Visual Studio Code is a cross-platform, extension-driven code editor with IntelliSense-style completion plus integrated Git and debugging workflows. Users praise its versatility and ease of use for many programming workflows, though some complain it can feel resource-intensive and may get slower over time, especially after updates.
VSCodium tops the rankings as a fully open-source build of Code - OSS that removes telemetry while keeping most VS Code functionality and extensibility. Privacy-focused developers who want a VS Code-like experience often choose VSCodium specifically to avoid telemetry, though some Microsoft extensions may be unavailable. Sublime Text ranks second and is repeatedly praised for outstanding speed and being less resource-intensive than VS Code, making it popular with developers on slower machines or large projects.
The alternatives landscape spans lightweight text editors like Vim and Notepad++ to newer AI-first editors like Zed Editor, with over 100 alternatives covering code editors, full IDEs, and terminal-based editors.
Visual Studio Code is a code editor, but the alternatives span different approaches to development workflows. Open source options like VSCodium, Vim, and GNU Emacs appeal to users who want transparent licensing and community-driven tooling. For privacy-focused development, VSCodium and Helix emphasize no-tracking and telemetry prevention features.
Linux users have native options in VSCodium, Kate, and Lapce. Web-based development suits users who want browser-based environments - Replit and Firebase Studio run online for coding without local setup. For developers who live in the terminal, Micro, Neovim, and Helix target command-line workflows useful for SSH-heavy or low-overhead environments.
JujuEdit is a file editor, or alternatively a text editor with knobs-on. It is an application designed for me and people like me. At its simplest, it makes a fine replacement for Notepad. It may appeal more to computer nerds who like syntax hilighting and advanced find/replace...
Notepad! is the free, powerful, feature-rich replacement for your Windows Notepad. This software is completely free to use, for both personal and business purposes. With multi-document editing, split editing (two views of the same document, side by side, with synchronized...
Jollpi is a lightweight, simple, and reliable text editor, built with Python 3, GTK4, and GtkSourceView 5. This version is a modern rewrite of the original 2010 Python 2 + PyGTK Jollpi text editor - now refreshed for modern Linux distributions.
Adventure is a lightweight and flexible, general-purpose IDE (Integrated Development Environment) and advanced text editor. Formerly known as AutoGUI, a GUI designer for AutoHotkey scripts, the project evolved towards the goal of achieving the status of a complete IDE...
Bim is a Vim-inspired, terminal text editor originally built for ToaruOS but also available for Linux, Sortix, FreeBSD, and macOS. Bim aims to be lightweight and featureful with no external dependencies, providing a modern editing experience...
Tumult Whisk is the lightweight HTML and PHP editor with a live preview pane that displays the updated page as you type. It is an essential app for your web dev toolkit.
Lightweight text editor featuring syntax highlighting for HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, instant browser preview even unsaved, tabbed documents, drag-and-drop for files and images, customizable quick clips, and a streamlined design focused on web coding.
Climacs is an open source Emacs-like text editor written in Common Lisp. It has a good integration with other CLIM-based applications and uses Common Lisp Interface Manager (CLIM) library, called ESA, that provides an Emacs-style user interface, rather than the normal CLIM UI.
ad (pronounced A.D.) is an attempt at combining a modal editing interface of likes of vi and kakoune with the approach to extensibility of Plan9's Acme. Inside of ad text is something you can execute as well as edit.
TotalEdit is a powerful notepad replacement and text editor. Packed full of features to help everyone from office workers, journalists through to programmers and web site editors.
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