VS Code vs VSCodium
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
Microsoft's open-source code editor, the base of Visual Studio Code, for writing and debugging code.
Open source · MIT
Community-built binaries of VS Code with Microsoft branding, telemetry and licensing removed.
The short answer
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
Choose VSCodium if you need…
- Developers who want the VS Code interface without Microsoft's telemetry or license terms
- People who prefer free/libre software and want a build they can redistribute under MIT
- Linux, macOS, or Windows users who want to install through their usual package manager
- Users who plan to pull extensions from the open-vsx.org registry
Side-by-side
| VS Code | VSCodium | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | App |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 194k | 33.9k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Beginner |
| How you get it | Clone and build from source | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | TypeScript | Shell |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 7 days ago |
What each one is
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.
VSCodium
VSCodium is a code editor built from Microsoft's Visual Studio Code source, but compiled into builds under the MIT license with telemetry disabled and Microsoft branding removed. The project is a set of scripts that automate building those binaries and publishing them as releases. People use it if they like the VS Code experience but want a freely licensed, non-tracking version.
Best for
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
VSCodium
- Developers who want the VS Code interface without Microsoft's telemetry or license terms
- People who prefer free/libre software and want a build they can redistribute under MIT
- Linux, macOS, or Windows users who want to install through their usual package manager
- Users who plan to pull extensions from the open-vsx.org registry
Strengths
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
VSCodium
- Builds are MIT-licensed and the README states telemetry is disabled
- Available through many package managers across Windows, macOS and Linux
- Automated build scripts make the source process transparent and repeatable
Not ideal for
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
VSCodium
- Users who need the official Visual Studio Marketplace, since its terms restrict use to Microsoft products and the project uses open-vsx.org instead
- Users who need Microsoft-only extensions or features that depend on Microsoft's own services
- People who want to build from the official Microsoft source themselves, because the README points them to Microsoft's repository for that
Trade-offs
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
VSCodium
- Some Visual Studio Code extensions have licensing or availability limits that the README says to check, and the README is truncated on this point
- Extensions come from open-vsx.org rather than the official Marketplace, so some may be missing
- Updates depend on the project's build pipeline, so new VS Code releases may arrive with a delay
Getting started
VS Code
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/microsoft/vscodeVSCodium
Install stable on macOS with Homebrew
brew install --cask vscodiumInstall stable on Windows with WinGet
winget install -e --id VSCodium.VSCodiumFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between VS Code and VSCodium?
VS Code: Microsoft's open-source code editor, the base of Visual Studio Code, for writing and debugging code. VSCodium: Community-built binaries of VS Code with Microsoft branding, telemetry and licensing removed. VS Code suits developers who want a lightweight editor that can be extended with add-ons, while VSCodium suits developers who want the vs code interface without microsoft's telemetry or license terms.
Are VS Code and VSCodium free?
VS Code: Free and open source. VSCodium: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, VS Code or VSCodium?
VSCodium is easier to get started with (rated beginner); VS Code is rated intermediate and usually needs more setup.
Is VS Code or VSCodium more popular?
VS Code has more GitHub stars (194k) than VSCodium (33.9k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to VS Code and VSCodium?
Other options people compare them with include MarkText, GitHub1s.
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.