Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

VS Code VS SmartWindows.app

Compare VS Code VS SmartWindows.app 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

SmartWindows.app logo SmartWindows.app

Auto arrange all your app windows, whether on one screen or many with a single click!
  • VS Code Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-10-09
  • SmartWindows.app Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-23

SmartWindows eliminates the overhead of manual set up and arrangement of desktop apps through smart restoration capabilities. It is a feature-rich productivity tool for Windows 10 & 11. It makes your Windows smarter by giving you enhanced capabilities and more hands at work. SmartWindows is an excellent productivity app that allows you to manage user profiles, browsers, and multiple displays efficiently.

Whether you are a student or a software engineer, a researcher or a project manager, a content creator, or a gamer, SmartWindows assists each role with its advanced functions.

How does SmartWindows work?

  1. Download and install SmartWindows on Windows 10.
  2. Make app arrangements on your desktop screen.
  3. Save the screen configuration into a SmartWindows profile.
  4. Restore the profile whenever you need.
  5. The browsers and apps will be auto-restored and auto-arranged with just one click.

Benefits of SmartWindows

  • โ€ข Save time every day.
  • โ€ข Get started on work with just one click.
  • โ€ข Increased productivity at work.
  • โ€ข No manual arrangement of apps.
  • โ€ข Optimized system performance by distributing work on multiple profiles.
  • โ€ข No need to remember browser restoration steps for each browser separately.
  • โ€ข An efficient work environment with 6 displays and unlimited profiles.

VS Code

Pricing URL
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$ Details
Platforms
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Release Date
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Startup details
Country
United States

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.

SmartWindows.app features and specs

  • Auto-Restoration and Auto-Arrangement
    SmartWindows help you auto-arrange the apps you opened last time at exactly the same position on the screen as you saved. Auto-adjust the apps on your desktop screen using SmartWindows with one click.
  • Microsoft Office File Support
    SmartWindows reopens MS Office files such as Word, Powerpoint, Excel, Project, Notepad, and Wordpad. It provides auto-arrangement support and restores applications at same position in a single click.
  • Multi-Browser & Multi-Tab Support
    It helps restore browser tabs of Google Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge all at one with a single click. SmartWindows keeps the browserโ€™s tab history and URLs in each browser window separately.
  • Multiple Displays
    SmartWindows supports up to 6 displays. It remembers the window size and display position of each application on multiple displays. It helps you work efficiently on multiple monitors.
  • Profile Management
    SmartWindows supports unlimited profiles. It helps increase productivity by creating multiple profiles. Each profile remembers the desktop apps, their window size, and display position on the screen.
  • Work Zones
    You can create your own work zones against each task and project to work efficiently. SmartWindows restores the work zones automatically, saves your time, and increases your productivity at work.

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 SmartWindows.app

Overall verdict

  • Overall, SmartWindows.app is a valuable tool for individuals who need streamlined management of their digital workspace. It can significantly enhance the workflow for users who juggle various tasks and helps in maintaining an organized desktop environment.

Why this product is good

  • SmartWindows.app is considered good due to its ability to simplify multitasking for users who often work with multiple applications and windows. It provides features like automatic arrangement, restoration of desktop layouts, and support for multiple profiles, which can help improve productivity and efficiency. It also supports both Windows and macOS, making it a versatile choice for users on different operating systems.

Recommended for

  • Professionals who frequently switch between different workspaces or applications
  • Users with multiple monitors who want to maintain a consistent layout
  • Individuals who require quick access to specific sets of apps or files for different tasks
  • Anyone looking to improve their personal productivity by reducing the time spent arranging windows

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

SmartWindows.app videos

SmartWindows Demo

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Get Windows 11 Features on Windows 10

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to VS Code and SmartWindows.app)
Text Editors
100 100%
0% 0
Personalization
0 0%
100% 100
IDE
100 100%
0% 0
Windows Tools
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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

VS Code Reviews

  1. dksinden
    ยท Working at SpeechKit ยท

Choosing the Best SQL Server Tool in 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 extension is a good option for cross-platform development, and DBeaver works well if SQL Server is just one of several databases you manage.
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

SmartWindows.app Reviews

  1. Excellent app

    This is just the app I needed to fix my browser and tabs crashing issues. It works well and saves time so that I can focus on my work. Highly recommended!

  2. Practical and smooth

    Such a handy app! Highly recommended if you're tabaholic like me.

    Pros:    Smooth|Lightweight|Extremely useful
  3. John glover
    ยท Data Scientist at ThikInternational ยท
    Other Features

    Very helpful software for windows 10.

    Pros:    Quick support...|Professional

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, VS Code seems to be a lot more popular than SmartWindows.app. While we know about 1215 links to VS Code, we've tracked only 4 mentions of SmartWindows.app. 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 / about 2 months 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 / 2 months 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 / 3 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 / 3 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 / 3 months ago
View more

SmartWindows.app mentions (4)

  • Microsoft Windows Notepad App got a Visual Refresh for Windows 11
    Notepad alongside MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is also supported by SmartWindows for both Windows 10 and 11. SmartWindows allows its users, to work smartly and achieve their work goals while maintaining productivity. For instance, researchers, programmers, designers, and writers who need to work on different applications can easily do that while using SmartWindows. It allows the user to create a profile and save... Source: almost 5 years ago
  • Technology allows you to not spend time on tasks that can be done automatically
    SmartWindows is providing all the above-mentioned features. Source: almost 5 years ago
  • Good Old days :)
    You can try SmartWindows and no need to keep your tabs open. You can open them instantly with SmartWindows whenever needed. Read more about other features of SmartWindows. Source: about 5 years ago
  • How to Reopen Closed Tabs In FireFox
    When you are managing multiple projects and have opened multiple browsers to do organized browsing, you are highly vigilant about the URLs you have opened. As it is very difficult to remember the useful web pages that can help you out in performing tasks, it is crucial to make sure that you have them all the time. SmartWindows help you increase productivity at work by reopening the closed tabs of multiple browsers... Source: about 5 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing VS Code and SmartWindows.app, 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.

DisplayFusion - DisplayFusion will make your multi-monitor life much easier.

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

Desktop Restore - MIDI-OX is the world's greatest all-purpose MIDI Utility.

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

Actual Multiple Monitors - Actual Multiple Monitors is a software utility which offers the comprehensive solution to improve the functionality of Windows user interface for comfortable and effective work with multi-monitor configurations.