KWrite vs Visual Studio Code
KWrite
apps.kde.org
Visual Studio Code
code.visualstudio.comSide by side
| Figure | KWrite | Visual Studio Code |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Text Editors | 8.4 (#20) | 9.0 (#3) |
| Column editing | Yes | Yes |
| Extension support | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Maker | KDE e.V. is a registered nonprofit in Germany representing the KDE Community in legal and financial matters. | Microsoft Corporation is the company named in the product license; Microsoft lists its headquarters in Redmond, Washington, and says it was founded in 1975. |
| Multi-cursor editing | Yes | Yes |
| Privacy | KDE’s software privacy policy says its software generally does not transfer information from end-user devices except after an explicit user action. | VS Code collects telemetry, which users can disable with the telemetry.telemetryLevel setting; extensions may collect separate telemetry. |
| Product | KWrite is a text editor by KDE based on Kate’s editor component. | Visual Studio Code is a code editor with AI assisted development features. |
| Supported platforms | Linux,Windows,macOS | web,windows,macos,linux |
Plans
In their own words
KWrite
KWrite is a free text editor from KDE, built on Kate’s editor component. It runs on Linux, Windows, and macOS. The editor highlights syntax according to file type and includes word completion, automatic indentation, plugin support, and Vi input mode. Multi-cursor editing, column editing, and extension support are listed. Linux users can install it through Discover or another AppStream store, a distribution package manager, or Flathub. Nightly installers include a Linux AppImage and Windows and macOS builds for ARM and Intel. The project lists KWrite under the LGPL-2.1+ license. The latest listed release is version 26.08.2, dated 2026-10-08. Nightly builds come from the latest development branch and are intended for testing. KDE provides a handbook, forum, and #kate channel on Libera.Chat, plus bug-reporting and source links. Its privacy policy generally limits transfers from end-user devices to explicit user actions, though distributors may modify the software.
Visual Studio Code
Visual Studio Code is an open-source code editor with AI-assisted development features for macOS, Linux, Windows, and the web. It offers inline AI suggestions and intelligent completions, and its agent workflows can plan tasks, change code, run commands, and iterate. Users can switch between agent work and direct coding in the same editor. Agent workflows work with Copilot and third-party providers, and users can supply their own model key. The editor includes JavaScript, TypeScript, CSS, and HTML support; extensions add support for other languages. Its Marketplace lists more than 80,000 extensions. Built-in tools include Git source control, an integrated terminal, code running and debugging, build tasks, and local history. It connects to GitHub Codespaces and remote development environments, while Settings Sync and profiles help carry and organize customizations. The browser version has a limited execution environment. VS Code is free for private or commercial use at free. A GitHub account is required to start building with AI agents.