Software Alternatives & Startups

VS Code VS Notepad.exe

Compare VS Code VS Notepad.exe and see what are their differences

VS Code

Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

Rating
5.0 · 1 review
Pricing
Open source
Notepad.exe

Lightweight macOS code editor. Skip the setup, write code, run instantly. Built-in iOS simulator, AI assistance, and Linux support.

No screenshot yet
Rating
0 reviews

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, VS Code seems to be a lot more popular than Notepad.exe. While we know about 1223 links to VS Code, we've tracked only 4 mentions of Notepad.exe.

social mentions
1,223 vs 4
Text Editors popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
240+ vs 16

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

VS Code
Notepad.exe
Website code.visualstudio.com notepadexe.com
Pricing
Open source
—
Company Startup from the United States —
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

VS Code 8 features
Notepad.exe 5 features
  • 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

  • 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.
  • Extremely Lightweight
    Notepad.exe is one of the most lightweight text editors available, consuming minimal system resources and launching almost instantly, making it ideal for quick edits and low-powered machines.
  • Built into Windows
    Notepad comes pre-installed with every version of Windows, meaning users don't need to download or install any additional software to have a basic text editor ready to use.
  • Simple and Easy to Use
    The interface is incredibly straightforward with no learning curve. Anyone can open it and start typing immediately, making it accessible to users of all skill levels.
  • Plain Text Editing
    Notepad saves files as plain text by default, which is perfect for editing configuration files, code snippets, batch scripts, and other files where formatting can cause issues.
  • No Bloat or Distractions
    Notepad has no unnecessary features, toolbars, or plugins that could distract from the task at hand. It provides a clean, distraction-free writing environment for simple text tasks.

Possible disadvantages

  • Very Limited Features
    Notepad lacks many features found in modern text editors, such as syntax highlighting, line numbering, auto-complete, tabs for multiple files, and find-and-replace with regex support (though recent versions have improved slightly).
  • No Plugin or Extension Support
    Unlike editors such as VS Code or Sublime Text, Notepad does not support plugins or extensions, so users cannot expand its functionality to meet specific needs.
  • Poor Large File Handling
    Notepad has historically struggled with opening and editing very large files, often becoming slow or unresponsive when dealing with files that are several megabytes or larger in size.
  • Limited Encoding Support
    While recent versions have improved, Notepad has traditionally had limited support for different text encodings, which could cause issues when working with files in UTF-8, Unicode, or other non-ANSI encodings.
  • No Multi-Tab or Split View
    Notepad only allows one file to be open per window and does not offer split-view or tabbed editing, making it cumbersome to work with multiple files simultaneously.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

VS Code
Notepad.exe

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.

Overall verdict

  • Notepad.exe is a solid, no-frills text editor that excels at simplicity, speed, and reliability for basic text editing tasks, making it a dependable default tool on Windows.

Why this product is good

  • Extremely lightweight and fast, opening instantly even on older hardware
  • Simple, distraction-free interface with virtually no learning curve
  • Comes built into Windows, so there's nothing to install or configure
  • Reliable for quickly viewing or editing plain text and configuration files
  • Uses minimal system resources compared to heavier editors
  • Recent Windows updates have added useful features like tabs, autosave, and spellcheck

Recommended for

  • Users who need a quick and simple way to jot down notes or drafts
  • Viewing or making small edits to plain text and .txt files
  • Editing basic configuration or log files without formatting interference
  • Beginners who want an uncomplicated text editor
  • Anyone needing a fast, always-available tool on Windows without installing extra software

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

VS Code 2 videos + Add
Notepad.exe 1 video + Add

My New Favorite Text Editor - Visual Studio Code

More videos

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

Notepad part1 - use notepad.exe on Fedora Linux

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
VS Code
Notepad.exe
100% 100%
0% 0%
99% 99%
IDE
1% 1%
99% 99%
1% 1%
100% 100%
0% 0%

User comments

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

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

VS Code 5.0 · 1 review
Notepad.exe no reviews yet

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We have no reviews of Notepad.exe yet. Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

VS Code 1223 mentions
Notepad.exe 4 mentions

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Alternatives to VS Code and Notepad.exe

When comparing VS Code and Notepad.exe, you can also consider the following products.