Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

VS Code VS Local by Flywheel

Compare VS Code VS Local by Flywheel and see what are their differences

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VS Code logo VS Code

Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

Local by Flywheel logo Local by Flywheel

Provides a simple, local development environment with a friendly GUI.
  • VS Code Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-10-09
  • Local by Flywheel Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-17

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.

Local by Flywheel features and specs

  • Easy setup
    Local by Flywheel offers a simple and user-friendly interface, making it easy to download, set up, and configure WordPress sites locally.
  • Pre-configured environments
    It provides pre-configured server environments which can save time on configurations and ensure consistency across projects.
  • One-click WordPress installation
    Local by Flywheel allows for quick WordPress installations with a single click, streamlining the development process.
  • SSL support
    It supports SSL certificates out of the box, making it easier to work with HTTPS locally.
  • Live Link
    The Live Link feature enables developers to share their local sites with others via a temporary, publicly accessible URL.
  • Database management
    It includes built-in database management tools like Adminer and phpMyAdmin, simplifying the handling of databases.
  • Integration with WP-CLI
    Local by Flywheel supports WP-CLI, allowing developers to run WordPress commands directly from the terminal.
  • Automatic backups
    It enables automatic site backups, providing a safety net in case something goes wrong during development.
  • Developer tools
    Includes various developer tools and add-ons such as Xdebug to aid with debugging and performance optimization.

Possible disadvantages of Local by Flywheel

  • Resource Intensive
    Local by Flywheel can be heavy on system resources, especially on older or less powerful machines.
  • Windows-specific Issues
    Some users have reported occasional glitches and performance issues when using it on Windows OS.
  • Dependency on Virtualization
    Local relies on virtual environments which can sometimes cause conflicts or issues with other software.
  • Limited to WordPress
    The tool is specifically tailored for WordPress development, which may not be suitable for developers working on other CMS or projects.
  • Complex Advanced Features
    While great for beginners, some advanced features and customizations may be complex for novice users to implement.
  • Internet Required for Some Features
    Features like Live Link require an active internet connection, which may not always be available.

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 Local by Flywheel

Overall verdict

  • Local by Flywheel is generally well-regarded in the WordPress community, particularly for its simplicity and efficiency in setting up local environments. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced developer, it offers valuable tools that can enhance your workflow. However, users might run into performance issues depending on their system configurations.

Why this product is good

  • Local by Flywheel is considered good due to its user-friendly interface, robust feature set targeted at WordPress developers, and seamless integration with various WordPress tools. It allows developers to create a local development environment quickly, test plugins and themes, and make modifications before deploying to a live server, thus streamlining the development workflow.

Recommended for

  • WordPress developers
  • Web designers who frequently test themes and plugins
  • Agencies managing multiple WordPress sites
  • Freelancers looking for an easy way to set up local environments
  • Beginners wanting to learn WordPress development in a controlled environment

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

Local by Flywheel videos

Local By Flywheel WordPress Setup + Cool Features Review

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Local By Flywheel for WordPress Development - Review & Tutorial

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to VS Code and Local by Flywheel)
Text Editors
100 100%
0% 0
Web And Application Servers
IDE
100 100%
0% 0
CMS
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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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 Local by Flywheel

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

Local by Flywheel Reviews

Best XAMPP Alternatives for Website Development in 2024
LocalWP, powered by Flywheel, is another offline XAMPP alternative for developing WordPress sites. With LocalWP, users can choose between Apache and NGINX server environments, allowing for comprehensive testing to ensure compatibility.
Source: instawp.com
12 XAMPP Alternatives โ€“ Install WordPress On Windows And macOS Laptop
One-click WordPress Installation โ€“ Local by Flywheel makes creating a local WordPress site a light breeze, so you donโ€™t have to bother with setting it up yourself!

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, VS Code should be more popular than Local by Flywheel. 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 / 2 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 / 17 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
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Local by Flywheel mentions (235)

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What are some alternatives?

When comparing VS Code and Local by Flywheel, 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.

WordPress - WordPress is web software you can use to create a beautiful website or blog. We like to say that WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.

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

WordPress.com - Create a free website or build a blog with ease on WordPress.com. Dozens of free, customizable, mobile-ready designs and themes. Free hosting and support.

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

Laragon - All in one web server.