Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

VS Code VS Amazon WorkSpaces

Compare VS Code VS Amazon WorkSpaces and see what are their differences

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VS Code logo VS Code

Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

Amazon WorkSpaces logo Amazon WorkSpaces

Amazon WorkSpaces is a managed desktop computing service in the cloud.
  • VS Code Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-10-09
  • Amazon WorkSpaces Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-24

VS Code features and specs

  • Cross-platform
    VS Code works on Windows, macOS, and Linux, providing a consistent development experience across different operating systems.
  • Extensibility
    A vast library of extensions allows users to add functionalities like debuggers, linters, and themes, making it highly customizable.
  • Integrated Git
    Built-in Git integration makes it easy to manage version control tasks directly within the editor.
  • Performance
    Lightweight compared to full-fledged IDEs, ensuring good performance even on systems with limited resources.
  • IntelliSense
    Advanced code completion and refactoring tools help improve coding efficiency and reduce errors.
  • Community Support
    A strong and active community provides extensive support, tutorials, and third-party extensions.
  • Debugging
    Robust debugging tools for various languages and frameworks are available out of the box.
  • Free and Open-Source
    VS Code is completely free to use and open-source, which is beneficial for both individual developers and organizations.

Possible disadvantages of VS Code

  • Limited IDE Features
    While extensible, it may lack some advanced features found in dedicated IDEs out of the box.
  • Extension Management
    Managing and configuring a large number of extensions can become cumbersome and sometimes lead to performance issues.
  • Learning Curve
    Although user-friendly, it has a steeper learning curve for beginners due to its numerous features and customization options.
  • Memory Usage
    Despite being lightweight, it can consume a significant amount of memory when multiple extensions are installed.
  • Update Frequency
    Frequent updates may sometimes introduce bugs or require users to adapt to new changes quickly.
  • Internet Dependency
    Some features and extensions may require an internet connection to function optimally.
  • Telemetry
    By default, VS Code collects usage data, which might be a concern for users sensitive about data privacy. However, this can be disabled.

Amazon WorkSpaces features and specs

  • Scalability
    Amazon WorkSpaces can easily scale up or down depending on the number of users and computing requirements, allowing businesses to adjust resources dynamically and manage costs effectively.
  • Security
    Amazon WorkSpaces provides robust security features, including data encryption, advanced firewalls, and secure access controls, ensuring that sensitive information is safeguarded.
  • Ease of Management
    With centralized management tools, administrators can easily deploy, manage, and monitor virtual desktops, simplifying IT administration and maintenance tasks.
  • Anywhere Access
    Users can securely access their desktop from any device with an internet connection, offering flexibility and support for remote work.
  • Cost Efficiency
    With a pay-as-you-go pricing model, businesses can avoid hefty upfront hardware investments and only pay for the resources they use, potentially lowering operational costs.
  • Seamless Integration
    Amazon WorkSpaces integrates smoothly with other AWS services, enabling a cohesive cloud ecosystem and facilitating additional capabilities such as file storage, backups, and disaster recovery.

Possible disadvantages of Amazon WorkSpaces

  • Network Dependency
    Performance is highly dependent on internet connectivity and bandwidth. Poor network quality can result in latency issues, disrupting user experience.
  • Cost Implications with Scaling
    While WorkSpaces can be cost-effective, costs can escalate with extensive usage and high-performance requirements, making it expensive for large-scale deployments if not managed properly.
  • Learning Curve
    Implementing and managing Amazon WorkSpaces can require some level of expertise and training, which might be a barrier for organizations not familiar with AWS services.
  • Limited Hardware Control
    As a fully managed service, users have limited control over the underlying hardware, potentially leading to compatibility issues with specific software or peripherals.

Analysis of VS Code

Overall verdict

  • Yes, VS Code is generally considered a good choice for developers due to its flexibility, efficiency, and strong community support. It is lightweight, fast, and user-friendly, catering to both novice and experienced developers.

Why this product is good

  • VS Code, developed by Microsoft, is a widely popular and versatile code editor. It offers a robust extension ecosystem, which allows developers to customize their workflow and coding environment extensively. Additionally, VS Code supports numerous programming languages right out of the box and provides features like IntelliSense, debugging, Git integration, and a built-in terminal, making it a powerful tool for developers.

Recommended for

  • Web developers looking for a comprehensive yet lightweight coding environment.
  • Software developers who need an editor with extensive language support and customization options.
  • Beginner programmers who would benefit from a feature-rich editor that can grow with their skills.
  • Developers interested in an open-source tool with continuous updates and community-driven enhancements.

Analysis of Amazon WorkSpaces

Overall verdict

  • Amazon WorkSpaces is a solid choice for businesses looking for a reliable and scalable virtual desktop infrastructure. Its flexibility and integration capabilities make it suitable for a wide range of use cases.

Why this product is good

  • Amazon WorkSpaces is considered a good option for virtual desktops due to its scalability, security, and ease of use. It allows organizations to provision Windows or Linux desktops quickly, supports a pay-as-you-go pricing model, and integrates seamlessly with other AWS services, providing robust security and compliance controls.

Recommended for

  • Organizations with a remote or distributed workforce
  • Companies needing secure, compliant desktop environments
  • Businesses seeking to simplify desktop management and reduce IT overhead
  • Startups and small to medium enterprises looking for cost-effective virtual desktop solutions

VS Code videos

My New Favorite Text Editor - Visual Studio Code

More videos:

  • Review - 7 reasons why I switched to Visual Studio Code from Sublime Text

Amazon WorkSpaces videos

Introduction to Amazon WorkSpaces Virtual Desktop Running on the Samsung Galaxy S8 with DeX Station

More videos:

  • Review - How I use Amazon workspaces for day trading
  • Review - Dive into Amazon WorkSpaces with Jeff Barr

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to VS Code and Amazon WorkSpaces)
Text Editors
100 100%
0% 0
Cloud Computing
0 0%
100% 100
IDE
100 100%
0% 0
Office & Productivity
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 VS Code and Amazon WorkSpaces

VS Code Reviews

  1. dksinden
    ยท Working at SpeechKit ยท

Boost Your Productivity with These Top Text Editors and IDEs
Visual Studio Code, commonly known as VS Code, is a powerful and extensible code editor developed by Microsoft. With its rich ecosystem of extensions and features like IntelliSense, debugging, and Git integration, VS Code enhances your coding productivity.
Source: convesio.com
13 Best Text Editors to Speed up Your Workflow
Finally, the Visual Studio Code website has numerous tabs for you to learn about the software. The documentation page walks you through steps like the setup and working with different languages. Youโ€™re also able to check out some tips and tricks and learn all of the Visual Studio Code keyboard shortcuts. Along with a blog, updates page, extensions library and API...
Source: kinsta.com
Jupyter Notebook & 10 Alternatives: Data Notebook Review [2023]
Previously, VS Code was more suited to developers or engineers due to its lack of data analysis capabilities, but since 2020, the VS Code team has collaborated with the Jupyter team to create an integrated notebook within VS Code. The end result is a fantastic IDE workbook for data analysis.
Source: lakefs.io
The Best IDEs for Java Development: A Comparative Analysis
Overview: Although not a traditional IDE, VS Code has gained popularity as a lightweight code editor.
Source: dev.to
20 Best Diff Tools to Compare File Contents on Linux
Visual studio code is a code editor made by Microsoft. It supports several development operations like debugging, task running, and version control. It works on Linux, macOS and Windows operating systems.
Source: linuxopsys.com

Amazon WorkSpaces Reviews

Top 5 Alternatives to Citrix: Workspace Management Software for Secure Access to Applications and Desktops
Last but not least, Amazon WorkSpaces offers a virtual desktop feature for all. One of its notable features is that it is easy to set up, with customers having a full suite of customization options for their apps from the company's marketplace. All of that works under the e-commerce company's cloud-based server, Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, VS Code seems to be a lot more popular than Amazon WorkSpaces. While we know about 1214 links to VS Code, we've tracked only 21 mentions of Amazon WorkSpaces. 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.

VS Code mentions (1214)

  • How to Get Your First Tool Online
    The step up from there is an editor with a built-in agent like Cursor, Google Antigravity, Windsurf, or VS Code with a coding extension. These are code editors with an AI agent living inside them, and the difference is the responsible party for getting things from place to place. Instead of the software creator shuttling code between windows, the AI agent edits the project files directly and runs the GitHub and... - Source: dev.to / 8 days ago
  • Agentic Engineering: What Does AI Coding Really Cost?
    For IDE-heavy teams, BYOK (bring your own key) can be interesting, no matter whether you live in WebStorm or VS Code. On the JetBrains side, the JetBrains AI plans and Junie BYOK docs allow it, and most VS Code AI extensions offer the same idea: keep the IDE, connect provider keys, pay the provider. - Source: dev.to / 29 days ago
  • Best Markdown Editors for Developers
    Option 1: Raw editing in IDE. You open the .md file in VS Code or whatever you use. Syntax highlighting shows you the structure. Maybe you toggle a preview pane. This works for quick edits but becomes painful for anything involving tables, diagrams, or complex formatting. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Document Generation for Developers: Security, Compliance, and Build-vs-Buy Decisions for the Template-Plus-Data Pipeline
    You'll need Python 3.8+ and pip for the quickstart, with venv recommended for isolation. Install the requests library for HTTP calls. VS Code with the Python extension works well as an editor, though PyCharm or Sublime Text work equally well. You'll also need a free Foxit developer account. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Notes + Local AI: Simpler Than You Think
    For viewing and navigating, Obsidian handles large markdown libraries well: graph view, tag search, template plugins. VSCode works too if you'd rather stay in your dev environment. Both read the same folder with no conversion needed. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
View more

Amazon WorkSpaces mentions (21)

  • Find Unknown Table
    You need to provide more info. Is it this? Which tier? https://aws.amazon.com/workspaces/. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Accessing a powerful windows desktop
    Looking for a powerful windows desktop that will compile faster than my laptop, ideally a virtual desktop like Fully Managed VDI โ€“ Amazon WorkSpaces Family โ€“ Amazon Web Services. The machine needs to run windows and be able to install Quartus Intelยฎ Quartusยฎ Prime Lite Edition Design Software Version 20.1.1 for Windows. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Delivery delays with laptops for new hires. What are my options?
    I was thinking this.. a VDI should tide them over, or an AWS workspace perhaps? https://aws.amazon.com/workspaces/. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Best Solutions to Reducing E-Waste
    Virtualization has continued to improve with technology and the speed of the internet.  You can enhance your device by merely leveraging the high-performance computers in the cloud without having to worry about how good your computer is.  Upgrades are as simple as a click of a button.  Try services like Shells or Amazon Workspaces. Source: over 3 years ago
  • How can I run Firefox from AWS?
    Yes, that should be possible. https://aws.amazon.com/workspaces/ might be easier. But either is going to be expensive to run with a usable amount of RAM. Why are you trying to do this? Source: almost 4 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing VS Code and Amazon WorkSpaces, you can also consider the following products

Sublime Text - Sublime Text is a sophisticated text editor for code, html and prose - any kind of text file. You'll love the slick user interface and extraordinary features. Fully customizable with macros, and syntax highlighting for most major languages.

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops - Virtual desktop infrastructure for application delivery

Vim - Highly configurable text editor built to enable efficient text editing

Inuvika OVD Enterprise - A cost-effective alternative to Citrix or alternative to Omnissa/VMware Horizon. OVD Enterprise deliver Windows and Linux apps and desktops on a Linux platform. Requires less infrastructure and fewer Microsoft licenses. Lower your TCO by up to 60%.

Node.js - Node.js is a platform built on Chrome's JavaScript runtime for easily building fast, scalable network applications

Evolve IP Virtual Desktop - Evolve IP has been enabling businesses to deploy both cloud computing and cloud communications services on a single, unified platform.