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VPT VS CodePen

Compare VPT VS CodePen and see what are their differences

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VPT logo VPT

VPT 8 by HC Gilje, released may 2018. Video Projection Tool (VPT) is a free multipurpose realtime projection software tool for Mac and Windows. VPT 7 was downloaded over 100000 times, so in spite o…

CodePen logo CodePen

A front end web development playground.
  • VPT Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-15
  • CodePen Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-30

VPT features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    VPT (Video Projection Tool) offers an intuitive and straightforward interface that allows artists and designers to easily create and manipulate projection mapping projects without requiring extensive technical knowledge.
  • Versatility
    VPT supports a wide range of media formats and allows for multiple projections, making it a versatile tool for a variety of artistic and design applications, from simple installations to complex multimedia projects.
  • Cost-Effective
    As a free and open-source tool, VPT is accessible to creatives with limited budgets, enabling them to explore projection mapping without financial constraints.

Possible disadvantages of VPT

  • Limited Advanced Features
    While suitable for basic projection mapping tasks, VPT may lack some of the advanced features and capabilities found in more commercial solutions, potentially limiting its use for higher-end or complex projects.
  • Learning Curve for Customization
    While VPT is relatively easy for basic tasks, customizing and optimizing projects for specific needs might require a deeper understanding of the tool's functionalities, leading to a steeper learning curve for some users.
  • Platform Limitations
    VPT is primarily developed for specific platforms and may not have the same level of support or compatibility across all operating systems, potentially restricting its usability for some users.

CodePen features and specs

  • Real-time Collaboration
    Developers can collaborate with others in real-time, making it easy to work on projects with teammates or seek help from the community.
  • Immediate Visual Feedback
    CodePen allows you to see the results of your code as you write it, which is highly beneficial for learning and debugging.
  • Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
    CodePen provides a comfortable and feature-rich online IDE environment with syntax highlighting, autocomplete, and more.
  • Community-Driven
    Users can share their work with the CodePen community, receive feedback, and explore a wide range of projects created by others.
  • Extensive Resources
    CodePen offers a wealth of examples and templates for various web development tasks, making it a useful resource for learning and inspiration.
  • Cross-Device Accessibility
    Being an online platform, CodePen can be accessed from any device with an internet connection, making it convenient for developers on the move.

Possible disadvantages of CodePen

  • Limited Offline Functionality
    Since CodePen is primarily an online tool, it requires an internet connection for most of its features to work, limiting its usefulness in offline environments.
  • Performance Constraints
    Complex or resource-intensive projects may not perform as well on CodePen as they would in a full-fledged local development environment.
  • Subscription Costs
    While many features are free, advanced functionalities and additional storage options require a paid subscription, which may not be ideal for all users.
  • Limited Backend Capabilities
    CodePen is primarily designed for front-end development, so it offers limited support for backend technologies, making it less suitable for full-stack or server-side development.
  • Dependency Management
    Managing dependencies and libraries can be cumbersome compared to local development environments which have better tools for this purpose, like npm.
  • Security Concerns
    Sharing projects with the public can expose your code and assets to unauthorized use, posing potential intellectual property and security risks.

Analysis of VPT

Overall verdict

  • Yes, VPT is widely regarded as a good platform.

Why this product is good

  • VPT (Video Projection Tool) by HC Gilje is appreciated for its innovative approach to real-time video projection. It offers powerful tools for artists and designers, enabling creative and dynamic visual presentations in various environments. Users have praised it for its versatility, ease of use, and the ability to handle complex projection setups effectively.

Recommended for

  • Artists seeking a dynamic tool for video projection
  • Designers working on live performances or installations
  • Educators looking to incorporate engaging visuals into their lessons
  • Technicians handling stage and event productions

Analysis of CodePen

Overall verdict

  • Yes, CodePen is considered a good platform for web developers, both beginners and experienced. It offers a wide array of features that facilitate creative development and community engagement.

Why this product is good

  • CodePen is a popular online code editor and community platform for front-end developers to experiment with creating and sharing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript snippets. It provides an easy-to-use interface and real-time previews, making it a valuable tool for learning, prototyping, and sharing web development work. It also fosters a community where developers can showcase their projects, receive feedback, and learn from each other.

Recommended for

  • Front-end developers who want to quickly prototype and test web designs.
  • Beginners in web development looking to learn and receive feedback from the community.
  • Educators and students interested in a platform to showcase projects and collaborate.
  • Developers who want to explore creative coding and share their work with a community.

VPT videos

VPT 7 quickstart

CodePen videos

What Is Codepen?

More videos:

  • Review - Learn to use CodePen from a co-founder of CodePen
  • Review - Using CodePen For Inspiration & Learning

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to VPT and CodePen)
3D
100 100%
0% 0
Text Editors
0 0%
100% 100
Audio & Music
100 100%
0% 0
Programming
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare VPT and CodePen

VPT Reviews

7 Best Projection Mapping Software 2024 (#1 Video Mapper)
Other options include Resolume Arena, which excels in live performances and offers an ultra-fast video player for real-time video mixing. Resolume Avenue, a sister program to Arena, also provides a reliable visual programming environment with an audio processing engine. HeavyM, on the other hand, is suitable for beginners and small-scale events, offering an online library of...
Exploring the top 10 World of LCD Projector Mapping Softwares
VPT, also known as Video Projection Tool, is an open-source software that has gained popularity for its simplicity and accessibility. With its drag-and-drop interface, users can easily map video content onto surfaces in real-time. VPT offers a range of customizable effects and transitions, making it suitable for both small-scale projects and large-scale installations.

CodePen Reviews

Best Forums for Developers to Join in 2025
Codepen is a social network for developers to show off their work, ask and answer questions, and exchange ideas. It's like a Reddit for coding and design, with a large community of talented web developers.
Source: www.notchup.com
Top 10 Developer Communities You Should Explore
Codepen is a social development environment that allows developers to showcase their work and experiment with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript in a collaborative space. Codepen’s focus on visual and interactive development makes it an excellent community for front-end developers and designers.
Source: www.qodo.ai
8 Best Replit Alternatives & Competitors in 2022 (Free & Paid) - Software Discover
Codepen is a social development environment for front-end designers and developers. Build and deploy a website, show off your work, build test cases to learn.
Best Online Code Editors For Web Developers
Probably the most popular online code editor. CodePen is fast, easy to use, and allows a web developer to write and share HTML/CSS/JS code online.
Source: techarge.in
Top 25 websites for coding challenge and competition [Updated for 2021]
CodePen is a cool online IDE that allows you to write code in your browser and see the result just as you build it. CodePen challenges is a place for leveling up your skills by building things. Each week, new challenges appear for you to tackle, and the best “Pens” get picked.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, CodePen seems to be a lot more popular than VPT. While we know about 503 links to CodePen, we've tracked only 2 mentions of VPT. 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.

VPT mentions (2)

  • Looking for simple VJ software
    Video projection tool can do that for free. https://hcgilje.wordpress.com/vpt/. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Lightweight projector mapping software for windows?
    VPT8 might be what you're looking for. Source: almost 4 years ago

CodePen mentions (503)

View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing VPT and CodePen, you can also consider the following products

Resolume - Resolume is an application for live video performances.

JSFiddle - Test your JavaScript, CSS, HTML or CoffeeScript online with JSFiddle code editor.

MadMapper - The Mapping Software

CodeSandbox - Online playground for React

QLab - QLab, Live show control for Mac OS X.

GitHub - Originally founded as a project to simplify sharing code, GitHub has grown into an application used by over a million people to store over two million code repositories, making GitHub the largest code host in the world.