Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

VS Code VS DevToys

Compare VS Code VS DevToys and see what are their differences

VS Code logo VS Code

Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

DevToys logo DevToys

A collection of converters, formaters, encoders, generators and other tools for your Windows desktop.
  • VS Code Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-10-09
  • DevToys Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-20

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.

DevToys features and specs

  • Comprehensive Toolset
    DevToys offers a wide range of developer tools in one package, allowing easy access to utilities like JSON formatting, JWT decoding, and text encoding without switching applications.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The application features an intuitive and clean interface, making it accessible for both novice and experienced developers to quickly find and use the tools they need.
  • Free and Open Source
    DevToys is free to use and open source, allowing users to benefit from community contributions and transparency, while supporting developers who refine and expand its features.
  • Offline Access
    DevToys can be used offline, which is beneficial for developers who need tool access without reliable internet connectivity.

Possible disadvantages of DevToys

  • Platform Limitations
    As of now, DevToys is primarily available for Windows users, limiting accessibility for developers on other operating systems, such as macOS or Linux.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    While DevToys offers a broad range of basic tools, it may lack some advanced features that specialized standalone applications provide, which might be necessary for more complex tasks.
  • Dependency on .NET
    DevToys requires the .NET 5 or higher framework which may be a drawback for users who prefer to limit dependencies or need a lightweight solution.
  • Potential Redundancy
    Developers who already use a variety of specialized tools or integrated development environments might find some of DevToys' tools redundant, preferring their existing solutions.

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 DevToys

Overall verdict

  • DevToys is a valuable tool for developers, providing a wide range of utilities in a single, easy-to-use application. It is well-received for its functionality and convenience.

Why this product is good

  • DevToys is considered good because it offers a suite of handy developer tools integrated in one application, eliminating the need to search for different tools online. It includes utilities for text manipulation, data formatting, image conversion, and more, all designed to streamline the workflow of developers.

Recommended for

  • Software developers
  • Web developers
  • Data analysts
  • IT professionals
  • Anyone who frequently manipulates data or code

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

DevToys videos

DevToys - Review and How to Install | The Swiss Army Knife for Developers

More videos:

  • Review - Quick shout-out to DevToys
  • Review - DevToys: All in One Developer Tools for Windows

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to VS Code and DevToys)
Text Editors
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
85 85%
15% 15
IDE
100 100%
0% 0
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 DevToys

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

DevToys Reviews

We have no reviews of DevToys 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 DevToys. While we know about 1215 links to VS Code, we've tracked only 16 mentions of DevToys. 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 (1215)

  • 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 / about 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 / 2 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
  • 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 / 3 months ago
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DevToys mentions (16)

  • Show HN: Prism.Tools – Free and privacy-focused developer utilities
    There are lots of these, but this is the first that I've seen that focused on frontend dev a bit more. I've saved it to my list of tools for reference. Here's another with a more local / backend / IT flavor: https://it-tools.tech I have a couple more local apps with similar functions. Here's one that's cross platform[0]. This one appears to be Mac only[1]. Someone else mentioned not being able to remember these... - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • 12 Developer Tools That Keep My Workflow Smooth
    Think of DevToys as the developer equivalent of a multi-tool. It’s a desktop app with dozens of handy utilities. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
  • XYPlorer Is Written in VB6
    Devtoys is great and open-source and .NET and cross-platform * https://devtoys.app/ and in context to the thread files-community/files is great and open-source and .NET and cross-platform * https://files.community/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • DevHub.app – Developer Utilities for macOS
    The open-source (MIT license) DevToys is a similar toolkit and it's available for macOS, Linux, and Windows: https://devtoys.app. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • DevUtils vs. DevToys vs. OpenDev: Which Developer Utility Tool Is Right for You?
    DevToys is a free, open-source utility for Windows users. It's often referred to as the "Swiss Army knife" for developers, providing a broad range of tools in a single, accessible application. DevToys is particularly appealing due to its simplicity and the wide array of functionalities it offers. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing VS Code and DevToys, 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.

CyberChef - The Cyber Swiss Army Knife

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

IT Tools - IT Tools is a free and open-source collection of handy online tools for developers & people working in IT.

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

JSONFormatter.org - Online JSON Formatter and JSON Validator will format JSON data, and helps to validate, convert JSON to XML, JSON to CSV. Save and Share JSON