Software Alternatives & Startups

VS Code VS Evil

Compare VS Code VS Evil and see what are their differences

VS Code

Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

Rating
5.0 · 1 review
Pricing
Open source
Evil

The extensible vi layer for Emacs.

Rating
0 reviews

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, VS Code seems to be a lot more popular than Evil. While we know about 1222 links to VS Code, we've tracked only 62 mentions of Evil.

social mentions
1,222 vs 62
Text Editors popularity
98% vs 2%
alternatives listed
240+ vs 17

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

VS Code
Evil
Website code.visualstudio.com github.com
Pricing
Open source
—
Company Startup from the United States —
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

VS Code 8 features
Evil 4 features
  • 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

  • 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.
  • Vim Emulation
    Evil provides a near-complete emulation of Vim’s features within Emacs, allowing users who are familiar with Vim to transition without losing their preferred keybindings and workflow.
  • Customizability
    Evil allows users to customize their configurations extensively, combining the powerful text-editing capabilities of Vim with the customizability of Emacs.
  • Community Support
    Evil has a large and active community, providing a wealth of plugins and resources to enhance the text editing experience.
  • Mode Integration
    Evil integrates smoothly with various Emacs major and minor modes, allowing users to leverage the full functionality of Emacs alongside Vim's modal editing.

Possible disadvantages

  • Learning Curve
    For users unfamiliar with Vim, the modal editing approach can introduce a significant learning curve, particularly for those accustomed to traditional text editors.
  • Complex Configuration
    Configuring Evil to fully integrate with existing Emacs setups can be complex and time-consuming, especially when customizing keybindings and behaviors.
  • Performance
    In some cases, using Evil with certain Emacs configurations or plugins may lead to performance issues, such as lag or delayed responses.
  • Inconsistencies
    There might be inconsistencies between Evil’s implementation of Vim features and the original, which could affect workflows for power users who rely on specific Vim functionalities.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

VS Code
Evil

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.

No analysis of Evil yet.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

VS Code 2 videos + Add
Evil 3 videos + Add

My New Favorite Text Editor - Visual Studio Code

More videos

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

Evil - Season 1 Review [No Spoilers]

More videos

  • - Evil Season 2 Finale Review! (Episode 13)
  • - Evil (CBS): Finale/Season 1 - TV Review

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
VS Code
Evil
98% 98%
2% 2%
97% 97%
IDE
3% 3%
100% 100%
0% 0%
98% 98%
2% 2%

User comments

Share your experience with using VS Code and Evil. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

VS Code 5.0 · 1 review
Evil no reviews yet

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

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

VS Code 1222 mentions
Evil 62 mentions

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  • Are We Stuck with Lean?
    > It feels exactly like if all the emacs users in the world tried to force all vim users to use emacs. That's why emacs has a vim mode[1]. [1] - https://github.com/emacs-evil/evil. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Switching from the Mac port Build of Emacs to the Standard NS Build
    That said, the default for sis-context-hooks, which decides when it fires, is '(evil-insert-state-entry-hook), which assumes evil. If you don't use evil, this hook never gets called and it won't work, so you'll need to add hooks that... - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Creating an Emacs major mode - because why not?
    For multiple reasons, one of them just being curiosity, I started using Emacs. And before anyone wants to start waging the holy war of editors1, I'll put myself out there and pronounce that the one and only correct answer is: Emacs with... - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago

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Alternatives to VS Code and Evil

When comparing VS Code and Evil, you can also consider the following products.