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VS Code VS Microsoft Edge

Compare VS Code VS Microsoft Edge 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

Microsoft Edge logo Microsoft Edge

Microsoft's brand new web browser.
  • VS Code Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-10-09
  • Microsoft Edge Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-15

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.

Microsoft Edge features and specs

  • Integration with Microsoft Services
    Edge seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft services such as Office 365, OneDrive, and Cortana, providing a streamlined user experience.
  • Performance
    Edge is known for its fast performance and efficient use of system resources, which can result in quicker loading times and smoother browsing.
  • Security Features
    Edge includes robust security features like SmartScreen, which helps protect against phishing and malware websites, and Tracking Prevention to safeguard user privacy.
  • Cross-Platform Availability
    Edge is available on multiple platforms including Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, ensuring a consistent browsing experience across different devices.
  • Collections
    Edge's Collections feature allows users to organize and save web content easily, which is useful for research and planning.

Possible disadvantages of Microsoft Edge

  • Limited Extensions
    Compared to other browsers like Chrome, Edge has a more limited selection of extensions, which may affect users who rely heavily on specific add-ons.
  • Data Collection
    As a product developed by Microsoft, Edge collects user data to enhance its services, which can be a privacy concern for some users.
  • Compatibility Issues
    While Edge is generally compatible with most websites, there may be occasional compatibility issues with certain web applications not optimized for the browser.
  • Initial Bias
    Some users may have an initial bias against Edge due to negative experiences with the older Internet Explorer browser, which can affect user adoption.
  • Frequent Updates
    Edge receives frequent updates which, while beneficial for performance and security, might be seen as disruptive or annoying by some users who prefer a more stable environment.

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 Microsoft Edge

Overall verdict

  • Microsoft Edge is considered a solid choice for users looking for a reliable, feature-rich, and performant web browser. Its continuous improvements and robust feature set make it a strong competitor in the browser market.

Why this product is good

  • Microsoft Edge is a web browser known for its speed, security features, integration with Windows systems, and support for extensions from the Chrome Web Store. It is built on the Chromium engine, offering good performance and compatibility with web standards. Additionally, Edge now includes features like vertical tabs, a reading mode, and a comprehensive set of privacy tools.

Recommended for

  • Users in the Microsoft ecosystem looking for seamless integration with Windows and other Microsoft services.
  • Individuals seeking a privacy-focused browser with customizable tracking prevention settings.
  • Those who need a fast and efficient browser suitable for both casual browsing and productivity tasks.
  • Users who want access to a wide range of extensions from the Chrome Web Store.

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

Microsoft Edge videos

The All-New Microsoft Edge Browser - Is It Any Good?

More videos:

  • Review - Review of the NEW Microsoft Edge chromium based browser January 15th 2020

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to VS Code and Microsoft Edge)
Text Editors
100 100%
0% 0
Web Browsers
0 0%
100% 100
IDE
100 100%
0% 0
Web Tools
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 Microsoft Edge

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

Microsoft Edge Reviews

The 7 best web browsers in 2025
While Microsoft Edge's AI features are helpful, they do clutter up the layout. And because Microsoft preloads lots of other toolsโ€”like a rewards system and shopping discount pop-upsโ€”the clutter is amplified (especially if you don't need those tools). Thankfully, you can switch them off from the settings, but it's an odd default state.
Source: zapier.com
Brave Alternative - 8 Privacy-Focused and Reliable Options
Microsoft Edge is another good Brave alternative. Itโ€™s one of the most used web browsers, and since its switch to the Chromium engine, it has become the favorite of many.
Source: mspoweruser.com
Avoid The Hack: 6 Best Privacy Browser Picks for Windows
Microsoft Edge especially sucks for privacy - even the "new and improved" Microsoft Edge powered by the Chromium browser engine.
6 Best Browser Alternatives to Google Chrome
With that in mind, if youโ€™re looking for a completely new experience, Edge isnโ€™t the answer for you. If you want to keep everything you loved about Chrome while gaining a few perks, look no further. The top reasons to use Edge over Chrome are for its more efficient use of resources, particularly your systemโ€™s RAM, and its more robust security features (mind you, Chrome sets...
Source: gizmodo.com
The best web browsers for 2022
Microsoft Edge also provides simpler privacy settings and security updates. In Chrome, you merely have separate panels for safe browsing, โ€œdo not trackโ€ requests, and more. Microsoft Edge provides a more graphically friendly interface displaying three security levels: Basic, Balanced, and Strict. With Balanced set as the default, many sites request you to disable your pop-up...

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 / 13 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 / 27 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

Microsoft Edge mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Microsoft Edge yet. Tracking of Microsoft Edge recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing VS Code and Microsoft Edge, 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.

Google Chrome - Google Chrome is a fast, secure, and free web browser, built for the modern web. Give it a try on your desktop today.

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

Mozilla Firefox - Get the browsers that put your privacy first โ€” and always have

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

Brave - Fast and secure, ad and tracker blocking browser.