Software Alternatives & Startups

VS Code VS CNET

Compare VS Code VS CNET and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

VS Code logo VS Code

Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

CNET logo CNET

CNET is a website that provides you with the latest tech news and tech reviews. The homepage of the website is a huge feed of the latest tech stories that would take you hours to sort through. Read more about CNET.
  • VS Code Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-10-09
  • CNET Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-21

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.

CNET features and specs

  • Comprehensive Coverage
    CNET provides extensive coverage on a wide range of topics including technology news, product reviews, software, and how-to guides.
  • Expert Reviews
    The site features detailed expert reviews of the latest gadgets and tech products, offering valuable insights and recommendations.
  • User Reviews
    CNET allows users to leave reviews and ratings for products, giving a community perspective in addition to expert opinions.
  • Up-to-Date Information
    CNET is known for keeping its content current, regularly updating its articles, reviews, and news stories to provide the latest information.
  • Video Content
    The site offers a variety of video content, including tutorials, unboxings, and reviews, providing a rich multimedia experience.

Possible disadvantages of CNET

  • Advertisements
    CNET contains a significant amount of ads and sponsored content, which can be distracting and may affect the user experience.
  • Biased Reviews
    There have been claims that some reviews are biased, possibly due to partnerships with certain tech companies or advertisers.
  • Navigation Complexity
    The website’s layout can be complex and overwhelming, making it difficult for users to find specific information quickly.
  • Performance Issues
    The site can sometimes be slow to load, partly because of the heavy media content and numerous ads.
  • Information Overload
    Given the sheer volume of content available, users may sometimes find it challenging to sift through and find relevant information.

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 CNET

Overall verdict

  • CNET is generally considered a reliable and trustworthy source for technology news and reviews. Its long-standing reputation in the tech journalism industry and its commitment to providing detailed, unbiased information make it a good resource for tech enthusiasts and consumers.

Why this product is good

  • CNET is a well-established technology news website that provides reviews, news, articles, blogs, and podcasts on a wide array of tech-related topics. It is respected for its thorough product reviews and comparisons, making it a valuable resource for consumers looking to stay informed about the latest tech trends and products. The website also features how-to guides and a robust video library, offering a comprehensive multimedia experience.

Recommended for

    CNET is recommended for anyone interested in technology, including tech enthusiasts, consumers looking to purchase new tech products, and individuals seeking information on how to use and troubleshoot technology in their daily lives.

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

CNET videos

CNET's favorite 2020 laptops so far

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to VS Code and CNET)
Text Editors
100 100%
0% 0
Software Marketplace
0 0%
100% 100
IDE
100 100%
0% 0
Online Services
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 CNET

VS Code Reviews

  1. dksinden
    · Working at SpeechKit ·

Choosing the Best SQL Server Tool in 2026
If you're a Windows DBA who mainly manages servers, SSMS is still hard to beat. SQL Server Data Tools makes the most sense for teams building database projects in Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code with the MSSQL extension is a good option for cross-platform development, and DBeaver works well if SQL Server is just one of several databases you manage.
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. You’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

CNET Reviews

We have no reviews of CNET yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, VS Code seems to be a lot more popular than CNET. While we know about 1216 links to VS Code, we've tracked only 19 mentions of CNET. 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 (1216)

  • Introducing MonoLisa for Visual Studio Code
    While Visual Studio Code supports OpenType features for its code editor well, configuring those features can be complex as it relies on understanding related CSS syntax. On top of this, additional configuration may be required. Because of this purpose, we have introduced an official MonoLisa extension for VS Code (Open VSX). Depending on the version you have installed, it guides you in configuration. On top of... - Source: dev.to / 8 days ago
  • History of JavaScript: Browser wars, ECMAScript, Node.js, TypeScript, and React
    Visual Studio Code, a code editor created by Microsoft, was first introduced on April 29, 2015, at the Build conference. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • 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 / 3 months 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 / 3 months 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 / 3 months ago
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CNET mentions (19)

  • Transfer a domain
    Thank you for your response. I admit I was lazy at first. I got a dodgy feeling when I did a renewal for one domain in August 2022, but I figured I would move it before the next renewal. Now cis.net is telling me that I would be in breach of the hosting contract that I first "signed" when I signed up for hosting via a cnet.com promotion back in 2020. Supposedly the contract renews at the same terms and I am not... Source: about 3 years ago
  • Who in this group know DOS
    I still use dos today. especially when diagnosing network issues. Need to know you router IP address? start / run / type cmd and then ipconfig. It displays your ip address and that of your default gateway (your router). Then simply run a ping to an outside source. I ping cnet.com as I know they will respond. You can run a tracert to cnet.com and it will show your time between hops and where the issue may be... Source: about 3 years ago
  • What is the best place to get unbiased news?
    Another website I remember scoring well was CNET.com, which was random, but a bonus if you're into tech stuff. In addition to tech stuff (which is of course their main bread & butter), they'll cover things going on in the news (ex: legislation, Covid, world news) as big things come up. Source: about 4 years ago
  • Is a personal blog the best way to promote your Software Projects in 2022?
    I wonder about this too...because of the competitiveness of getting eyeballs on the internet--you need 200,000 impressions/view per day with Google AdSense to your site to make around $70K / year--I tend to think that it is very difficult to get your blog viewed, given how much traffic-driven websites really need the views. Thus, you should probably try to use a downloadable software website like amazon.com or... Source: about 4 years ago
  • NASA Mars Rover Spots Spaghetti-Like Object
    That's why you're reading it on cnet.com and not nasa.gov. Source: about 4 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing VS Code and CNET, 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.

Filehippo - Filehippo is your key to opening files that Windows claims are "in use by another user" or simply "can't be found." Avoid the hassle.

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

Softonic - Softonic is a website that offers downloads for free software and games.

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

Software Informer - Software Informer is your personal guide into the world of software: latest news, free software downloads, editorial reviews and much more.