Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

VS Code VS GNU nano

Compare VS Code VS GNU nano and see what are their differences

VS Code logo VS Code

Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

GNU nano logo GNU nano

GNU nano is a small and friendly text editor.
  • VS Code Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-10-09
  • GNU nano Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-20

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.

GNU nano features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    GNU nano is designed to be easy for beginners to use, with on-screen prompts and an intuitive layout.
  • Lightweight
    It is a lightweight text editor that runs efficiently on most systems, consuming minimal system resources.
  • Pre-installed on Many Systems
    GNU nano often comes pre-installed on many UNIX-like systems including many distributions of Linux, making it readily available.
  • Basic Yet Sufficient Features
    While it does not have the extensive features of some other editors, it includes enough functionality for basic editing tasks such as search/replace and spell checking.
  • Keyboard Shortcuts Displayed
    The bottom two lines of the screen display important keyboard shortcuts, which makes it easier for users to find commands.

Possible disadvantages of GNU nano

  • Limited Functionality
    Compared to other editors like Vim or Emacs, GNU nano provides fewer advanced features and customization options.
  • Not Ideal for Large Projects
    For large codebases or projects, it may not be as efficient or productive compared to more feature-rich editors.
  • Basic UI
    The User Interface is very basic and text-based, which might not appeal to users looking for a more modern or graphical interface.
  • Limited Extensibility
    There are limited options for extending or adding plugins to GNU nano, unlike editors such as Emacs or VSCode.
  • Less Efficient for Power Users
    Power users who are proficient in editors with advanced functionalities (like Vim's powerful text manipulation commands) may find nano less efficient for their workflows.

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

GNU nano videos

No GNU nano videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to VS Code and GNU nano)
Text Editors
98 98%
2% 2
IDE
97 97%
3% 3
Software Development
95 95%
5% 5
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using VS Code and GNU nano. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare VS Code and GNU nano

VS Code Reviews

  1. dksinden
    · Working at SpeechKit ·

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
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

GNU nano Reviews

We have no reviews of GNU nano 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 GNU nano. While we know about 1141 links to VS Code, we've tracked only 1 mention of GNU nano. 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 (1141)

  • What's Happening in Developer Tools? (OpenAI Just Bought Windsurf for $3B)
    Microsoft's Visual Studio Code is a free code editor that relies on community plugins for support across various languages and frameworks. It also has an AI offering, Copilot, that provides code completion and it just added its own agent. VSCode supports multiple LLMs, but initially, there seemed to be a preference for ChatGPT, in part given its early lead and no doubt influenced by the fact Microsoft was an early... - Source: dev.to / 2 days ago
  • Your first MCP Server (quick)
    Explore different MCP Clients too! You can continue using ollmcp as we did earlier, or try other clients like Claude Desktop, Visual Studio Code, and more to see how different environments interact with your server. - Source: dev.to / 3 days ago
  • An Introduction to TypeScript for JavaScript Developers
    Better Tooling – Enhanced autocompletion, refactoring, and navigation in IDEs like VS Code. - Source: dev.to / 4 days ago
  • Why Understanding, Not Just Generating Code, Still Matters
    To do this, I used VS Code, an extension called Cline configured in Act mode, and Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 03-25, which is amazing. I made two attempts. The first one using a simple and very generic prompt, and a second one using a more detailed prompt. Let’s talk about them. - Source: dev.to / 8 days ago
  • 🚀 Your First Setup Win: Python and VS Code on Mac (Beginner Friendly)
    I visited code.visualstudio.com and clicked the big, inviting "Download for Mac" button. After downloading, I opened the .zip file, dragged the VS Code app into my Applications folder, and launched it. - Source: dev.to / 11 days ago
View more

GNU nano mentions (1)

  • Inspired by a meme made by u/Craz_64
    GNU nano is a text editor for Unix-like computing systems or operating environments using a command line interface. It emulates the Pico text editor, part of the Pine email client, and also provides additional functionality. Unlike Pico, nano is licensed under the GNU General Public License. Source: almost 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing VS Code and GNU nano, 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.

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

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

IntelliJ IDEA - Capable and Ergonomic IDE for JVM

VSCodium - Binary releases of Visual Sudio Code without Microsoft branding, telemetry and licensing

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