CodeEdit vs VS Code
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A free, open-source code editor built natively for macOS, aiming to feel like a Mac app.
Open source · MIT
Microsoft's open-source code editor, the base of Visual Studio Code, for writing and debugging code.
The short answer
Choose CodeEdit if you need…
- Developers on a Mac who work on non-Apple projects and want a native macOS editor
- People who prefer open-source software that is free and licensed under MIT
- Users who want to test pre-release editor builds and give feedback
- Contributors who are comfortable with Swift and SwiftUI/AppKit
Choose VS Code if you need…
- Developers who want a lightweight editor that can be extended with add-ons
- People who want to read or modify the editor's source code
- Contributors who want to fix bugs or propose features in an active project
- Developers working across many languages who want built-in grammars and snippets
Side-by-side
| CodeEdit | VS Code | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | App |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 23.1k | 194k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Download the app | Clone and build from source |
| Main language | Swift | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 19 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
CodeEdit
CodeEdit is a code editor written specifically for macOS by a community of contributors. The README lists features such as syntax highlighting, code completion, project-wide find and replace, snippets, a terminal, task running, debugging, git integration, code review, and extensions. The project says it wants to stay lightweight like TextEdit while growing toward the feature set of Xcode when needed.
VS Code
Visual Studio Code is a code editor that combines simple editing with the tools developers need for the edit, build, and debug cycle. It offers code editing, navigation, lightweight debugging, and an extension system. This repository is the open-source "Code - OSS" source; the official VS Code product is a distribution of it with Microsoft-specific additions under a separate license.
Best for
CodeEdit
- Developers on a Mac who work on non-Apple projects and want a native macOS editor
- People who prefer open-source software that is free and licensed under MIT
- Users who want to test pre-release editor builds and give feedback
- Contributors who are comfortable with Swift and SwiftUI/AppKit
VS Code
- Developers who want a lightweight editor that can be extended with add-ons
- People who want to read or modify the editor's source code
- Contributors who want to fix bugs or propose features in an active project
- Developers working across many languages who want built-in grammars and snippets
Strengths
CodeEdit
- Native macOS app written in Swift, in line with the project's goal of avoiding Electron
- Free and open source under the MIT license, with a stated commitment to stay free
- Active community with Discord, GitHub Discussions, and a weekly public meetup
VS Code
- MIT licensed and developed in public by Microsoft with a published roadmap and monthly iteration plans
- Extensible through a large extension model, with many components living in separate repositories
- Includes a Dev Container and Codespaces setup for consistent development environments
Not ideal for
CodeEdit
- Teams that need a production-stable editor, since the README says it is in development and not yet recommended for production use
- Users on Windows or Linux, since the project is written entirely for macOS
- People who need the full, mature feature set of Xcode for Apple platform development
VS Code
- People who only need a basic text editor, since a full build of this project is resource-heavy (README recommends 4 cores and 6 GB RAM, 8 GB preferred)
- Users who want the official Microsoft product build; this repo is the open-source base, and the README says the official product has different licensing and customizations
- Non-developers looking for a general-purpose office or note-taking tool
Trade-offs
CodeEdit
- The README says it is still in development and not yet recommended for production use
- Only runs on macOS, so it does not serve cross-platform developers
- The README does not give detailed system requirements or a full feature-completeness status
VS Code
- Building from source requires significant hardware and Docker or a similar setup for the containerized route
- The README describes the official product as a Microsoft-licensed distribution, so the open-source build may differ from the downloadable product
- Some features and extensions live in other repositories, so the full experience is spread across projects
Getting started
CodeEdit
Download the latest release
git clone https://github.com/CodeEditApp/CodeEditVS Code
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/microsoft/vscodeFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between CodeEdit and VS Code?
CodeEdit: A free, open-source code editor built natively for macOS, aiming to feel like a Mac app. VS Code: Microsoft's open-source code editor, the base of Visual Studio Code, for writing and debugging code. CodeEdit suits developers on a mac who work on non-apple projects and want a native macos editor, while VS Code suits developers who want a lightweight editor that can be extended with add-ons.
Are CodeEdit and VS Code free?
CodeEdit: Free and open source. VS Code: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, CodeEdit or VS Code?
CodeEdit is easier to get started with (rated beginner); VS Code is rated intermediate and usually needs more setup.
Is CodeEdit or VS Code more popular?
VS Code has more GitHub stars (194k) than CodeEdit (23.1k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to CodeEdit and VS Code?
Other options people compare them with include GitDiagram, Notepads, VSCodium, MarkText.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.