VS Code Alternatives for Mac
There are many alternatives to Visual Studio Code for Mac if you are looking for a replacement. The best Mac alternative is VSCodium, 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 loads of them are available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Mac alternatives to Visual Studio Code are Sublime Text, Vim, Kate and Geany.
Visual Studio Code alternatives are mainly Text Editors but may also be Code Editors or IDEs. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Visual Studio Code.VSCodium
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Open Source
- Code Editor
- IDE
- Text Editor
182 VSCodium alternatives- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Electron / Atom Shell
VSCodium is an open-source Integrated Development Environment (IDE), Code Editor, and Text Editor that is built from Microsoft's Visual Studio Code - Open Source ("Code - OSS") project. This software is known for its commitment to free, libre, and open-source software (FLOSS) principles, producing release binaries without the proprietary aspects of Microsoft's Visual Studio Code. VSCodium's standout features include No Tracking, Prevent Telemetry, and Customizability, making it an attractive choice for users who value privacy and personalization in their coding environment.
As an alternative to Visual Studio Code, VSCodium offers a similar user experience with the added benefit of no Microsoft telemetry. This means that while VSCodium provides the same IDE, Code Editor, and Text Editor functionality as Visual Studio Code, it does so without tracking user data or behavior. This has led to positive feedback from users who prefer the non-intrusive, privacy-focused nature of VSCodium, as well as those experiencing technical issues with Visual Studio Code. It is important to note that while Visual Studio Code's top features include Extensibility by Plugins/Extensions, Customizability, and Autocompletion, these are also available in VSCodium, making it a comparable, telemetry-free alternative.
- - VSCodium is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Visual Studio Code.
- - VSCodium is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Visual Studio Code.
VSCodium Features
Comments about VSCodium as a Alternative to Visual Studio Code
nrwdIt's VScode, with all this compatibility. But in FOSS!
13mrmblI mainly use VSCodium because Visual Studio Code crashes a lot on my machine, but the lack of telemetry is also great.
3UngiOnly downside is that some extensions will not be available, notably the WSL extension
0redtrillixThe better alternative to VSC due to its privacy-focused design and is FOSS.
2ThatstinkyguyIt's Visual Studio Code without Microsoft's invasive telemetry BS.
2Sublime Text
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo- Paid • Proprietary
- Text Editor
- Code Editor
- IDE
189 Sublime Text alternatives- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
Sublime Text, often simply referred to as Sublime, is a sophisticated text editor designed for coding. It supports any kind of text file, making it versatile for a variety of programming and writing tasks. Sublime Text is recognized for its slick user interface and extraordinary features, which have received positive reviews from users. Among its top features are its lightweight nature, extensibility by plugins/extensions, and high customizability. It supports Mac, Windows, and Linux platforms, making it accessible to a broad range of users.
As an alternative to Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text stands out due to its speed and efficiency. Users have noted that it is faster and less resource-intensive than Visual Studio Code, with outstanding performance in terms of loading and navigation. Its lightweight nature and fast loading time offer an efficient user experience, especially for those working on resource-intensive projects. While both Sublime Text and Visual Studio Code share features such as extensibility by plugins/extensions and customizability, Sublime Text's performance benefits make it the most popular paid alternative to Visual Studio Code for users on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
- - Sublime Text is the most popular commercial alternative to Visual Studio Code.
Sublime Text Features
Comments about Sublime Text as a Alternative to Visual Studio Code
bobboblyFaster and less resource-intensive.
0Outstanding performance with regard to loading and navigation
1Dark_Samuslight-weight and fast loading time.....
0Vim
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Open Source
- Text Editor
- Code Editor
- IDE
196 Vim alternatives- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
- Haiku
- AmigaOS
- OpenSolaris
- MorphOS
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.
Vim Features
Comments about Vim as a Alternative to Visual Studio Code
alelondonthe lightest alternative with the most features
1Vim is always ready to work as soon as you open it. There are already a lot of open-source plugins that ease any sort of functions.
3It is not alternative, if you dont want to spend your life configuring shit in vim instead of writing some code you should chose something else
-1Simple and extendable with a massive amount of plugins
1kiminariyamamotoA classical editor for any text file. It is very usable but it is not really an IDE. You can add many plugins to make it behave close to IDE but I don't think it is very feasible.
3Kate
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Open Source
- Text Editor
- Code Editor
- IDE
130 Kate alternatives- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
- KDE
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.
Kate Features
Comments about Kate as a Alternative to Visual Studio Code
Peter MelloCompiled C++ applications are so much more performant than Electron apps like VS Code.
10ZippingIt's not based on electron.
1Kwrite is nice too. Use it mainly, has syntax hightligting and other features. Wouldnt use it for big projects just yet though.
0Geany
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Open Source
- Text Editor
- Code Editor
- IDE
136 Geany alternatives- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
- PortableApps.com
- Flathub
- Flatpak
- Snapcraft
Geany is a powerful, stable and lightweight programmer's text editor that provides tons of useful features without bogging down your workflow. It runs on Linux, Windows and macOS is translated into over 40 languages, and has built-in support for more than 50 programming...
Geany Features
Opinions about Geany as a Alternative to Visual Studio Code
gedit
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Open Source
- Text Editor
- Code Editor
173 gedit alternatives- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Chrome OS
- BSD
- GNOME
- OpenSolaris
Official text editor of the GNOME desktop environment. Has syntax highlighting and is suitable for programming, with support for several languages. It is extensible with plugins.
gedit Features
Comments about gedit as a Alternative to Visual Studio Code
It is light weight and works and chromebook.
0GNU Emacs
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Open Source
- Text Editor
- Code Editor
- IDE
161 GNU Emacs alternatives- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Android
- BSD
- F-Droid
- Haiku
- Homebrew
GNU Emacs, often simply referred to as Emacs, is an extensible and customizable text editor. Its core functionality is powered by an interpreter for Emacs Lisp, a dialect of the Lisp programming language that has been extended to support text editing. This software's key features include extensibility, customizability, and the ability to be further extended by plugins and extensions. It is compatible with a wide range of operating systems including Mac, Windows, Linux, BSD, Haiku, Homebrew, Android, and F-Droid.
As an alternative to Visual Studio Code, GNU Emacs is recognized for its speed and advanced autocomplete capabilities. It's also noted for its ability to run in a command line and its extensive collection of available plugins. Users have highlighted its extensive extensibility, stating that it surpasses Visual Studio Code in this regard. Unlike Visual Studio Code, GNU Emacs is not based on a web browser and can be used without a mouse. It's also appreciated for its compatibility with OpenBSD and its ability to handle all the tasks required for daily work. While both GNU Emacs and Visual Studio Code share features like extensibility by plugins/extensions and customizability, GNU Emacs is particularly popular among Android users.
- - GNU Emacs is the most popular Android alternative to Visual Studio Code.
GNU Emacs Features
Comments about GNU Emacs as a Alternative to Visual Studio Code
GeorgeIsHappyEmacs is much faster than visual studio and can run in a command line. It has very advanced autocomplete capabilities and tons of available plugins.
0I like Gnu Emacs as alternative of Visual Studio Code because it's free and it works on OpenBSD and I can do everything I need for my daily work.
0inventor500Emacs is by far more extendable than visual studio code, is not based on a web browser, and can be used without a mouse.
2