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VS Code VS GitHub Desktop Plus

Compare VS Code VS GitHub Desktop Plus and see what are their differences

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Contents:
  1. ยป Base Details
  2. ยป Videos
  3. ยป Reviews
  4. ยป Alternatives

VS Code logo VS Code

Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

GitHub Desktop Plus logo GitHub Desktop Plus

A GitHub Desktop fork with advanced functionality and Bitbucket, GitLab integration. - pol-rivero/github-desktop-plus
  • VS Code Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-10-09
  • GitHub Desktop Plus Landing page
    Landing page //
    2026-06-01

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.

GitHub Desktop Plus features and specs

  • Branch protection and safety features
    GitHub Desktop Plus adds branch protection rules that prevent accidental force pushes and other destructive operations on important branches, which is not available in the standard GitHub Desktop application.
  • Built on top of official GitHub Desktop
    Since it is a fork of the official GitHub Desktop client, it inherits all the familiar UI, stability, and features that users already know, while adding extra functionality on top.
  • Additional power-user features
    GitHub Desktop Plus includes features aimed at more advanced Git users, such as improved diff viewing, cherry-picking enhancements, and other workflow improvements that the official client lacks.
  • Open source and community-driven
    The project is open source, allowing users to inspect the code, contribute improvements, and customize the application to their needs. Community contributions help drive feature development.
  • Free to use
    Like the original GitHub Desktop, GitHub Desktop Plus is completely free, making it an accessible option for developers who want enhanced Git GUI functionality without paying for commercial tools like GitKraken or Sublime Merge.

Possible disadvantages of GitHub Desktop Plus

  • Potential lag behind upstream updates
    As a fork of GitHub Desktop, it may not always be immediately up to date with the latest changes and bug fixes from the official repository, potentially leading to delays in receiving upstream improvements.
  • Smaller community and support base
    Compared to the official GitHub Desktop, this fork has a much smaller user base, meaning fewer people are available to help with issues, report bugs, or contribute to development.
  • Possible stability concerns
    Additional features and modifications introduced in the fork may not undergo the same level of testing as the official GitHub Desktop, potentially introducing bugs or stability issues.
  • Limited documentation
    Being a smaller community project, the documentation for the additional features and differences from the official client may be less comprehensive or harder to find compared to the well-documented official GitHub Desktop.
  • Risk of project abandonment
    As a community-maintained fork, there is always a risk that the maintainer could lose interest or become unavailable, potentially leaving the project without updates or security patches.

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 GitHub Desktop Plus

Overall verdict

  • GitHub Desktop is a solid, free, and beginner-friendly Git client that simplifies version control with an intuitive graphical interface, making it a good choice for those who prefer visual workflows over command-line operations.

Why this product is good

  • Free and open-source, backed by GitHub and Microsoft
  • Intuitive graphical interface that lowers the barrier to entry for Git beginners
  • Seamless integration with GitHub repositories and pull request workflows
  • Visual diff viewer makes reviewing changes easy
  • Cross-platform support for Windows and macOS
  • Simplifies common tasks like branching, committing, and merging

Recommended for

  • Beginners learning Git and version control
  • Developers who prefer a visual interface over the command line
  • Teams already using GitHub for collaboration
  • Open-source contributors managing pull requests
  • Users who want a lightweight, no-cost Git client

VS Code videos

+ Add

My New Favorite Text Editor - Visual Studio Code

More videos:

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

GitHub Desktop Plus videos

No GitHub Desktop Plus videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to VS Code and GitHub Desktop Plus)

VS Code

GitHub Desktop Plus

Text Editors
100 100%
Text Editors
0% 0
Git
0 0%
Git
100% 100
IDE
100 100%
IDE
0% 0
Code Collaboration
0 0%
Code Collaboration
100% 100

User comments

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

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

GitHub Desktop Plus Reviews

We have no reviews of GitHub Desktop Plus yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, VS Code seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 1215 times since March 2021. 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 / 12 days 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 / 26 days 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 / about 2 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 / about 2 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 / about 2 months ago
View more

GitHub Desktop Plus mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of GitHub Desktop Plus yet. Tracking of GitHub Desktop Plus recommendations started around Jun 2026.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing VS Code and GitHub Desktop Plus, 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.

GitHub Desktop - GitHub Desktop is a seamless way to contribute to projects on GitHub and GitHub Enterprise.

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

SmartGit - SmartGit is a front-end for the distributed version control system Git and runs on Windows, Mac OS...

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

SourceTree - Mac and Windows client for Mercurial and Git.

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