Visual Studio Code vs Spacemacs

Struggling to choose between Visual Studio Code and Spacemacs? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Visual Studio Code is a Development solution with tags like code-editor, microsoft, open-source, lightweight, extension-ecosystem, debugging, syntax-highlighting, intelligent-code-completion, git-control.

It boasts features such as Code editing, IntelliSense, Debugging, Git integration, Extensions and pros including Lightweight and fast, Free and open source, Great for web development, Customizable via extensions, Built-in Git support, Available on multiple platforms.

On the other hand, Spacemacs is a Development product tagged with vim, emacs, spacemacs, text-editor, keyboard-shortcuts, autocompletion, syntax-highlighting.

Its standout features include Vim-style key bindings, Evil mode for Vim emulation, Support for many languages and frameworks, Preconfigured with many plugins, Easy customization and extension, Great documentation and community support, and it shines with pros like Very customizable and extensible, Combines the power of Emacs with Vim key bindings, Out of the box configuration for many use cases, Active community and ecosystem, Well documented.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code is a free, open-source, lightweight code editor developed by Microsoft. It supports debugging, syntax highlighting, intelligent code completion, and Git control. VS Code has a large extension ecosystem allowing developers to add new languages, themes, debuggers and tools.

Categories:
code-editor microsoft open-source lightweight extension-ecosystem debugging syntax-highlighting intelligent-code-completion git-control

Visual Studio Code Features

  1. Code editing
  2. IntelliSense
  3. Debugging
  4. Git integration
  5. Extensions

Pricing

  • Free
  • Open Source

Pros

Lightweight and fast

Free and open source

Great for web development

Customizable via extensions

Built-in Git support

Available on multiple platforms

Cons

Not as fully-featured as full IDEs

Extensions can affect performance

Limited refactoring capabilities

No built-in terminal on Windows

Steep learning curve for some features


Spacemacs

Spacemacs

Spacemacs is a popular configuration layer and distribution based on Emacs. It aims to provide an ergonomic and consistent experience by adopting vim-style key bindings and integrating extensions like auto-completion and syntax checking.

Categories:
vim emacs spacemacs text-editor keyboard-shortcuts autocompletion syntax-highlighting

Spacemacs Features

  1. Vim-style key bindings
  2. Evil mode for Vim emulation
  3. Support for many languages and frameworks
  4. Preconfigured with many plugins
  5. Easy customization and extension
  6. Great documentation and community support

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Very customizable and extensible

Combines the power of Emacs with Vim key bindings

Out of the box configuration for many use cases

Active community and ecosystem

Well documented

Cons

Steep learning curve for new users

Complex configuration system can be overwhelming initially

Performance not as fast as vanilla Emacs

Breaking changes between versions