ExplainDev VS Productivity Power Tools

ExplainDev

Meet the AI-powered browser extension that explains code using plain language.

Productivity Power Tools

Extension for Visual Studio - A set of extensions to Visual Studio 2012 Professional (and above) which improves developer productivity.

Landing page //
2023-05-09

Landing page //
2023-09-20

ExplainDev

Website: explain.dev
Pricing URL: Official ExplainDev Pricing
$ Details: -

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Productivity Power Tools

Website: marketplace.visualstudio.com
Pricing URL: -
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ExplainDev features and specs

Improved Code Understanding
ExplainDev provides detailed explanations of code snippets, helping users understand how a specific piece of code works.
Facilitates Learning
The tool is beneficial for new developers and students as it can accelerate the learning process by breaking down complex code into simpler terms.
Increased Productivity
By offering quick insights into code, ExplainDev can save time for developers who need to work with unfamiliar codebases.
Integration with Development Tools
ExplainDev can integrate with popular development environments, allowing users to access its features without leaving their coding platforms.

Possible disadvantages of ExplainDev

Dependency on Service
Relying on ExplainDev for code understanding can lead to over-dependence, potentially hindering the development of independent problem-solving skills.
Accuracy Limitations
The explanations provided may not always be accurate or fully comprehensive, especially for complex or niche code snippets.
Data Privacy Concerns
Using an online tool to analyze code might raise concerns about the privacy and security of the code being processed.
Limited Programming Language Support
The tool may not support all programming languages or frameworks, limiting its usefulness for developers working outside of its supported technologies.

Productivity Power Tools features and specs

Enhanced Features
Productivity Power Tools provide numerous enhancements to the existing Visual Studio features, making navigation and coding more efficient.
Customization Options
Users can customize the development environment to better suit their workflow, which can lead to increased productivity.
Improved Code Navigation
The tools include enhanced navigation options, such as quick tabs and better search capabilities, allowing developers to find code faster.
Refactoring and Formatting
The suite includes tools that assist with code refactoring and formatting, which can help maintain consistent code quality across projects.
Debugging Aids
Debugging tools are improved, offering more intuitive ways to troubleshoot and resolve bugs in the code.

Possible disadvantages of Productivity Power Tools

Compatibility Issues
Some users have reported compatibility issues with certain versions of Visual Studio or specific extensions.
Resource Intensive
The additional features may consume extra system resources, potentially affecting the performance of the IDE on lower-end hardware.
Steep Learning Curve
The variety of tools and options may overwhelm new users, leading to a steep learning curve.
Potential for Dependency
Reliance on these tools might limit a developer's ability to work efficiently in environments where they are not available.
Update and Maintenance
Regular updates and maintenance are required to ensure compatibility with the latest versions of Visual Studio, which can be time-consuming.

ExplainDev videos

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Productivity Power Tools videos

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Productivity Power Tools 2017

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to ExplainDev and Productivity Power Tools)

Productivity Power Tools

Developer Tools

11 11%

Developer Tools

89% 89

Regular Expressions

0 0%

Regular Expressions

100% 100

Productivity

11 11%

Productivity

89% 89

100 100%

0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using ExplainDev and Productivity Power Tools. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Productivity Power Tools seems to be a lot more popular than ExplainDev. While we know about 474 links to Productivity Power Tools, we've tracked only 4 mentions of ExplainDev. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

ExplainDev mentions (4)

Buildling ReReview AI - chatbot to help find the best AI tools for any task or team (with GPT-4)
Thanks for the note. Generally best to just describe the task (need to improve the system prompt to always only return tools). Here's the response I got: https://imgur.com/a/NyHBCe2 (https://programming-helper.com/ , https://explain.dev/ , https://tldrdev.ai/ , https://code-mentor.ai/) In addition to the categorization and summary (driven by GPT-4), it takes into account performance metrics of the tool (visits,... Source: about 2 years ago
Why don't there seem to be any courses based around the idea of maintaining and extending legacy software?
Agree with so many of the comments here. I believe the way to equip folks to be productive with legacy code is build tools that replicate the goodness of an experienced engineer while on the job. Supplement the help available and ensure the person onboarding is benefitting from the questions that were asked by new folks before them. I started building the tool here: explain.dev While courses could help you feel... Source: over 2 years ago
Make image tutorials in no time with code explanations from AI.
The technology behind the images is ExplainDev, an AI powered programmer's assistant. You can think of it as an expert that's always available to answer your technical questions and explain code. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
Explanation of a queue data structure in JavaScript
I used explain.dev for code explanations and snappify.io for the visuals :). Source: almost 3 years ago

Productivity Power Tools mentions (474)

Docs like code in basic terms
> it's a widely-used term/practice in tech writing But it's not. You have got the key phrase wrong! It's Docs as Code. There are whole websites devoted to it: https://docsascode.org/ Not "like": As -- meaning, "create docs as you create code", meaning "using the same tools and methods." There is a good strong evidence that your version is inferior: the dozens of comments in this thread by... - Source: Hacker News / 5 days ago
Ty: An fast Python type checker and language server, written in Rust
I installed it in VSCode and removed Mypy, I haven't looked back: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items/?itemName=astral-sh.ty. - Source: Hacker News / 3 days ago
Modern Latex
Having experience with digitizing a university textbook in physics by hand, this is a very nice LaTeX guide for everyone interested. One thing worth noting from 2025 perspective that the "default" local setup is most likely going to be VSCode with LaTeX Workshop[1] and LTeX+[2] extensions, and that you should use TeX Live on every platform supported by it (since MiKTeX and friends can lag). [1]... - Source: Hacker News / 5 days ago
Show HN: Ridvay Code – An AI Coding Assistant for VS Code
* For open-source models, we use only carefully vetted providers who guarantee they do not train on your data. We stand on the shoulders of open-source projects that inspired and enabled us. Ridvay Code is built on top of Roo Code, which itself is based on Cline. Huge thanks to these communities for their foundational work. There's a free tier available with a daily cap, suitable for many tasks. We also provide a... - Source: Hacker News / 5 days ago
Ask HN: What are you working on? (April 2025)
Https://github.com/dh1011/c2p I’m developing a VS Code and Cursor extension that helps developers quickly copy all code in a workspace to the clipboard for use with LLMs. It also displays the token count for each file, as well as the total token count across the workspace. By default, it ignores files listed in .gitignore, but this behavior can be customized in the extension settings, along with many other options. - Source: Hacker News / 13 days ago