Similar Software to Visual Studio Code: 14 best alternatives for 2023

Visual Studio Code is a free cross-platform code editor for the .NET platform. It was created by the same team that created the popular Team Foundation Server. It has features such as code folding and tabbed editing.

Visual Studio Code is a cross-platform development environment (IDE). It can run Node.js applications, but it can also be used with other languages such as C#, C++, or Java.

Visual Studio Code has many built-in tools that are specifically designed to support cross-platform development and testing. The UI of Visual Studio Code looks very similar to Microsoft’s Visual Studio software suite and also features some similarities like syntax highlighting and code completion features with IntelliSense. An important feature that VS Code can do is provide a simple, stable command-line interface that allows you to perform common tasks with one keystroke.

If you need to run a remote command on your machine, VS Code provides this functionality through its built-in terminal emulator.

1. Apache NetBeans

Starting as a student project in Prague, Apache Netbeans has become one of the most used integrated development environments (IDE) for Java. Its original author was Roman Stanek. Its preview release was on November 2020 and nearly 1 year later it was officially released in November 2021. It works on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Solaris operating systems with 28 available languages. In 2010 Oracle bought Apache NetBeans and made them an official Java IDE.

This software is an open-source and free IDE that can be used to develop web applications on desktop and mobile by providing wizards, editors, debugging, and templates. It not only supports coding in Java but also HTML and CSS. Using dynamic tools, the software will systematically highlight source code so that you can refactor it. NetBeans is also the first software to provide support for Java EE7, JDK 7, and JavaFX 2.

To use NetBeans you need to install Java Development Kit (JDK). It has some great features like a start page with regular updates, the auto-complete function, and the ability to switch between project and file.

Apache Netbeans although easy to use, has a complex Java coding system and is not suitable for beginners. You need to have some basic Java coding knowledge to use it.

2. Eclipse

Eclipse is an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that is commonly used by computer programmers. It features a base workspace and a plug-in system that enables you to set your environment. Ideally, it is written in Java therefore its main objective is to develop Java applications.

You can use it to develop other applications using other programming languages such as C++, C#, Fortran, Lasso, Python, COBOL, Haskell, JavaScript, and many more. In addition, it can be used in developing documents with La Tex and other packages. Installing this application is very and only requires a few steps.

Since it is a Java-based application, it will need a Java Runtime Environment(JRE)or Java Development Kit(JDK). Depending on what you want to do with the eclipse, you can choose to install any of them. For example, if you want Eclipse for Java Development, it would be wise to go for JDK. If not and you need to save your disk space then you can install JRE.

3. Visual Studio 2019

Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) that you can use each time you need to develop programs, web services, web apps, mobile apps, and many other websites.

Visual Studio 2019 has the best tools and services that are very useful for any kind of application, developer, and platform. So, if you are a newbie or used to it, there are many things that you will like about the app. This was released by Microsoft.

The latest version had several features and improvements that assure you of a quick execution and better productivity. You can download it for free from Visual Studio 2019 Preview. This makes it so convenient for you to run any other edition of visual studio alongside this version.

For better team and developers improvement, it features better search, debugger improvement, one-click code cleanup, live share, and many more. Therefore, if you are looking forward to improving your collaborative workflows, Visual Studio 2019 is all that you ever need.

4. IntelliJ IDEA

IntelliJ IDEA is a popular IDE (integrated development environment). Written in Java, it’s meant for developing software. The product was developed in January 2001 by JetBrains. It’s available for use as an Apache 2 Licensed Edition and proprietary Commercial Edition.

IDE offers features such as code completion by analyzing code navigation and the context, which lets users directly jump to a declaration or a class in the code, code debugging, code refactoring, and Linting. Plus, the framework provides options to mend inconsistencies through suggestions.

The IntelliJ IDEA presents integration with packaging/build tools such as Bower, Grunt, SBT, and Gradle. it supports various version control systems such as Mercurial, GIT, SVN, and Perforce. Users can access databases such as Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, SQLite, MySQL, and PostgreSQL from the IDE framework in the Ultimate Edition.

The beauty of the framework is it supports plug-ins. Users can add new functionality to the Framework. You can download and install plug-ins from IntelliJ’s plug-in repository or through the search and install option of IDE’s inbuilt plug-in. The IntelliJ IDEA Framework supports various languages such as CSS, HTML JavaSQL, JavaScript, and others for enhanced software development.

5. PyCharm

PyCharm is a free, open-source, and dedicated integrated development environment (IDE) used for programming. The software was developed by a Chezh company called JetBrains. Its initial release was on the 3rd February 2010 and was officially released on 30th November 2021. It is written in Java and Python and can be used in Windows, Linux, and macOS operating systems.

After the development of the original PyCharm, it went on to release a Community edition and a Professional edition with an education version. The software has an intelligent code editor which can support platforms like Javascript, CSS, and Phyton to detect code error and fix it on the go. Its smart code navigation provides you with an easy click to switch between files and classes.

It has a safe refactoring system that can introduce variables, extract method and delete or rename it. It has many easy-to-use database tools that can debug, test, and profile the coding system. It has integration with Conda, customizable UI, and an interactive Phyton console for better code completion. It supports both Phyton 2 and Phyton 3 versions. PyCharm is currently being used by 882 companies like Trivago, Alibaba Travel, and Udemy. With its incredible and easy-to-use features, using PyCharm is suitable for all beginners.

6. VIM

VIM is an open-source configurable text editor for UNIX. VIM is an acronym for Vi IMproved. Its original author is Bram Moolenaar. Its initial release was on 2nd November 1991 and its stable release was on 12th December 2019. It is written in VIM script and C. It uses Unix, Linux, MS-DOS, Windows NT iOS and Android operating systems. VIM has turned 30 and it has been improving every year. It is easy to use and you only need a few commands to complete a complex task. It is highly configurable and uses a simple text file for storage. You can extend its functionality by using multiple plugins that are available. It has multiple windows, multiple buffers and multiple tabs to support the usage of many files at once. You can repeat the command using the available recording features. It has a very low memory footprint. VIM does not have GUI but it has a separate installer called gVIM that provides it. The idea of this platform is, that the mouse is slow to use instead they use one key shortcut to improve on it. There is one week trial period for this platform. After that, you need to get a subscription to continue using it. Anyone can use this platform but it is not recommended for beginners. Usually, mid-size companies and IT-related companies use this platform.

7. Sublime Text

Sublime Text is a source code editor that natively supports programming and markup languages. Its functionality can also be expanded with the use of plugins and be able to maintain its free software licensed in the long run. It was developed by Sublime HQ in January 2008, 14 years ago, and can be downloaded for windows and mac users. Both of these platforms are well supported by Sublime text and they have assured their clients that it will be stable and it will not have any crash and lag problems when being used. Most of the users of the Sublime Text can be developers and coding experts. But perhaps it is very best feature is that it is very affordable and paying for it can be done via Paypal. Overall the Sublime text software is very affordable and easy to use that even a newbie can easily understand because of its friendly user interface.

8. NotePad++

NotePad++ is an open source text editing software launched by DonHo in 2003. This software supports different code languages and was designed for Microsoft Windows but can also be used on Linux.

NotePad++ can be used for writing, editing and saving documents, and also for editing files that contain different language codes. It can be compared to the popular Microsoft windows notepad, but Notepad++ has some extra features that can be very useful in different situations. First of all, this software identifies different language codes, providing us with a clear and organised presentation of the code.

If we opened the same code document on Notepad++ and Windows Notepad we would immediately notice the huge difference between the organisation of the information in this two software. Furthermore, Notepad++ shows the line numbers making it much easier to work and allowing us to open multiple tabs in the same window. On the other hand, this software is able to open every file no matter its extension, it won't open the file just when it's corrupt.

In conclusion, this text editor is perfect for those people and programmers who like Windows Notepad but would like to upgrade it, having some useful extra features.

9. ActionDesk

Actiondesk is a web application that organizes databases in order to more readily analyze data. It was created in 2020 by Valentin Lehuger and Jonathan Parisot when they created a start-up that had an influx of preorders and needed to be able to quickly access their customers' data in order to fulfil the orders.

Actiondesk makes it easy to access any part of a large database without having to use SQL. It's perfect for any start-up that is already familiar with Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. Any set of data can be instantly accessed by simply asking a question to the application's powerful AI.

It requires no code set up and multiple team members can collaborate on the same set of data at the same time for maximum efficiency. For even deeper analysis, the newly created databases easily integrate into Salesforce, Stripe, SQL, and a host of other enterprise applications. Actiondesk starts at $15 per month, per user with a free 14-day trial.

10. WriteMonkey

Writemonkey is a free text editor for windows with a very simple and easy-to-use interface.

This software has been specifically designed to write, in comparison with other text editors this has been created as a better choice for this task, you will definitely notice it when you open the program since it will only show an area to start writing, leaving out many common tools for text editing.

If you run the program in window mode it will show the toolbar on the top of it, but If you run it on full screen the toolbar will disappear, removing every distraction, but you will still be able to access the tools by right-clicking your mouse.

This software has also some common features among the text editors such as spell check, and it also has some curiosities such as the possibility to put different sounds while writing, for example, an old keyboard typing sound, which could be more immersive for some people and make them more focused on their writing. Writemonkey is a comfortable, quick, and easy-to-use program. Since it leaves out many features of a typical text editor, it is way lighter than those, which makes it work faster and more efficiently If you don't need to make use of that tools.

11. Brackets

Brackets is a source code editor that was launched in 2017 by Adobe Systems. It is available for Windows, Linux and Mac OS and was written in JavaScript, HTML and CSS. This software is one the most common ones among the website developers since it has multiple useful features for designing a website which makes it different and more efficient than others.

Brackets give you the choice to quickly edit the properties of a CSS file, and it also allows you to see the changes you have made on a project using the preview function, which can be very useful and comfortable to see the progress you have already made and how it looks like. Some other interesting features of it are that it allows you to manipulate the structure of the folders or open a remotely allocated website from this software. This software is a very modern open-source code editor that will allow you to work on a website in a very comfortable way, it is powerful, light and efficient at the same time.

12. Clappia

Clappia is an online development application that allows professionals to create business process apps without any code. Clappia was created in India in 2017. Almost every business in this modern age needs an app to facilitate its processes.

Clappia makes it easy for any business owner to create their own app. Clappia comes with a few templates to get started such as order or inventory tracking forms. These templates contain text forms that can be easily labelled and imported into your app.

If you don't want to use a template, you can design your app from scratch using the built-in editor. App design becomes a breeze with this tool as you can drag and drop various items such as text fields, charts, tables, and sliders right on the screen. The coding is already taken care of by the algorithm on the back end. Clappia starts at $5 per month and includes a 30-day free trial.

13. Obsidian

Obsidian is a powerful toolbox with 25 core plugins, 608 community plugins, and 128 themes plus custom styling; it's easy for anyone to set up a site that looks exactly how they want it. Using plain text Markdown files, one can create emails, websites, books, and presentations with access from practically any application without tags interfering with the layout. Users can utilize graph view to connect the dots between notes helping them generate new ideas and organize them. Known as the second brain, Obsidian allows users to add backlink plug-ins to notes to help past ideas resurface and outgoing links to generate potential connections for future use. With all the work and details this site has to offer, they've also made it future-proof. By saving your data into a local folder, when the cloud no longer exists, your data will, making it available forever. Obsidian works completely offline so you can look over and work on your projects anytime from anywhere.

14. CherryTree

CherryTree is a note-taking application that features rich text, highlighting, image handling, and hyperlinks with its import and export in multiple formats. This is a free hierarchical app that works well on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It helps the user to organize all the notes, bookmarks, personal information, and source codes. It also lets the users define the hyperlinks, print and export to PDF format, and import data from Notecase, Basket, Tuxcards, and Keepnote notebooks. It has a nice and fast customizable interface with an undo function, table editing, exporting and importing CSV files, line wrapping, and auto-saving features. Cherrynotes can also be used for writing logbooks, inventory, letters and articles, contact lists, recipes, and to-do lists. If you are looking for a notebook tool that is easy to use and can work across platforms, CherryTree is a good choice because of its versatility. This note-taking tool works with Mid Size businesses, Small businesses, Enterprise, Freelance, Nonprofit, and Government organizations.