The best open source alternative to Visual Studio Code is Notepad++. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Visual Studio Code and loads of them is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to Visual Studio Code are VSCodium, Zed Editor, Vim and Neovim.
Notepad++ is a free, open-source code editor supporting several languages, offering features like syntax highlighting, plugin support, dark mode, portability, privacy, and efficient resource usage, making it highly customizable and suitable for various programming needs.
France
EU
VSCodium offers a privacy-focused, open-source alternative to Visual Studio Code, eliminating telemetry and proprietary components. It provides a similar code editing experience across Mac, Windows, and Linux without sacrificing functionality, customization, or support.
Blazing fast code editor offering real-time multi-user collaboration, language-aware syntax highlighting, integrated terminal, multi-buffers for tab-free editing, built-in Vim mode, searchable outline, AI coding assistance, advanced keyboard commands, and cross-platform support.
United States
Vim, or "Vi IMproved", is an advanced text editor that provides a myriad of features including syntax highlighting, word completion, and a vast amount of contributed content. This tool comes with a GUI version known as GVim. Vim's top features include being lightweight, keyboard-focused, and customizable. It supports a wide range of operating systems such as Mac, Windows, Linux, BSD, Haiku, AmigaOS, OpenSolaris, and MorphOS. Vim is recognized as an open-source software and is available for free.
In comparison to Visual Studio Code, Vim presents itself as a viable alternative. Both being Text Editor & Code Editors, they share some similar features such as customizability. However, Vim stands out with its lightweight design and keyboard-focused operation. Vim has received positive comments as an alternative to Visual Studio Code, with users noting it as 'the lightest alternative with the most features', praising its readiness to work as soon as it is opened, and its massive amount of extendable, open-source plugins.
NetherlandsEU
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.
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...
United States
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.
GermanyEU
Geany is a powerful, stable and lightweight programmer's text editor that provides tons of useful features without bogging down your workflow.
GermanyEU
IntelliJ IDEA is the JetBrains IDE for pro development in Java and Kotlin. Built for your comfort, it unlocks productivity, ensures quality code, supports cutting-edge tech, and protects your privacy.
CzechiaEU
Cross-platform IDE for Python and Django with refactoring capabilities, code completion, VCS integration, deployment, issue tracking, remote debugging, and Community Edition, though lacking database support and web technologies.
CzechiaEU
A free, open-source Integrated Development Environment for software developers. You get all the tools you need to create professional desktop, enterprise, web, and mobile applications with the Java language, C/C++, and even dynamic languages such as PHP, JavaScript, Groovy, and...
United States
Extensible text editor with UTF-8 support, syntax highlighting for several programming and markup languages, remote editing, file reverting, print preview, clipboard operations, powerful search, customizable fonts and colors, line numbering, and plugin support.
United States
