Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

VS Code VS Levels.fyi

Compare VS Code VS Levels.fyi and see what are their differences

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.

VS Code logo VS Code

Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

Levels.fyi logo Levels.fyi

Compare career levels across software eng and other fields
  • VS Code Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-10-09
  • Levels.fyi Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-20

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.

Levels.fyi features and specs

  • Transparency
    Levels.fyi provides detailed compensation data across various tech companies, helping candidates and employees make informed decisions about salary expectations and career moves.
  • Comparative Analysis
    The platform allows users to compare roles and salaries across different companies, making it easier to evaluate job offers and understand industry standards.
  • Crowdsourced Data
    Levels.fyi relies on user-submitted data, which means it can provide real-world insights and often more accurate information than official sources.
  • Level Mapping
    It offers a unique service of level mapping, translating job titles and levels across companies to a common framework, making it easier to gauge one's position in the industry hierarchy.
  • Career Resources
    The site provides additional career resources such as negotiation tips, job interview prep, and insights into company cultures.

Possible disadvantages of Levels.fyi

  • Data Accuracy
    Since the data is user-submitted, there can be discrepancies or inaccuracies, potentially leading to misleading salary expectations.
  • Data Freshness
    Not all data is updated frequently, meaning some information might be outdated, which can affect the reliability of comparisons.
  • Privacy Concerns
    Because the platform gathers detailed compensation data, there may be concerns about the privacy and anonymity of users who contribute information.
  • Limited Scope
    The primary focus is on the tech industry, which may limit its usefulness for professionals in other fields or industries.
  • Variable Data Quality
    The quality and depth of data can vary significantly between companies and roles, potentially leading to incomplete or skewed perspectives.

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 Levels.fyi

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Levels.fyi is a reliable and useful tool, especially for those looking to understand compensation structures in the tech industry. Its crowdsourced data and user-friendly interface make it a go-to platform for compensation-related insights.

Why this product is good

  • Levels.fyi is considered a valuable resource because it provides comprehensive and up-to-date information about salaries, compensation packages, and career levels across various tech companies. It empowers job seekers and employees to make informed decisions by offering transparency into industry standards, allowing for more effective salary negotiations.

Recommended for

  • Tech professionals seeking to benchmark their salaries against industry standards.
  • Job seekers aiming to negotiate better offers with prospective employers.
  • HR professionals looking for market data to align their company's compensation strategies.
  • Students and career changers interested in gaining insights into potential earnings in the tech sector.

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

Levels.fyi videos

How to Negotiate Your Tech Salary Simulation ft. Levels.fyi

More videos:

  • Review - Levels.fyi: 2020 Top Paying Tech Companies for Software Engineers (Year-End Report)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to VS Code and Levels.fyi)
Text Editors
100 100%
0% 0
Job Boards
0 0%
100% 100
IDE
100 100%
0% 0
Hiring And Recruitment
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using VS Code and Levels.fyi. 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 Levels.fyi

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

Levels.fyi Reviews

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

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Levels.fyi should be more popular than VS Code. It has been mentiond 2290 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 (1214)

  • 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 / 14 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 1 month 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 1 month 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 1 month ago
  • Notes + Local AI: Simpler Than You Think
    For viewing and navigating, Obsidian handles large markdown libraries well: graph view, tag search, template plugins. VSCode works too if you'd rather stay in your dev environment. Both read the same folder with no conversion needed. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
View more

Levels.fyi mentions (2290)

  • Nvidia's $20B Antitrust Loophole (Not an Acquisition)
    I was talking with a great-sounding few-person early startup (nice people, non-evil business, interesting work, etc.), and they wanted me to fill a highly-skilled role... in-office in a VHCOLA, for $110K and "0.5%" in usual option schedule. (Presumably also with the usual barriers to options ever being exercised or liquidated equitably.) Even fresh grads with no experience take home more in this town. I live to... - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Ask HN: To those making 200k+ how did you get there?
    Hereโ€™s some resources: - https://levels.fyi - Reddit.com/r/cscareerquestions - Leetcode.com $200k is quite achievable both remote, IF you have experience. If you are brand new to the industry things have shifted and new grads are having a very tough time. Double or triple that was easily achievable remote from 2020 to 2023, but now likely requires going in-office in NYC, SF, or Seattle. The work life balance is... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Employees Who Stay in Companies Longer Than Two Years Get Paid 50% Less (2014)
    Nvidia is obviously an exception. Thatโ€™s like saying working at startups will lead to higher monetary rewards because โ€œlook at early Facebook employeesโ€, whereas your expected pay after 4 years at a startup is almost always lower than if you just worked at a medium to large company thatโ€™s public. (See https://levels.fyi). - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Google Sheets In C# โ€“ How To Build Your Own Levels.Fyi!
    Many developers are surprised to learn that levels.fyi, known for its tech salary data, initially ran on spreadsheets without a backend database. This example shows the potential of spreadsheets in managing web data and how you can start with something that works to optimize it later. We can do the same thing with Google Drive and Google Sheets in C#! - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Best Companies by City for Software Engineers in Europe (please comment if anything is missing)
    Check levels.fyi , SoundCloud Level4, Level5 are barely reaching 100K with YOE 8-10 years. N26 - L4(Senior), L5(Lead) have avg TC around 80-85 and 100-105 respectively. Zalando for the interview process they have - Senior is around 90K and principal around 115K. That's kinda low. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing VS Code and Levels.fyi, 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.

Salary.com - A compensation and human resource management solutions application.

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

PayScale - PayScale is an online salary, benefits and compensation information platform.

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

LeetCode - Practice and level up your development skills and prepare for technical interviews.