Vim vs Visual Studio Code
Vim
vim.org
Visual Studio Code
code.visualstudio.comSide by side
| Figure | Vim | 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 | 8.5 (#15) | 9.0 (#3) |
| Spec score · Code editors | 8.5 (#9) | 9.0 (#2) |
| Spec score · Go IDEs | 7.8 (#19) | 8.2 (#14) |
| Spec score · Editor Software | 7.8 (#26) | 8.1 (#17) |
| Column editing | Yes | Yes |
| Extensions | Vim has an extensive plugin system and a scripting language that allows plugin-like extensions. | The Visual Studio Marketplace lists more than 80,000 extensions. |
| Extension support | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | The maker says Vim integrates with many tools. | The editor includes Git source control and can connect to GitHub Codespaces and remote development environments. |
| Product | Vim is a highly configurable text editor built to make creating and changing text efficient. | Visual Studio Code is a code editor with AI assisted development features. |
| Supported platforms | Windows,macOS,Linux | web,windows,macos,linux |
Plans
In their own words
Vim
Vim is a configurable text editor for creating and changing text, with uses that include programming, composing email, and editing configuration files. It supports hundreds of programming languages and file formats, with search and replace, column editing, macro recording, and a persistent, multi-level undo tree. An extensive plugin system and scripting language let users add plugin-like extensions, and Vim integrates with many tools. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows and is distributed freely under a GPL-compatible license as charityware. Users who find Vim useful are asked to consider donating to help children in Uganda through Kuwasha. Windows downloads include installers and zip packages for x64, x86, and ARM, plus links to Winget packages. For macOS, downloads link to MacVim for a graphical version and Homebrew for a terminal version. On Unix, Vim recommends obtaining it from source and links a daily-built AppImage for many Linux systems. The maker says Vim takes learning and is not a WYSIWYG word processor for typeset documents.
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.