VS Code VS Package Control

Compare VS Code VS Package Control and see what are their differences

Rating: 5.0 · 1 review
Pricing: Open source

Rating: 0 reviews
Pricing: Open source

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Which is more popular?

Based on our record, VS Code seems to be a lot more popular than Package Control. While we know about 1218 links to VS Code, we've tracked only 10 mentions of Package Control.

social mentions: 1,218 vs 10
Text Editors popularity: 100% vs 0%
alternatives listed: 240+ vs 26

Base details

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

	VS Code	PC Package Control
Website	code.visualstudio.com	packagecontrol.io
Pricing	Open source	Open source
Company	Startup from the United States	—
Listed in	Text Editors IDE Software Development Developer Tools +1	Front End Package Manager Package Manager Kids Developer Tools +1

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

VS Code 8 features

Package Control 0 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.

No features have been listed yet.

Analysis

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

VS Code

Package Control

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.

No analysis of Package Control yet.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

VS Code 2 videos + Add

Package Control 1 video + Add

My New Favorite Text Editor - Visual Studio Code

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

Package Control

100% 100%

Text Editors

0% 0%

Front End Package Manager

100% 100%

IDE

0% 0%

Kids

100% 100%

User comments

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

Reviews and articles

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

VS Code 5.0 · 1 review

Package Control no reviews yet

Choosing the Best SQL Server Tool in 2026
www.linkedin.com · Aug 2026

If you're a Windows DBA who mainly manages servers, SSMS is still hard to beat. SQL Server Data Tools makes the most sense for teams building database projects in Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code with the MSSQL...
Boost Your Productivity with These Top Text Editors and IDEs
convesio.com · Nov 2023

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...
13 Best Text Editors to Speed up Your Workflow
kinsta.com · Sep 2023

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...

We have no reviews of Package Control yet. Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

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

VS Code 1218 mentions

Package Control 10 mentions

AI Coding Tips I Actually Use Every Day (Cursor + Angular)
Coming from VS Code, the editor feels familiar, and I like having the AI features right there alongside my code. - Source: dev.to / 6 days ago
A developer's guide to eSignature API integration
A code editor. VS Code with the Python extension is a good default; any editor works. - Source: dev.to / 18 days ago
Introducing MonoLisa for Visual Studio Code
While Visual Studio Code supports OpenType features for its code editor well, configuring those features can be complex as it relies on understanding related CSS syntax. On top of this, additional configuration may be required. Because... - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago

GitHub confirms breach of 3,800 repos via malicious VSCode extension
Sublime also has packages. https://packagecontrol.io/ Sublime's de facto package control repository is handled by one guy in his spare time as he works for Uber, not any Sublime employee: https://packagecontrol.io/about VS Code... - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
sublime text 4 shebang generator?
The shebang will depend on your system setup. I haven’t heard of shebang packages, and I don’t know how useful they would be. But if one exists it would be listed on Package Control. Source: over 3 years ago
Recommended text editors for Mac
Another Editor would be Sublime Text. Its not so mighty like VS Code. But it is fast, customisable via packagecontrol etc. etc. Source: over 3 years ago

Alternatives to VS Code and Package Control

When comparing VS Code and Package Control, 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.

Compare Sublime Text to VS Code or Package Control:

Sublime Text vs VS Code Sublime Text vs Package Control
C

Conda
Binary package manager with support for environments.

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Conda vs VS Code Conda vs Package Control
Vim
Highly configurable text editor built to enable efficient text editing

Compare Vim to VS Code or Package Control:

Vim vs VS Code Vim vs Package Control
Python Poetry
Python packaging and dependency manager.

Compare Python Poetry to VS Code or Package Control:

Python Poetry vs VS Code Python Poetry vs Package Control
Notepad++
A free source code editor which supports several programming languages running under the MS Windows environment.

Compare Notepad++ to VS Code or Package Control:

Notepad++ vs VS Code Notepad++ vs Package Control
Python Package Index
A repository of software for the Python programming language

Compare Python Package Index to VS Code or Package Control:

Python Package Index vs VS Code Python Package Index vs Package Control