--- title: "Visual Studio Code Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "Is Visual Studio Code the right Source Code Management solution for you? Explore 1694 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/186634/Visual-Studio-Code/reviews/" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" --- Visual Studio Code 4.8 (1694) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/186634/Visual-Studio-Code/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated August 26th, 2026 # Reviews of Visual Studio Code Ease of use 4.6 Customer Service 4.2 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews JC Jerrid C CEOComputer Software, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “TypeScript, JavaScript, and Python support is excellent, with intelligent code completion, inline errors, and quick fixes that help me catch issues early rather than chasing them down later.“ April 17, 2026 JC Jerrid C CEOComputer Software, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “On larger projects or in heavily customized workspaces, I’ve also noticed occasional slowdowns and minor bugs, such as the editor feeling less responsive or certain language features not behaving as expected until I restart.“ April 17, 2026 JC Jerrid C CEOComputer Software, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Security and reliability are largely in my control: by being selective with extensions and keeping an eye on updates, I’ve been able to avoid major issues, though there are occasional bugs or performance hiccups that come with a highly customizable editor.“ April 17, 2026 VH Vaja H Frontend engineerInformation Technology and Services, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It does not provide much support for refactoring code when it comes to language like java or like when refactoring object oriented programming languages“ December 20, 2024 JC Jerrid C CEOComputer Software, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Security-wise, I appreciate that I can control which extensions I install, how they access workspaces, and how my projects connect to external services like GitHub.“ April 17, 2026 SC Stephen C Systems EngineerInformation Technology and Services, 1,001 - 5,000 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Not a lot of cons but I have noticed that the user interface is not very smooth, and you can get lost easily inside it.“ March 7, 2026 JC Jerrid C CEOComputer Software, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “I often jump between clients, stacks, and codebases, and VS Code makes that context switching surprisingly manageable.“ April 17, 2026 MG Mike G Member of Technical StaffComputer Hardware, 201 - 500 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Very hard to reach out to people from microsoft when there is bug; most VSCode internal plugins like Pylance are still close sourced.“ August 28, 2025 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 1694 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Osama A. Full Stack Developer Government Administration Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Reliable code editor" January 23, 2026 4.0 Overall experience with Visual Studio Code is very positive. It is reliable and flexible for both beginners and experienced users. Pros It's interface is clean and simple, so even beginners can understand it quickly. Supports many coding languages and has a lot of useful extensions.Has multiple features like auto-complete,syntax highlighting reduce mistakes.The best part is that it is free and regularly updated. Cons Visual studio code is sometimes confusing because of too many extensions. Some extension can cause a bug or slow performance. Alternatives considered [Sublime Text](https://www.capterra.com/p/179535/Sublime-Text/) Reason for choosing Visual Studio Code Because sublime gives more useful features without extra effort. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Software Engineer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The absolute standard for modern software development (and it's free)" January 7, 2026 5.0 We required an editor that could support multiple languages in one project (client side as well as server side). VS Code hit the right spot in terms of being lightening fast and feature-rich; it has now become an essential tool in our daily workflow right from documentation writing to debugging code in production environments Pros The ecosystem for extensions is second to none; whether it be some programming language or framework I'm working on (Python, JS, Go, Docker), a plugin for it exists. The integration with Git is excellent for working with merge conflicts right within the editor. Additionally, the capabilities of Remote Development (WSL/SSH) enable me to code on a remote Linux machine as if I were on localhost. Cons While it starts lightweight, it can become very resource-heavy (RAM) if you install too many extensions. The initial setup for some specific debuggers-like C++ or specialized PHP configs-requires fiddling with the launch.json files, which has a steeper learning curve compared to full-blown IDEs like Visual Studio or IntelliJ that work out of the box. Switched from [Sublime Text](https://www.capterra.com/p/179535/Sublime-Text/) VS Code offers better IntelliSense and integrated debugging while remaining fast. Review Source DL Dave L. Senior Consultant Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "It's definitely a slimmed down version with lots of kinks that are done differently to the full blown Visual Studio" April 24, 2025 3.0 I had to install this to use and create SPFX solutions. SPFX was frustrating in itself, and then trying to figure out features and functionality of VS Code. I've been using VS for years that doing the switch to VS Code wasn't hard, but not straight forward either. Pros I like that it has a somewhat more simplified interface than the full blown Visual Studio Cons It is lacking in a lot of features. IN some cases, I felt like they (Microsoft) are trying to change the way people do things between Visual Studio and VS Code. Review Source Mahbubul A. Owner Computer & Network Security Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Excellent and lightweight tool for web development" July 4, 2026 5.0 From my experience, VS Code is the absolute best code editor I have ever used. It has made my coding workflow much faster and more structured. Seeing as it is totally free and decidedly customizable, I highly propose it to all students and professional developers. Pros Visual Studio Code's extension marketplace is admirable. It allows me to effortlessly install the essential plug-in. additionally, its built - in terminal is extremely useful, and the software runs quickly with no lag. Cons Every so often, if I open very large project files or install too many extension, the software can consume a bit higher RAM memory. Aside from this, it is a great software. Review Source Chuck K. Software Engineer Financial Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Easy, flexible, and extensible" August 30, 2025 5.0 Overall VS code is a great tool. I use it for multiple software development languages and it does a great job support each one. Pros VS Code is so easy to install and start using. And it has a multiple of plugins available to enhance the tool to make your software development experience better. Cons Its built-in integration with git is pretty basic; I find my self using a terminal window and the git command line more often. Switched from [IntelliJ IDEA](https://www.capterra.com/p/136010/IntelliJ-IDEA/) Lower cost with pretty much all the features I needed for my software development. Review Source MG Mike G. Member of Technical Staff Computer Hardware Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The best IDE, full stop." August 28, 2025 5.0 Great software that I work with every single day. I have used VSCode to replace JetBrains product suite and never looked back. Great extension integration, and easily integrates with everything imaginable. At Cerebras we have built tooling tightly integrated with VSCode and it is our default development tool. Pros Phenomenal product. Great integration with Github and all AI coding assistant, great flow when I want to add an extension and works flawlessly with any programming languages, eco system, or platforms. Cons Very hard to reach out to people from microsoft when there is bug; most VSCode internal plugins like Pylance are still close sourced. Difficult to track down bug when it is inside one of the binaries. VSCode SSH / container plugin needs more work, it still frequently disconnect for me for no obvious reason. Switched from [CLion](https://www.capterra.com/p/246695/CLion/) More configurable, more extensible, works better for my current workflow. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Teaching Assistant Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Versitile and powerful IDE" August 13, 2025 5.0 It is a very good IDE that is great for a bunch of different workflows and uses. It is highly configurable, and that makes it very good for coding. Pros It is very versatile for code editing; it supports a bunch of different languages and is very accessible. Cons It isn't as powerful as some heavier IDEs, since it doesn't always have the full feature suite that other programs have. Switched from [IntelliJ IDEA](https://www.capterra.com/p/136010/IntelliJ-IDEA/) VS Code is a bit more beginner friendly and is a lot more versatile Review Source JB John B. Consultant Entertainment Used the software for: 2+ years ### "VSCode is wonderful" July 7, 2025 5.0 My journey started with a Notepad++ path, then switched to a Sublime Text path, and now I follow a VSCode path. I am quite pleased with VSCode. It does nearly all I ask of it. Pros VSCode works across all of my applications. The ability to customize my working experience with useful extensions has earned my admiration. One such extension is VIM emulation, which allows me to keep my fingers on the keyboard longer. I also enjoy the coordination with GitHub and AWS very much. Cons Setting up some extensions is not easy. I like to try different languages and those with minimal support can be difficult to set up properly. Switched from [Sublime Text](https://www.capterra.com/p/179535/Sublime-Text/) I enjoyed Sublime Text very much, but the VSCode bandwagon became too much to resist. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Head Of Development Program Development Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Solid code editor" December 2, 2025 4.0 Pros I've been using VS Code for a number of years now and it handles almost anything I've thrown it, after a number of key extensions have been installed. Cons Some basic features missing that extensions are required for but this is improving over time. The extension community is very vast however. Switched from [Sublime Text](https://www.capterra.com/p/179535/Sublime-Text/) I started working with C# and I use a Mac, so I needed something with debugging abilities Review Source Vansh K. SDE Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best Lightweight IDE with Powerful Features" February 17, 2025 5.0 I use it not only for web development but also for building APIs and programming, thanks to its flexibility and integrations. It’s a powerful tool that keeps evolving, making development easier and more efficient. Pros VS Code is one of the best lightweight IDEs out there. It runs smoothly on most systems and offers a huge collection of extensions. It is used by many types of developers —whether it's web, AI, or App. It also gets regular updates and has strong community and support. Cons The extension marketplace is great, but installing too many extensions can slow down performance of vsCode. It’s better to be mindful of what you install to keep things running smoothly. Switched from [Notepad++](https://www.capterra.com/p/185965/Notepad/) I made this switch 5 years ago and I am happy that I made this switch. VSCode offers more coding environment for developers while Notepad is for general purpose tasks related to text. Review Source ES Ed S. Service Desk Manager Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "VS Code Makes Plaintext Pleasant" January 10, 2025 5.0 Visual Studio Code is our preferred text editor due to the support it has for virtually all plaintext documents and language tools. Pros The open-source extensions and community support. Cons It takes a bit of customization for less supported languages to run, but works very well after. Switched from [Notepad++](https://www.capterra.com/p/185965/Notepad/) VS Code simply had more features and community support, making it easier to onboard and use for the rest of our team. Review Source Tommy W. CTO, System designer Sokoni Computer Software Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "I was blown away" December 17, 2023 5.0 I started out with low expectations and after the Visual Studio 2023 on Mac was cancelled, I moved over all devlopment of our 55Gb code base to Visual Studio Code. Never going back. Pros I thought that Visual Studio Code was "just" an editor. Hey, I've been around from the early days vi, notepad, .. This is a different ball game. Visual Studio Code understands your code, the integration with lint, code snippets, plugins and AI makes it a dream come true. Now, I just need more nuget and Azure overview and I'm totally happy. Cons The simple installation, sync between all systems - well - it's a marvel. Cannot complain. Speed. Cannot complain. Quality. Cannot complain. NO CONS! Just download if you haven't yet! Reason for choosing Visual Studio Code I had to and wasn't too sorry. Just getting custom to short cuts and up to speed. Switched from [Microsoft Visual Studio](https://www.capterra.com/p/80230/microsoft-visual-studio/) It was cancelled.. On the PC I use both Visual Studio Code and Visual Studio on W11. great match in heaven. Review Source RR Rodrigo R. Owner Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A strange tool" October 26, 2021 4.0 This is controversial, I know, but I honestly don't understand all the frenzy around VS code, as it's a simplified Visual Studio, heavier (proportionately to what it does) and less capable. We use it several times a week to do tasks that don't fit well in Visual Studio, without an expensive and complete plugin. For example for GO and PHP. In these situations, although we consider less efficient than JetBrains, but for the price the VS Code pays off for us. If we had to do something bigger, it would definitely not be our choice - due to productivity. But for trivial tasks it solves well. It is in the middle for us: big projects we do with VS, medium projects or with non-microsoft languages we use VS code, quick tasks and scripts or external files we use notepad++. Pros It is lighter and simpler than Visual Studio, so it can more easily solve tasks that are too small for VS. The fact that it's free is also great. The sheer amount of plugins is also very nice. Cons Many fragmented plugins (you need to download parts), many low quality plugins, many paid plugins with very expensive prices. The tool is a hybrid app so it doesn't have the same overall performance per screen as the official VS for windows. Project management is confusing and fragmented. Alternatives considered [Xojo](https://www.capterra.com/p/179342/Xojo/) Reason for choosing Visual Studio Code At the time just for the cost of Xojo and the fact that not all the things VS Code does Xojo does too (actually Xojo does a lot less, but what he does, he does very well). For some purposes it turned out to be our choice later, but due to the high cost of Xojo, we ended up keeping our main business flow over VS and VS Code anyway. Really, today, micro companies need to use everything they have at hand to reduce costs or put the cost only when it will bring return on a project. Switched from [Eclipse IDE](https://www.capterra.com/p/205298/Eclipse-IDE/) Eclipse is great, it's free, it has a lot of plugins, but it's too Java-based, and in a way that makes everyday use less productive for us, and it has frequent errors. When VS Code came out we opted for this lighter and less error-prone solution. Visual Studio is great in a lot of ways, but it's getting slower with each release. VS Code also has more integration options for non-microsoft stuff. So when we create desktop apps or UWP we use Visual Studio, when we need server languages like GO or PHP we switch to VS Code. Review Source NkA Narendra kumar A. Freelance IT developer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great tool for code development, debugging and version control at one place" August 17, 2022 5.0 It is simply an amazing tool and It helped me very much while developing and debugging big data pipelines. It is very fast and I also like that it enables to connect with GitHub without having to use the command line to update/version control the code in github. Pros Very fast during startup. I like the option that it enables you to open multiple projects in different windows at once. The code editor is simply amazing as we can view multiple files at once. The debugger is the most interesting part for me, as VS code really helped me to debug big data pipelines where no other tool I found can be used that simply. The new "Data Viewer" option is also amazing to look into tables or any SQL tables in vs code. Simply it saves lot of time by providing automatic code suggestions, linter.. Cons As it is developed to work on different programming languages, I miss the interactive console to execute small snippets of code that I observed in the spyder tool. Alternatives considered [Spyder](https://www.capterra.com/p/235569/Spyder/) Reason for choosing Visual Studio Code For the scientific computation and data analysis part, I prefer to use spyder because it has an interactive console to execute small snippets of code to verify the data transformations Switched from [Spyder](https://www.capterra.com/p/235569/Spyder/) I notice spyder is not very much interactive for debugging. So while I work on data pipelines i prefer using VScode rather than spyder. Review Source MR Mathieu R. Programmeur Jouabilité Gambling & Casinos Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Visual Studio Code is the best editor." October 16, 2025 5.0 Pros Visual Studio Code is a text editor for programmers, and with its many plugins, it offers numerous advantages. The code updates smoothly and efficiently — VS Code is truly one of the best software tools available. Cons In the free downloaded version, you need links or guides to understand each section. Otherwise, there aren’t many drawbacks. Review Source EH Emilie H. Head of Operations and Social Media Computer Games Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "What all ITs need to use" September 6, 2025 5.0 Pros Visual Studio Code is a really good tool for code editing and application development/deployment, with an incredible plugin compatibility and a lot quality of life features. It also a safe space to work with, even more with GitHub integration, solving a lot of bugs and issues. Cons Actually nothing. Visual Studio Code it is the best program to work with for me and my boyfriend (who is a computer engineer student), for the reasons mentioned above. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Owner of ShadowPlayersDev Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Visual Studio Code, the best and lightest code editor" December 10, 2024 4.0 I've been using VS Code for over 4 years to edit code, mainly for personal and business projects. Pros Visual Studio Code is a versatile, and highly customizable code editor that supports a wide range of programming languages. Its extensive marketplace offers thousands of extensions, enabling developers to tailor the editor to specific workflows, such as linting, debugging, or version control integration. Cons Its performance can degrade with too many extensions or large projects. Additionally, beginners might find the vast customization options overwhelming, and some advanced features may require configuration or external tools to function optimally. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer PHP Developer Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best Software for Coding in Web Development" December 21, 2024 5.0 I have very good experience with this we can easily mange code and also manage version control . easily find thing in overall project actully It is provide so work friendly environment. Pros first of all UI is so friendly and installed extension of related to coding. now if taking about the coding experience is so smooth easy to maintain code. Cons nothing to dislike because personally I am working with this from last 3 years and getting my work so easy using this. Review Source PB Prakash B. Software Engineer Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Visual Studio Code: My Go-To Editor" January 5, 2025 5.0 My overall experience with Visual Studio Code has been positive. I started using it as a student and continue to rely on it in my professional journey. It has become my go-to editor. Pros I have been using Visual Studio Code for over four years. Although it's a lightweight code editor, it can be configured to deliver IDE-like features using its extensions system. Cons It can become sluggish when working with very large projects. Review Source TT Tommy T. AV Technician Construction Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Amazing and always improving." January 3, 2025 5.0 One of the best text editor software in the world. This software is one of the leading industry that shows free software can be amazing and should not cost consumers. Pros It's a free software that has one of the most plug-ins. The plug-ins makes the software experience elevated. Cons Nothing yet. Have not used every features since there was no need to. Review Source VH Vaja H. Frontend engineer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "My personal and professional experience working with visual studio code" December 20, 2024 5.0 Pros It gives us so much ability work with different programming language support and we can customise it as our need for the user experience and it comes with many different extentions for different use cases Cons It does not provide much support for refactoring code when it comes to language like java or like when refactoring object oriented programming languages Review Source JF Jon F. Manager Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Visual Studio Code is a beast " October 16, 2024 5.0 Visual studio has been a godsend to our teams. Highly recommend for everyone. Pros Visual studio code is the BEST development tool out there. The extensions are amazing. The customization options are great. Simple, intuitive user experience. Cons Not too many cons here. Has everything I would expect it to have. Review Source SS Shanky S. Software developer Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Maximum Software developer used visual studio code" October 14, 2023 5.0 Excellent Pros Visual studio code most like search filter Extensions Bug detectedUsing git easy to downlod and use Code format pattern light and dark mode Go live server run project code styling are good using the cmd good source and direct open the project folder are easy to work and save your time uses the small amount of dataAnd preview the images Cons Light dark mode changes the alphabet text colors Review Source Joël T. Senior Frontend Developer Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best software development integration" June 15, 2023 5.0 Visual studio code is the best editor for developing nice apps for the web, Windows, and mobile. Pros Visual studio code is my to-go software development studio. It's free and available for various devices.The code editor is highly responsive and interactive. Its built-in ability to quickly scan through local storage and update information change is pretty astonishing.I like it because it's so easy to use and there is much to be confused about. The interface is clean and less saturated. Working with VS code changes the game and I enjoy every single day that I work with it. Cons The editor will freeze when kept for 5 minutes in the background or will pop up an annoying notice each time I hover for at least 3s on any CSS property. Switched from [CodePen](https://www.capterra.com/p/229451/CodePen/) only web-based. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Software Engineer Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Full-featured, user friendly IDE" August 23, 2019 5.0 Visual Studio Code does it's job as an integrated development environment very well. I use it every single day and it makes the task of editing code as painless as it can be. It's highly configurable and there are thousands of extensions available for getting even more from it. Pros The first great thing you'll notice about Visual Studio Code (or vscode) is how easy it is to install and configure. Users of Windows, Mac OS and most Linux distributions will find easy-to-use installers on the website, while other distributions often have their own packaged versions available in distribution-specific package managers. After installing vscode, if you open a file type that has extensions available, vscode recommends an extension to install and manages the install process for you. I work with Go; vscode has very good support for working with .go files (with the help of a few extensions). Installing and using linters, formatters and debugging tools are all taken care of. Extensions are another big positive - there must be thousands available, covering things like support for different programming languages, spellchecking, changing the theme of the entire app, integrations with other development tools, and plenty more that I haven't thought of. Of course, the main job of an integrated development environment (IDE) like vscode is to make coding easier, and vscode does good job of this. As well as support for the standard text editing features that you'd expect from any tool, vscode provides extra features to help programmers, such as jumping to definitions of a function, automated refactoring, snippets, editing with multiple cursors, and more. Oh, and vscode is free, for private or commercial use. Cons I really don't have much negative to say about this software. It does its job fantastically, and I use it every day. I would say that support may not be on the same level as you would expect from an enterprise level support contract, since it's free software, but I have also never needed support. The team developing vscode are also constantly introducing new features and improving old ones. Reason for choosing Visual Studio Code I chose vscode over neovim based on ease of use, and over JetBrains' GoLand based on it being free. Review Source Similar Products Featured