Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups
Register | Login

VS Code VS Sway

Compare VS Code VS Sway and see what are their differences

ASocks
Clear, Fast & Unlimited. Residential & Mobile Proxies For Best Price. featured
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.
Contents:
  1. ยป Base Details
  2. ยป Videos
  3. ยป Reviews
  4. ยป Alternatives

VS Code logo VS Code

Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

Sway logo Sway

Sway is a drop-in replacement for the i3 window manager, but for Wayland instead of X11.
  • VS Code Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-10-09
  • Sway Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-20

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.

Sway features and specs

  • Wayland Compatibility
    Sway is a compositor for Wayland, providing better performance and security compared to the X11 system.
  • i3 Compatibility
    Sway is designed to be compatible with i3 window manager configurations, making it easy for i3 users to transition.
  • Lightweight
    Sway is known for being lightweight and efficient, using fewer system resources compared to other compositors.
  • Customizability
    Similar to i3, Sway offers extensive customization options for users to tailor their environment.
  • Active Development
    Sway has an active development community, ensuring regular updates, bug fixes, and new features.
  • Enhances Security
    Being built on Wayland, Sway provides better isolation of processes, improving overall system security.

Possible disadvantages of Sway

  • Limited Application Support
    Some applications, especially older ones, may not be fully compatible with Wayland, causing issues when running on Sway.
  • Steeper Learning Curve
    New users, particularly those unfamiliar with i3, might find Sway's configuration and usage initially challenging.
  • Wayland Limitations
    Wayland, while improving, still lacks some features and extensions available in X11, which might affect some workflows.
  • Hardware Compatibility
    Wayland compositors like Sway can sometimes have issues with specific hardware, particularly older or less common configurations.
  • Fewer Tiling Window Manager Users
    The number of users preferring tiling window managers is smaller, potentially making it harder to find community support compared to more popular desktop environments.

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 Sway

Overall verdict

  • Sway is generally well-regarded in the Linux community, especially among users who appreciate the flexibility and speed of a tiling window manager. It effectively bridges the gap for those who want the i3 experience with Wayland's benefits.

Why this product is good

  • Sway is a tiling window manager that is known for its efficiency and customizability, and it is designed for use with Wayland. It offers a similar experience to the i3 window manager but for those who want to use Wayland. Sway allows users to completely configure their desktop environment and supports various i3-compatible configurations and scripts. It provides a fast, lightweight, and modern approach for users who prefer a tiling window management system.

Recommended for

  • Users who enjoy i3 and want to transition to Wayland.
  • Linux users seeking a lightweight and efficient window management experience.
  • Advanced users who appreciate configuration and scripting flexibility.
  • Those who prefer keyboard-centric navigation over a graphical interface.

VS Code videos

+ Add

My New Favorite Text Editor - Visual Studio Code

More videos:

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

Sway videos

+ Add

Sway beats Powerpoint for these 4 reasons (Microsoft Office 365).

More videos:

  • Review - VOD REVIEW: IS FAZE SWAY BEING COACHED ๐ŸŽฎ BY FAZE BIZZLE WORTH IT? (Full Game)
  • Review - Microsoft Sway Hands On Review!
  • Review - Sway by Mitchell Bubble
  • Tutorial - SWAY HOUSE TOUR FORTNITE

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to VS Code and Sway)

VS Code

Sway

Text Editors
100 100%
Text Editors
0% 0
Health And Fitness
0 0%
Health And Fitness
100% 100
IDE
100 100%
IDE
0% 0
Window Manager
0 0%
Window Manager
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using VS Code and Sway. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare VS Code and Sway

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

Sway Reviews

Top 13 Best Tiling Window Managers For Linux In 2022
Sway is a tiling Wayland i3-compatible window manager that dynamically arranges app windows to rationally maximise desktop space. It is free, open-source, and lightweight. By default, it arranges windows in a grid and supports practically all of the i3 commands.
Source: www.hubtech.org
13 Best Tiling Window Managers for Linux
Sway is a free, open-source, and lightweight tiling Wayland i3-compatible window manager that automatically arranges app windows to logically maximize desktop space. It arranges windows into a grid by default and supports almost all the commands included in i3.
Source: www.tecmint.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, VS Code seems to be a lot more popular than Sway. While we know about 1214 links to VS Code, we've tracked only 53 mentions of Sway. 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 (1214)

  • 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 / 9 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 / 29 days 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
  • Notes + Local AI: Simpler Than You Think
    For viewing and navigating, Obsidian handles large markdown libraries well: graph view, tag search, template plugins. VSCode works too if you'd rather stay in your dev environment. Both read the same folder with no conversion needed. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
View more

Sway mentions (53)

  • Pomodoro Timer: Waybar and uair
    I am currently using uair integrated in to my Waybar running on my sway window manager. I use it similar to the way I use watson (both as a CLI tool with Waybar integrations), so it is a good fit for me. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • "We understand" ;)
    This is partially why I use tools like i3 (/ sway). I like the tool; it works extremely well for me; the design has stayed the same for 20 years; there's no profit motive to come along and fuck everything up. It just works. It is boring in the best way possible. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Framework 13 with AMD Ryzen 7040 Series Makes for a Great Linux Laptop
    I've tested using i3 but never fully got into it. But my plan for the F13 is to try out Hyprland[0] and perhaps Sway[1]. [0] https://hyprland.org/ [1] https://swaywm.org/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Rethinking Window Management in Gnome
    Sway does all those things very well: https://swaywm.org/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • Just ran Sway on openSUSE. Complete noob. I need help.
    Read the manual on https://swaywm.org/. There are tons of youtube videos showcasing basic configuration and usage. This is extremely basic stuff you need to do yourself. Source: about 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing VS Code and Sway, 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.

i3 - A dynamic tiling window manager designed for X11, inspired by wmii, and written in C.

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

Pacifica - Stress and anxiety relief through beautiful CBT tools

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

Hyprland - Hyprland is a dynamic tiling Wayland compositor that doesn't sacrifice on its looks. - GitHub - vaxerski/Hyprland: Hyprland is a dynamic tiling Wayland compositor that doesn't sacrifice on ...

Loading...