--- title: "Best Visual Studio Code Alternatives 2026 | Capterra" description: "Looking for alternatives to Visual Studio Code? Find out how Visual Studio Code stacks up against its competitors with real user reviews, pricing information, and what features they offer." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/186634/Visual-Studio-Code/alternatives/" page_type: "alternatives" language: "en" --- # Visual Studio Code alternatives Last updated on September 17th, 2026 The best Visual Studio Code alternatives are RhodeCode (best overall), Aikido Security (best free plan), Bitbucket (best budget option), and GitLab (most reviewed). Together they hold 2,604 verified Capterra reviews, with overall ratings from 4.6 to 4.9 out of 5. Visual Studio Code itself holds 4.8 out of 5 across 1,695 reviews. ### Visual Studio Code - Rating: 4.8 out of 5 (1,695 reviews) - Ease of use: 4.6 out of 5 - Starting price: Not available - Key features: 3 of 6 top category features --- ## Top alternatives Visual Studio Code alternatives compared | Product | Rating difference | Ease of use | Starting price | Key features | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Bitbucket](https://www.capterra.com/p/233341/Bitbucket/) — 4.6 out of 5 (1,350 reviews) | Rated 0.2 lower than this product | 4.4 out of 5 | $3.30 /user/mo | 3 of 6 top category features | | [GitLab](https://www.capterra.com/p/159806/GitLab/) — 4.6 out of 5 (1,226 reviews) | Rated 0.2 lower than this product | 4.4 out of 5 | $29.00 /user/mo | 3 of 6 top category features | | [PhpStorm](https://www.capterra.com/p/186624/PhpStorm/) — 4.8 out of 5 (160 reviews) | Rated the same as this product | 4.5 out of 5 | $99.00 /yr | 3 of 6 top category features | | [Azure DevOps Server](https://www.capterra.com/p/177262/Team-Foundation-Server/) — 4.5 out of 5 (144 reviews) | Rated 0.3 lower than this product | 4.2 out of 5 | Not available | 3 of 6 top category features | | [RhodeCode](https://www.capterra.com/p/146200/RhodeCode/) — 4.9 out of 5 (22 reviews) | Rated 0.1 higher than this product | 4.9 out of 5 | $6.25 /user/mo | 6 of 6 top category features | | [Mercurial](https://www.capterra.com/p/177239/Mercurial/) — 3.9 out of 5 (10 reviews) | Rated 0.9 lower than this product | 4.1 out of 5 | Not available | 3 of 6 top category features | | [Sourcetree](https://www.capterra.com/p/246644/Sourcetree/) — 4.7 out of 5 (25 reviews) | Rated 0.1 lower than this product | 4.2 out of 5 | Not available | 5 of 6 top category features | | [Assembla](https://www.capterra.com/p/112631/Assembla/) — 4.2 out of 5 (103 reviews) | Rated 0.6 lower than this product | 4.0 out of 5 | $11.50 /user/mo | 4 of 6 top category features | | [Aikido Security](https://www.capterra.com/p/10015770/Aikido/) — 4.7 out of 5 (6 reviews) | Rated 0.1 lower than this product | 4.8 out of 5 | $350.00 /mo | 6 of 6 top category features | | [Open DevOps](https://www.capterra.com/p/267175/Open-DevOps/) — 4.5 out of 5 (273 reviews) | Rated 0.3 lower than this product | 4.0 out of 5 | Not available | 3 of 6 top category features | --- ## Top Free alternatives to Visual Studio Code The best free alternatives to Visual Studio Code are Bitbucket, GitLab, and PhpStorm — all three offer a free plan alongside paid tiers. ### [Bitbucket](https://www.capterra.com/p/233341/Bitbucket/) — 4.6 out of 5 (1,350 reviews) - Free options: Free trial, Free version - Starting price: $3.30 /user/mo ### [GitLab](https://www.capterra.com/p/159806/GitLab/) — 4.6 out of 5 (1,226 reviews) - Free options: Free trial, Free version - Starting price: $29.00 /user/mo ### [PhpStorm](https://www.capterra.com/p/186624/PhpStorm/) — 4.8 out of 5 (160 reviews) - Free options: Free trial - Starting price: $99.00 /yr --- ## Top alternatives for SMBs Among reviewers from companies with 1-200 employees, the highest-rated Visual Studio Code alternatives are RhodeCode (4.9), PhpStorm (4.8), and GitLab (4.6). ### [RhodeCode](https://www.capterra.com/p/146200/RhodeCode/) - 15 SMB reviewers say - Overall rating: 4.9 out of 5 across 15 SMB reviews - Ease of use: 4.8 out of 5 across 15 SMB reviews > "It is flexible and easily connects with other platforms, keeping everything in one place." — Vikash L., Application Engineer (January 2, 2025) ### [PhpStorm](https://www.capterra.com/p/186624/PhpStorm/) - 101 SMB reviewers say - Overall rating: 4.8 out of 5 across 101 SMB reviews - Ease of use: 4.5 out of 5 across 101 SMB reviews > "The clean and effortless integration of search, debugging, git, docker and database queries is so effortless I only really notice how well it works when trying out one of the new "Ai IDES" missing all these features." — Marvin S., Lead Software Developer (June 4, 2026) ### [GitLab](https://www.capterra.com/p/159806/GitLab/) - 607 SMB reviewers say - Overall rating: 4.6 out of 5 across 607 SMB reviews - Ease of use: 4.3 out of 5 across 606 SMB reviews > "Project management, project builds, and image repositories." — Song L., AI Systems Development Engineer (March 17, 2026) ---