extensible cross-platform text editor for programmers. Written in a combination of C and Lua and relentlessly optimized for speed and minimalism over the years, Textadept is an ideal editor for programmers who want endless...

    93 Textadept alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    running in windows 7. (aero disabled)
     
  9. Lime Text icon

    Lime Text

     32 likes

    Experimental Sublime Text clone. The Backend is written in Go (Programming Language). If you are fluent in go, go ahead fork the projekt. This project is at an early stage. It is a chance and a challenge.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Lime Text screenshot 1
     
  10. SynWrite icon

    SynWrite

     30 likes

    SynWrite is a free source code editor and notepad replacement for Microsoft Windows Operating Systems.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Total Commander
    SynWrite screenshot 1
     
  11. Onivim 2 icon

    Onivim 2

     11 likes

    Onivim 2 is a retro-futuristic modal editor - the next iteration of the Onivim project - combining Vim-style modal editing with the aesthetics and language features of modern editors.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Onivim 2 screenshot 1
     
  12. CodeRunner icon

    CodeRunner

     16 likes

    A simple programmer's editor with a tightly-integrated console.

    It's excellent for rapidly prototyping code with its super fast edit-run-edit -run-save workflow, and its Cocoa integration gives it a real edge over the command line.

    It has syntax highlighting and code co.

    16 CodeRunner alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    CodeRunner screenshot 1
     
  13. EditPlus icon

    EditPlus

     30 likes

    EditPlus is a text editor, HTML editor and programmers editor for Windows. While it can serve as a good Notepad replacement, it also offers many powerful features for Web page authors and programmers.

    64 EditPlus alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Main window
     
  14. Intype icon

    Intype

     32 likes

    Intype is a powerful and intuitive code editor for Windows with lightning fast response. It is easily extensible and customizable, thanks in part to its support for scripting and native plug-ins. It makes development in any programming or scripting language quick and easy.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Main window
     
12 of 20 Visual Studio Code alternatives