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VS Code VS Fast Elections

Compare VS Code VS Fast Elections 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
Alternatives Is it good?
Fast Elections

Run a secret-ballot election in minutes. Voters get a one-time link by email — no accounts, no per-member fees. Free for elections up to 25 voters.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Freemium $19 / One-off (Up to 300 voters)
Alternatives Is it good?
AeroDataBox
Aviation and flight API tailored for SMBs and individual developers, offering flight status, schedules, aircraft and airport data, statistics, historical data and more. Seamless REST/web hook integration via API marketplaces at affordable rates. sponsored
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.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, VS Code seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 1219 times since March 2021.

social mentions
1,219 vs 0
Text Editors popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
240+ vs 19

Base details

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

VS Code
Fast Elections
Website code.visualstudio.com fastelections.com
Pricing
Open source
Freemium $19 / One-off (Up to 300 voters) Official pricing
Platforms —
SaaS
Company Startup from the United States Startup from the United States · 2026
Listed in
Text Editors IDE Software Development Developer Tools +1
Election Management Voting Online Voting SaaS HOA / Association Management Club Management +3

About VS Code and Fast Elections

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

VS Code
Fast Elections

No description of VS Code yet.

Fast Elections is a web-based, accesible (WCAG 2.1), secret-ballot online voting service for small organizations — clubs, schools, PTAs, HOAs, unions, and small nonprofits — that need a defensible election without government-grade pricing. Organizers can create an election, invite voters, and...

Read more about Fast Elections

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

VS Code 8 features
Fast Elections 12 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.
  • True Secret Ballot
    Protect voter privacy by design with Fast Elections' true secret ballot — cast ballots are stored with no reference back to the voter, timestamps are rounded to the hour, and the roster records only that someone voted, never what they chose.
  • Cast Ballot Confirmation
    Let every voter confirm their ballot was counted — Fast Elections issues a short receipt code at the moment of voting and publishes the full list of codes with the results, so a voter can verify their own ballot without revealing how they voted.
  • Numerous Ballot Options
    Match your bylaws instead of rewriting them — run plurality, pick-N, approval, ranked choice, or yes/no/abstain motions, with write-in candidates and weighted voting by shares, units, or delegation size on every method.
  • Result Transparence
    See exactly how a ranked-choice race was won — Fast Elections shows every instant-runoff round, including who was eliminated and where their votes transferred, so you can put the full count in the minutes.
  • Increase Voter Participation
    Get ballots into inboxes without chasing anyone — send invitations with each voter's unique one-time link, trigger automatic reminders that skip people who already voted, and fix a single bounced address and resend just that ballot instead of starting over.
  • Quick Import of Voter List
    Build your roster in minutes — paste a voter list or import a CSV or XLSX file with problem rows flagged line by line and duplicate emails removed automatically, then tag voters into groups so a question only appears for the chapter, district, or role that should see it.
  • Voter Registration
    Let voters sign themselves up — share a public registration link or a printable QR poster with Fast Elections' self-serve registration, and approve registrants automatically on sign-up or hold each one for an administrator's decision.
  • Multi-Language Support
    Reach every member in their own language — ballots, invitations, reminders, and results emails are available in 10 languages including Spanish, Vietnamese, Simplified Chinese, and Tagalog, translated by hand at no cost or by AI for a $5 add-on.
  • Live Turnout & Publishable Result
    Watch turnout live and publish results the moment polls close — Fast Elections shows how many have voted while the election runs (never partial counts), then delivers per-question results with an optional public link, one-click emailed results to voters, and CSV export for the audit trail.
  • Start & Stop on Your Schedule
    Open and close the polls on schedule — launch immediately or schedule the opening, set an automatic close so nobody has to end the vote at midnight, and extend a running election's end time with automatic reminders rescheduling themselves to match.
  • Flat Price Per Election
    Pay one flat price per election, never per member — Fast Elections is free for elections up to 25 voters and $19 to $99 for larger rosters, with every feature included at every tier and no annual subscription.
  • Multiple Admins Supported
    Run it as an organization, not a one-person project — invite up to 10 administrators, put your logo and accent color on ballots, results, registration pages, and voter emails, and add candidate photos and bios to the ballot, while voters never need to create an account at all.

Analysis

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

VS Code
Fast Elections

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 Fast Elections yet.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

VS Code 2 videos + Add
Fast Elections 0 videos + Add

My New Favorite Text Editor - Visual Studio Code

More videos

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

No Fast Elections videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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
Fast Elections
100% 100%
Text Editors
0% 0%
0% 0%
Online Voting
100% 100%
100% 100%
IDE
0% 0%
0% 0%
Election Management
100% 100%

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing VS Code and Fast Elections.

What makes your product unique?

Fast Elections's answer:

Fast Elections is real election software built for the volunteer who runs one vote a year.

The secret ballot is architectural, not a promise. A cast ballot is stored as a standalone record with no reference back to the voter and only an hour-rounded timestamp, so it can't be tied to a person or narrowed down by when it arrived. Voting links are single-use and only their hash is ever stored, so even a read of the database can't reconstruct a working link. We can't connect a ballot to a voter either — and we publish how it works instead of just asserting it.

Voters can check the count themselves. Every voter gets a receipt code and can find that code in the published results.

Pricing is one flat charge per election, sized to the roster, with every feature included at every tier — free up to 25 voters, then $19, $49, or $99. No per-member seats, no annual contract, nothing to cancel.

Voters never create an account. They get a one-time link by email, vote, and get a receipt. Organizers can also share a link or a printable QR poster and let voters register themselves.

The ballot methods are the serious ones: plurality and pick-N, ranked choice (instant-runoff, with every elimination round shown), approval voting, and yes/no/abstain motions — plus write-ins, weighted votes for share- or unit-based memberships, and per-question eligibility for segmented ballots. Ballots and voter emails run in 10 languages.

And it's one founder, not a call center. The person who wrote the counting code answers the support mail, within one business day.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

Fast Elections's answer:

Price and scope. Most election platforms are built for governments or large enterprises and priced accordingly — per-member seats, annual contracts, quotes, or a sales call. Fast Elections charges once per election based on roster size: free up to 25 voters, $19 up to 300, $49 up to 1,000, $99 up to 5,000. That's a number a volunteer treasurer can approve without a board vote, and it doesn't recur when your club isn't voting.

No feature gating. Ranked choice, approval voting, weighted votes, write-ins, custom branding, multi-language ballots, self-serve voter registration, up to 10 administrators — all included at every tier, including the free one. Competitors routinely put ranked choice or branding behind a higher plan.

Setup in minutes, not a project. Paste or import your roster from CSV or Excel, write your questions, and launch. Voters need no account and nothing to install.

Trust you can show your members. Receipt codes let each voter verify their own ballot is in the published count, and instant-runoff results display every elimination round rather than just a winner — so you can answer "how did that come out?" at the meeting.

Support from the builder. Not a ticket queue: the founder who designed and wrote the software reads the mail and answers within one business day.

Worth saying plainly: this is not built for government or enterprise-scale elections. If you need a certified public-sector election system, buy one. If you're a club, PTA, HOA, union local, or small nonprofit running an honest internal vote, this is built for exactly you.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

Fast Elections's answer:

Small, volunteer-run organizations that hold one to a few elections a year and have no IT department: garden and social clubs, PTAs, student governments and school clubs, homeowners' and condo associations, union locals, professional associations, churches, and small nonprofits.

The person who signs up is usually a secretary, treasurer, board chair, or election committee volunteer — someone who has been running the vote on paper or in a survey tool, is losing an evening to counting, and needs a secret ballot the membership will actually trust. Typical rosters run from a couple dozen to a few thousand voters; the platform tops out at 5,000 per election.

Fast Elections is deliberately not built for government or enterprise-scale elections.

What's the story behind your product?

Fast Elections's answer:

Serious election software is usually built for governments — and priced for them. But the groups that actually run the most elections are garden clubs, PTAs, student governments, HOAs, union locals, and small nonprofits. They end up choosing between a survey tool that can't keep a ballot secret and a paper count that eats an evening. Either way, somebody at the meeting eventually asks whether the result can be trusted.

Fast Elections was built by Votivigy LLC to be the honest middle: a real secret ballot, a receipt each voter can verify for themselves, ranked choice that shows its rounds, and a price a volunteer treasurer can approve without a procurement process. Charging once per election, sized to the roster, follows from the same idea — that's when the work happens, so that's when you pay. No seats, no annual contract, no renewal you forget to cancel.

Votivigy LLC is Jason Cline. He designed Fast Elections, wrote the software that runs it, and reads the mail that comes to jason@fastelections.com. When you ask why a tally came out the way it did, the answer comes from the person who built the counting.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

Fast Elections's answer:

Frontend: TypeScript, Vue 3, Vuetify 4, Vite, Vue Router, and vue-i18n, with marketing pages prerendered via vite-ssg.

Backend: fully serverless on AWS.

Payments: Stripe Checkout with signature-verified webhooks.

The serverless choice is deliberate — it costs almost nothing while idle, which is what makes a $19 election economically possible.

Who are some of the biggest customers of your product?

Fast Elections's answer:

Fast Elections serves small, volunteer-run member organizations — clubs, PTAs, HOAs, student governments, union locals, and small nonprofits — running internal votes. We don't publish customer names without permission, and as a young product we don't yet have public reference customers to list.

User comments

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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
Fast Elections no reviews yet

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

Social recommendations and mentions

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

VS Code 1219 mentions
Fast Elections 0 mentions

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Tracking Fast Elections since Aug 2026.

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