# Visual Studio Code Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is Visual Studio Code the right Source Code Management solution for you? Explore 1693 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/186634/Visual-Studio-Code/reviews --- Visual Studio Code 4.8 (1693) [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 March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of Visual Studio Code Ease of use 4.6 Customer Service 4.2 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews Versatile language compatibility 96% positive reviews out of 167 Most users report programming languages are well-supported, enabling seamless coding across numerous languages with helpful extensions and customization. Khaled G Software Engineer, 2 - 10 employees. "VS Code has empowered me to learn and experiment with new programming languages and technologies, thanks to its extensive library of extensions and resources." Frequent bugs and glitches 60% negative reviews out of 229 Most reviewers indicate bugs and issues are common, mentioning crashes, plugin conflicts, update problems, and occasional loss of unsaved work. Yash W Teaching Assistant, 10,001+ employees. "I have to manually update them. And sometimes it crashes which is very frustrating." Comprehensive web development support 97% positive reviews out of 136 Most reviewers find web development efficient, citing built-in tools, language support, and real-time preview features for various frameworks and technologies. Miranda C Director of IT, 51 - 200 employees. "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." Sluggish performance on large projects 63% negative reviews out of 158 Most users report performance and speed issues, experiencing slowdowns, lag, and longer load times with big files, many tabs, or extensive extensions. Arpon G Executive Manger., 201 - 500 employees. "This can cause the editor to lag or slow down on less powerful machines." Free, open-source code editor 98% positive reviews out of 123 Most users comment pricing is a major advantage, appreciating that Visual Studio Code is free, open-source, and offers full features without requiring a paid license. High memory and CPU usage 56% negative reviews out of 88 Most reviewers describe memory and resource consumption as problematic, noting significant RAM and CPU usage, especially with large projects or many extensions. Aggrey K Ceo, 1 employee. "Takes up alot of memory space and sometimes it slows down the computer." ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 1693 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 PT Petru T. Developer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Reliable And Solid Code Editor." June 16, 2026 5.0 My overall experience with Visual Studio Code has been great, i've been using it for years now and it is go to editor for developement tasks, it also has a wide range of customization options, great value for the money. Pros What i like most about Visual Studio Code is that it continuously evolves based on user needs and almost every aspect of the editor can be adjusted, a reliable,solid product. Cons What i like least about Visual Studio Code is the way it manages extensions, especially when there are many of them , it could become a bit overwhelming. 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 JC Jerrid C. CEO Computer Software Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "My Go-To Environment for Building and Deploying Client Prototypes" April 17, 2026 5.0 Overall, Visual Studio Code has become my default environment for almost all of my client work. As a solo founder and developer, I need tools that let me move quickly without getting bogged down in setup or configuration, and VS Code generally delivers on that. The core code editing experience is strong—especially for TypeScript, JavaScript, and Python. The built-in Git integration, debugger, and terminal let me go from idea to a running prototype and then to a deployable version without constantly switching tools. In terms of features, the extension ecosystem fills most of the gaps I run into, whether that’s working with specific frameworks, improving testing, or integrating with deployment workflows. 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. Customer support is more community- and documentation-driven than traditional ticket-based help, but between official docs, GitHub issues, and third-party resources, I can usually find an answer. From a value-for-money perspective, VS Code is excellent. The fact that the core product is free yet powerful enough to support professional client work and rapid prototyping makes it an easy choice. For my use case, building and iterating on prototypes, then moving them toward client deployment, it has been a reliable, high-leverage tool I use every day. Pros What I like most about Visual Studio Code is how well it supports me as a solo founder and developer who’s constantly building client prototypes. I often jump between clients, stacks, and codebases, and VS Code makes that context switching surprisingly manageable. It starts up quickly, feels lightweight, and still provides the features I’d expect from a full IDE. Day to day, a few things stand out. 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. The built-in Git and GitHub integration lets me manage branches, commits, and pull requests directly from the editor, and the integrated terminal and debugger make it easy to run and troubleshoot my prototypes without leaving the environment. The extension ecosystem and workspace settings let me tailor VS Code to each client’s stack and deployment setup, whether I’m targeting simple web apps or more complex services. From a value-for-money perspective, it’s hard to beat: the core product is free, and I get a professional-grade code editing experience with a rich feature set. 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. Overall, VS Code has become the backbone of my development workflow and a reliable tool for quickly getting client-facing prototypes into a deployable state. Cons What I like least about Visual Studio Code is that its flexibility can sometimes work against you. With so many extensions and configuration options, it’s easy to end up with a cluttered setup or conflicting plugins if you’re not disciplined about managing your environment. I’ve had situations where an extension degraded performance or introduced odd behavior, and tracking down the root cause took longer than I would have liked. 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. These aren’t showstoppers, but they do add overhead to keeping VS Code stable. Customer support is mostly handled through documentation, community resources, and GitHub issues rather than direct, high-touch support, so resolving edge cases can require some digging. Overall, these issues are manageable, but they’re the main trade-offs of such a flexible, extension-driven tool. 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 MY Matthias Y. Student Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A good general IDE" June 4, 2026 5.0 Pros A very good code editor and IDE, it has everything you want and need, you can customize it however you like and just start coding. Cons Its proprietary to Microsoft, there are alternatives like VSCodium that exists but lack some features :/ Review Source RR Rachel R. Coder Computer Software Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Excellent!" May 8, 2026 5.0 Overall, I am very satisfied with this product. It allowed me to learn coding, and it a great tool for editing not just specific code, but even for working with complex JSON inputs and outputs. I would liken this software to a very robust word processor. Pros There are so many customization options! You can really make this your own, and there are plenty of extensions that will help you be more productive. I would liken the extensions to the Google Extensions Store - you can browse Visual Studio Code extensions as well. Cons As a new coder, it took me a little while to get acquainted, but I can't comment on the learning curve difficulty because it was one of the first coding programs I learned. 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 UD Umesh D. Software Developer Government Administration Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A Powerful, Lightweight, and Customizable Code Editor" May 1, 2025 5.0 I have enjoyed using VS Code immensely. I now use it as my primary code editor for web development, Python scripting, and certain data science work. Regular updates and strong community support make the tool improve with time. The tool has the perfect blend of features and usability, making it suitable both for beginners and professional programmers. Pros Visual Studio Code is customizable, speedy, and flexible. The various extensions, Git integration and intelligent code completion (such as IntelliSense) simplify and expedite development. The interface is lightweight and clean, and it supports almost every programming language natively. Cons Some of the extensions can slow down performance or conflict with each other, and it takes some time to have everything in your setup fine tuned. 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 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 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 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 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 AO Abiola O. IT Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Simplicity - exceptional" December 9, 2024 5.0 Awesome. i would recommend anytime. very satisfied Pros I was able to create a website easily. It was amazing Cons it can be quite hard to navigate as a starter Review Source GO GABRIELE O. Founder, FullStack Developer Alternative Medicine Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Still the best IDE on the market" August 22, 2024 5.0 The only IDE I use, even thought there are some upcoming fiery competitors Pros It is the best IDE out there (in my opinion and I've tried many). Unfortunately it is a Microsoft product, so I'm sure sooner or later they'll find the way to ruin it, like the did with many other product they acquired (Skype, Linkedin, etc.). But for now it is still amazing. Cons Too many yearly updates and lots of uncertainty about how data protection and data management is really implemented. Review Source DO Donald O. Executive Technical Director Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "My Overall Experience with VSC" August 2, 2024 5.0 Running, editing and debugging codes is made easy by Visual Studio Code. Pros Visual Studio Code allocates builtin Git commands capabilities which makes it easy to develop codes. Cons Whenever I encounter issues, vendor technical team offers free support rapidly. Review Source MD Marc D. Software engineer Apparel & Fashion Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best IDE for front end " August 1, 2024 5.0 Pros It has all the plugins you need to make your workflow run smoothly Cons It can be pretty heavy on my graphics card when I’m working on larger files and projects Review Source JD Justin D. Cloud engineer Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Fantastic free software" July 23, 2024 5.0 Easily the best SDK I have used. I even use it for JSON or reading logs due to the way it colour codes Pros Ease of use Great error feedback Great UX Cons No obvious way to turn on word wrap Installing dependencies could be easier 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 Similar Products Featured