---
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 1700 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"
publication_date: "2026-10-21"
---

Visual Studio Code

4.8 (1700)

[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 October 21st, 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

Andrea C

Software EngineerInformation Technology and Services, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years.

“Additionally, the capabilities of Remote Development (WSL/SSH) enable me to code on a remote Linux machine as if I were on localhost.“

January 7, 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 1700 Reviews

Sort by:

Most Helpful

Rating

Company Size

Reviewer's Role

Length of Use

Frequency of Use

Ildaphonse C.  
Software Developer  
Information Technology and Services  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "A Great Tool For Professional Software Developers"

October 2, 2026

5.0

My overall experience with Visual Studio Code has been great. I use it for various programming and web development projects. It find it easy to use, flexible and reliable. It does not take up too much memory and is very fast in compiling data.

Pros

What i like the most about visual studio code is how easy it is to use for different software development projects. It support a large number of extensions such as claude code to help with coding efficiently.

Cons

What is like least about Visual Studio Code is that sometimes it can take up a lot of memory when i have a lot of extensions installed or when working on larger projects.

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

CF

Conann F.  
Software Engineer  
Computer Software  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Visual Studio Code centralizes my daily engineering tasks"

October 15, 2026

5.0

VS Code offers incredible value for money as a free tool. Even without formal enterprise customer support, the vast developer community easily solves any blockages to keep my sprint velocity high.

Pros

The integrated terminal and GitLens extension make daily code editing incredibly fast. Useful features like Docker plugins also let me handle local deployment without leaving the IDE workspace.

Cons

Heavy extension loads sometimes consume massive RAM, leading to interface bugs and issues. Reviewing extension security carefully is required to avoid malicious dependencies.

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

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

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

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

JAR

J Ashwin R.  
Software Developer  
Computer & Network Security  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Easy to Use and Great for Beginners"

October 2, 2026

5.0

My overall experience with VS Code has been very good. I have used it for learning programming as well as working on projects, and it has made coding much easier for me. The interface is clean, there are many useful extensions, and debugging and Git features are helpful. As a fresher, I would definitely recommend it to someone starting with development.

Pros

I really like how simple and easy VS Code is to use. As a fresher, I found it easy to understand and set up for different projects. The extensions are very useful, especially for coding in Java, JavaScript, React, and other technologies. I also like the Git integration and the fact that I can manage most of my development work from one place.

Cons

Sometimes VS Code can feel a little slow when I have many extensions installed or when working on a large project. It also takes some time to understand which extensions and settings are actually needed when you are new to it.

Review Source

LP

Luke P.  
Head of Support  
Information Technology and Services  
Used the software for: Less than 6 months

### "Brilliant & Easy to use"

September 14, 2026

5.0

Great to use for a simple project, lots of customisation and lots of integrations and plugins that can be used. Very easy to use and navigate too

Pros

Brilliant for free software, loads of integrations and plugins to use with it and the ability to use copilot and link seamlessly with github is great

Cons

Copilot helps with the coding but its a little limited and can take a few attempts to get it right and to make sure its correct and ready for deploying

Review Source

YR

Youssef R.  
Engineer  
Computer Software  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Gotta Love to Code"

October 14, 2026

4.0

Lots of coding sessions and project management on medium to large sized teams. This tool is good for configuring servers too.

Pros

Very easy to use and integrate with current workflow and also build on top of with so many extensions that make working fun and attractive.

Cons

Deploying to different machines is a little tough with the configuration of one person difficult to apply to another machine.

Review Source

MC

Miranda C.  
Director of IT  
Retail  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Simple yet effective for writing code"

February 20, 2025

5.0

Overall I will continue to use this product because it has proven to be a value to my ability to write code for simple web pages.

Pros

It has a good terminal for debugging and gives you error codes when your code does not work. it also catches structural issue to your code if you miss something.

Cons

Sometimes it does not catch things so you cannot fully rely on this feature.

Switched from

[Notepad++](https://www.capterra.com/p/185965/Notepad/)

I want something that was more intuative and gave me information about my code like errors and checking for mistakes. It also has a really good visual aspect to it as well.

Review Source

VR

Verified Reviewer  
Analytic Scientist  
Computer Software  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "Well-designed for developers"

December 27, 2024

5.0

I really enjoy using VS Code for coding. The start was not as straightforward as other coding environment, but over time, I realized how powerful it is and it is truly a coding environment designed for developers.

Pros

A light-weight, all-in-one integrated development environment that makes my coding life efficient

Cons

There are a lot of features that can be confusing. Once you are familiar with them, you will realize how powerful VSCode is

Switched from

[Vim](https://www.capterra.com/p/10002336/Vim/)

VS Code is way more powerful as an editor than vim, and offers far more features for developers

Review Source

bC

bruno C.  
ceo  
Computer Software  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "VS code review"

December 9, 2024

5.0

Working more than 10 years with this IDE, a lot of custumization and extensions allow the be one of the best IDE on the market

Pros

It is a great tool, with for example a mutli language support, I'm working with serveral language and it is very usefuel to stay in the same interface There is also a lot of custimuzaiton and extensions which allow me to enhance the power of it

Cons

the learning curve can be difficult because of the multitude of features which is difficult for beginner

Switched from

[Eclipse IDE](https://www.capterra.com/p/205298/Eclipse-IDE/)

impact on the performance, I mean eclipse is quite eavy on the system performance

Review Source

Phil C.  
Data Architect  
Computer Software  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Runs code nicely with all the trimmings"

July 21, 2023

4.0

Love it. One of the few pieces of software which is impressive and productive. It's simple where it needs to be and complex where it has to be. Mostly, it just works and runs code nicely with all the trimmings.

Pros

Unlike the massive behemoth of Visual Studio Pro, Visual Studio Code is free and installs quickly, immediately becoming the go-to environment for Python and other development languages.

Cons

Sometimes rather too many plugins for the same needs, but you can see number of users and reviews so helps decide. It can die in action sometimes, but only requires reload not reboot.

Alternatives considered

[PyCharm](https://www.capterra.com/p/186625/PyCharm/)

Reason for choosing Visual Studio Code

Cost, functionality and ease of use.

Switched from

[PyCharm](https://www.capterra.com/p/186625/PyCharm/)

Found PyCharm a bit unpolished and support a bit drawn out - but improving rapidly. However, it's another cost, and VSC is free and excellent.

Review Source

AG

Arpon G.  
Executive Manger.  
Computer Software  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "Versatile, Powerful, and Customizable"

September 25, 2024

5.0

My overall experience with Visual Studio Code has been highly positive. It's a lightweight yet feature-rich code editor that supports multiple programming languages and provides an excellent development environment for both small projects and large-scale applications. The ease of installing and managing extensions allows you to tailor it to your specific needs, and the integrated Git support makes version control seamless. Its user interface is intuitive, and productivity-enhancing features like IntelliSense, debugging, and code refactoring tools make coding more efficient. However, with many extensions running simultaneously, it can become resource-intensive. Still, its versatility and powerful features far outweigh this minor drawback, making it a go-to editor for most development needs.

Pros

I like most about Visual Studio Code is its flexibility and customization options. It's lightweight yet powerful, supporting a wide range of programming languages through extensions. Features like IntelliSense, Git integration, and an extensive plugin ecosystem make it great for both beginners and professionals, offering smooth workflows across different types of projects. The interface is clean, and the real-time collaboration tools are useful for team projects.

Cons

I like least about Visual Studio Code is that it can sometimes become resource-intensive, especially when using multiple extensions. This can cause the editor to lag or slow down on less powerful machines. Additionally, its built-in terminal, while useful, isn't as robust as standalone terminal applications, and managing extensions can sometimes be overwhelming due to the sheer volume available. Despite these, it's still a highly functional and versatile tool.

Switched from

[TopNotepad](https://www.capterra.com/p/145874/TopNotepad/)

Visual studio is better than Notepad. Because it is Versatile, Powerful, and Customizable than notepad. So that I switch.

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

JI

Jack I.  
IT Development Lead  
Insurance  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Powerful suite of development tools for the modern developer"

July 9, 2025

5.0

Overall, VSCode provides me with the toolset I need to ensure I can develop code at speed and to the best of my ability.

Pros

The extensibility of VSCode really helps with my workflow. Using tools like GitHub and also being able to access and manage databases from within VSCode is super useful.

Cons

If anything, the only con I would say is the layout can be overwhelming, it would be good to have a simple view.

Review Source

JG

James G.  
IT Engineer  
Information Technology and Services  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Number One"

June 5, 2025

5.0

Overall extremely well. I will choose Visual Studio Code over any other IDE due to its flexibility and support.

Pros

No matter what language I need to write a script in, Visual Studio Code will support it and automatically will help me with syntax.

Cons

The debugger I believe is the weakest part of Visual Studio Code. Not to say that it is bad, it does it job well, but I have preferred other debuggers.

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

EC

Eric C.  
Software Developer  
Financial Services  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Fast and mature IDE"

February 8, 2025

5.0

Pros

Fastest start up time and most responsive IDE that I use. Has a mature ecosystem with a vast array of plugins available.

Cons

Not much! There are specialised IDE that are more suitable for specific languages and tech stacks eg. IDEA for Java stacks

Review Source

Iman G.  
Student  
Computer Software  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Highly Recommended IDE"

January 20, 2025

5.0

Would recommend this IDE to anyone who's getting into programming. Once you set it up, you'll love using it. Also Professionals too can use it for lot of customizability options.

Pros

It's ability to work with multiple languages, and its vast library user-submitted and official plugins to work with your various projects. Very user-friendly UI too with a huge community support available oline.

Cons

Not really any complaints from this IDE, just needs a bit of initial setup to fit your needs.

Review Source

NRWW

Nanita Rica Winniewski W.  
Customer care management specialist  
Market Research  
Used the software for: I used a free trial

### "Coding platform "

March 6, 2025

4.0

Pros

Easy for coding because it allows installing many extensions.

Cons

No dislike so far by the time of using..

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

MS

Mohammed S.  
Systems Developer  
Pharmaceuticals  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "The Best Lightweight Text Editor in the World"

April 14, 2020

5.0

The thing about Visual Studio Code is that its just so seamless, smooth and easy to use that it doesn't feel like much effort when setting it up and using it on a daily basis. It hardly ever lags, consumes very little resources and one can just start coding (in a variety of languages) almost instantly. The business problems it solves are many. It is very easy to create little utility applications (whether it is in Node.js or C#) by quickly setting up some files and coding away. It is very simple to create web pages that are lightweight and flexible. The business benefits as the software is completely free to use, installs very quickly and is very easy for developers to get started with, even if they have never used it before. This benefits the business as developers and software engineers can get working right away and start to create applications that will benefit the company.

Pros

The most impactful features include: -Extremely lightweight and flexible: This makes installation and daily usage very smooth -Extensions: There are thousands of extensions that can be added to Visual Studio Code to make it more powerful and get access to advanced features. Virtually all of these extensions are free to install -Visual Studio Code can be used to code in a huge array of languages from .NET languages to even Python and JavaScript languages. As soon as it detects what language is being coded, Visual Studio Code is able to adapt itself to cater for that language clean design -Git integration is present so that one can upload and version the work that they do -CLI: The Command Line feature is a powerful way to perform tasks and improve the coding experience -PowerShell mode allows advanced scripting capabilities -Available on Windows, Mac and Linux platforms Users of Visual Studio or other text editors such as Atom Text Editor will have no issue working Visual Studio Code as it it extremely easy to use work with for different types of software projects. Visual Studio Code integrates very well with different types of versioning platforms such as GitHub and GitLab as well as versioning technologies such as Git and SVN. It also integrates seamlessly with cloud platforms such as TFS and Microsoft Axure. In addition, Microsoft Office apps can be developed by using the Office Add-Ins.

Cons

Honestly, it is really difficult to say what is not likeable about Visual Studio Code as it just does everything so well. The fact that its completely free (as are the extensions), that even if there were features missing, it would be hard to criticise. Bu there just isn't anything that I can think of that is something I do not like about Visual Studio Code.

Review Source

Abdus S.  
Web Developer  
Computer Software  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Best code editor in the wold till now"

January 11, 2022

5.0

I started coding in 2011, i used notepad first then notepad++ then tried atom and sublime editor but after that there was a gap, i remember even if i had static html files, or css files i used Microsoft Visual studio to edit them when there was no VSCode. When it came out i tried it and unlike others it became my only code editor, i even made it an IDE by adding many useful extensions to it. It actually makes you feel that you are a developer, it has all the features there, the command line makes it classic but its the fun. It has a vast community with thousands of free extensions out there out which you pick your useful ones. I will say its a complete code editor and if you are using Linux you don't need big IDE's as it will cover you up. The updates are sometimes frequent but i will say its negligible thing to look for. VSCode is a need for every developer and it fulfills it in best way!

Pros

\-Thousands of extensions. -Seamless installation of extensions without scratching your head. -Lot of free themes to choose from. -Control over every bit, you can automate stuff and you can configure almost any option and feature in it. -Large community continuously developing extensions and updating them. -Best UI in all code editors(i used till now) -Small size, lightweight and fast. -Easy way of adding new files etc, very interactive filters and search and replace. -You don't need to open properties and change file extension you just name it there from the editor when you create the file. -Side by side code windows is one of the lovely features too.

Cons

It sometimes opens up on monitor at weird places where you don't have access to it top navbar to move it to a better location, the top is out of the view, its definitely a small bug but it needs to be fixed. it should have a confirmation window on some important tasks like deleting a file, exiting code etc, i think it might have it but i have overlooked them in configuration but by default it should be set to positive.

Review Source

Similar Products

Featured