Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

VS Code VS CodeRunner

Compare VS Code VS CodeRunner and see what are their differences

VS Code logo VS Code

Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

CodeRunner logo CodeRunner

An advanced, highly flexible, and easy-to-use programming editor for your Mac.
  • VS Code Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-10-09
  • CodeRunner Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-22

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.

CodeRunner features and specs

  • Multi-language Support
    CodeRunner supports a wide range of programming languages, making it a versatile tool for developers who need to work with multiple syntaxes.
  • Lightweight and Fast
    The application is designed to be lightweight, which results in fast performance and quick startup times compared to more resource-intensive IDEs.
  • Customizable Features
    CodeRunner offers users the ability to highly customize their coding environment, from themes to shortcuts, enhancing user productivity and comfort.
  • Integrated Debugging Tools
    Comes with built-in debugging tools which aid in identifying and resolving coding errors more efficiently.

Possible disadvantages of CodeRunner

  • Limited Advanced Tools
    While it covers basics well, CodeRunner might lack some of the advanced tools and plugins available in more comprehensive IDEs.
  • MacOS Exclusive
    CodeRunner is only available for MacOS, which limits its accessibility for users on other operating systems like Windows or Linux.
  • Not Free
    The application is not free, requiring a purchase, which might be a barrier for some users considering it alongside free alternatives.
  • Less Community Support
    Due to its smaller user base compared to popular IDEs like Visual Studio Code, community support and plugins might be more limited.

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.

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

CodeRunner videos

CGRundertow CODERUNNER for iPhone Video Game Review

More videos:

  • Review - CodeRunner - Review & Preview [Mac OS X Mavericks]
  • Review - Best Mac Developer Tool 2016 - CodeRunner 2 (Review)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to VS Code and CodeRunner)
Text Editors
98 98%
2% 2
IDE
98 98%
2% 2
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Software Development
97 97%
3% 3

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 CodeRunner

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

CodeRunner Reviews

Top 10 Notepad++ Alternatives for Mac in 2022
Here we have discussed more Notedpad++ Mac alternatives. We discussed that it is actually not available on Mac. However, we have discussed different alternatives you can choose with your computer. These include Atom, Sunset Code, Brackets, BBEdit, SlickEdit, Komodo IDE, Coderunner, and Coda, among others. All of these have their own limitations, capabilities, and features,...
Source: www.imymac.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, VS Code seems to be a lot more popular than CodeRunner. While we know about 1177 links to VS Code, we've tracked only 4 mentions of CodeRunner. 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 (1177)

  • Improve Your Git Commit Messages with GitLens Tips
    To generate the commit messages, first of all, you have to change your codebase ๐Ÿ˜Ž After that, when you are ready to commit, itโ€™s time to generate the message. To do that, you need to go to the Source Control panel in VSCode, and if you have the GitLens extension installed, you can use the โ€œMagicโ€ icon to generate the message. - Source: dev.to / 1 day ago
  • How to upload SDI FatturaPA invoices with C#
    We use the dotnet tool and VS Code as they are available on most systems, but you can follow along with your favourite IDE (Visual Studio, Rider, etc.) if you prefer. - Source: dev.to / 3 days ago
  • An Experiment with AI Assisted Web Development
    As a productive learning exercise, I spent the last couple of evenings taking Cursor (the desktop code editor that is a fork of VS Code) for a spin to build a new web app I needed for a side project โ€“ a system to manage charity raffle tickets at the 2025 Melbourne Pen & Stationery Show I am helping to run soon. - Source: dev.to / 4 days ago
  • Go (Golang) - Environment Setup
    Download: Get it from its official site: code.visualstudio.com. - Source: dev.to / 6 days ago
  • Microsoft: An Open-Source Comedy
    Since the beginning of opensource ideology, Microsoft has been one of those companies that no one ever expected to join the cause. Weirdly enough, They did! By making PowerShell opensource, and more important than that: by introducing Visual Studio Code to the world of programming. Microsoft vscode is one the fastest text editors out there and, thanks to its massive list of extensions, one of the best most-used... - Source: dev.to / 14 days ago
View more

CodeRunner mentions (4)

  • Simple compile and run?
    Https://coderunnerapp.com is a good lightweight alternative if you want to try out snippets of Swift code. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Xcode users how can I disable this blue line?
    BTW, if you're just start learning C++, get CodeRunner. Xcode is for project development, not a good learning tool. Source: about 4 years ago
  • Best IDE for C++ on M1 Mac
    I'm going to presage this by saying that if what you want from an IDE is that you can open a tab, tap in some C++, add some breakpoints if necessary and hit run, and if you're willing to spend $20, then I highly recommend CodeRunner. You can also set it up to invoke whatever you want to invoke for building, allowing you to use it as a full project-management IDE, but I usually don't bother with that. But it's... Source: over 4 years ago
  • Your Username Story
    Mine is simple, probably wont win but I made this my username cause I like code, conuidentley coderunner is a program editor for macOS. Source: over 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing VS Code and CodeRunner, 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.

SlickEdit - SlickEdit is a cross-platform, multi-language source code editor text editor that allows programmers to developer in over 40 languages on seven platforms.

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

Notepad++ - A free source code editor which supports several programming languages running under the MS Windows environment.

Light Table - Light Table is a new interactive IDE that lets you modify running programs and embed anything from...

Microsoft Visual Studio - Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) from Microsoft.