devtool
VS Code
The undisputed modern development standard, though resource usage is becoming problematic
9.3Overall
Utility10
Onboarding9
Craft9
Niche fit8
Longevity10
Five dimensions scored independently; overall is a weighted average. Scores are only comparable within this same rubric.
Good for
Web/full-stack developers needing rich extensions
Not for
Low-level devs needing native performance or minimalism
Project description
Microsoft's dominant code editor. Massive extension ecosystem, integrated terminal/debugger/git. Foundation for Cursor, Windsurf forks. Free.