VS Code VS UltraEdit

Compare VS Code VS UltraEdit and see what are their differences

Rating: 5.0 · 1 review
Pricing: Open source

Rating: 0 reviews
Pricing: Paid Free trial $99.95 / Annually (UltraEdit Core)

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Which is more popular?

Based on our record, VS Code seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 1218 times since March 2021.

social mentions: 1,218 vs 0
Text Editors popularity: 93% vs 7%
alternatives listed: 240+ vs 235

Base details

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

	VS Code	UltraEdit
Website	code.visualstudio.com	ultraedit.com
Pricing	Open source	Paid Free trial $99.95 / Annually (UltraEdit Core) Official pricing
Platforms	—	Windows MacOS Linux
Company	Startup from the United States	—
Listed in	Text Editors IDE Software Development Developer Tools +1	Text Editors IDE Software Development IDEs And Text Editors Code Editor +2

About VS Code and UltraEdit

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

VS Code

UltraEdit

No description of VS Code yet.

UltraEdit is a commercially maintained text and code editor built for critical work where performance, reliability, and security matter most. It is designed to handle demanding editing tasks, from very large files and complex datasets to code, logs, configuration files, and sensitive information....

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

VS Code 8 features

UltraEdit 7 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.

Large File Handling
UltraEdit is built to open and edit very large files, including files larger than 10 GB, while maintaining stability and performance under heavy workloads.
Advanced Search & Replace
Powerful search and replace across files and folders, with regular expressions, filters, saved searches, and tools for complex text-processing tasks.
Column & Block Editing
Edit, select, insert, delete, and transform data across multiple rows at once—especially useful for logs, datasets, and structured text.
FTP, SFTP & FTPS
Built-in remote file access lets users open, edit, and save files on remote servers without relying on a separate FTP application.
Security & Offline Workflows
Designed for sensitive and restricted environments, with local file processing, offline activation options, and ongoing commercial maintenance.
Cross-Platform Support
Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, giving individuals and organizations a consistent professional editor across major desktop platforms.
Commercial Support
Backed by a professional development and support team, with ongoing maintenance and support for business-critical issues.

Analysis

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

VS Code

UltraEdit

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

Yes, UltraEdit is considered a good text editor, especially for users who need a reliable and feature-rich tool for coding and text editing tasks.

Why this product is good

UltraEdit is widely regarded as a powerful text editor for its versatility, speed, and support for a wide range of file types, including larger files that other editors may struggle with. It offers robust features such as syntax highlighting, code folding, integrated FTP client, and a customizable interface. Additionally, its multi-platform support makes it a good choice for developers and IT professionals across different operating systems.

Recommended for

Developers
IT professionals
Programmers
Power users handling large files
Users looking for a customizable text editor

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

VS Code 2 videos + Add

UltraEdit 3 videos + 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

UltraEdit

93% 93%

Text Editors

7% 7%

92% 92%

IDE

8% 8%

100% 100%

Developer Tools

0% 0%

89% 89%

Software Development

11% 11%

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing VS Code and UltraEdit.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

UltraEdit's answer:

UltraEdit is a native desktop application built primarily with C/C++ technologies, with an embedded JavaScript scripting engine and platform-specific components for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

What makes your product unique?

UltraEdit's answer:

UltraEdit combines the power of a professional text and code editor with exceptional performance for demanding workflows. It is particularly strong at handling very large files, advanced search and replace, column/block editing, and complex text and data manipulation. Unlike many free or community-maintained editors, UltraEdit is commercially maintained and supported, making it suitable for critical and security-sensitive work.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

UltraEdit's answer:

UltraEdit is built for developers, IT professionals, engineers, data professionals, and technical users who regularly work with code, logs, configuration files, structured data, or very large files. Its users range from individual professionals to large enterprises, including organizations in financial services, healthcare, government, technology, and other security- or reliability-sensitive industries.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

UltraEdit's answer:

UltraEdit is designed for users who need more than a lightweight editor. It offers reliable large-file performance, powerful search and editing tools, built-in capabilities for working with code and data, and commercial support. It is a strong fit when performance, reliability, security, and long-term maintenance matter more than simply having a free editor.

What's the story behind your product?

UltraEdit's answer:

UltraEdit began in 1994 when engineer Ian D. Mead created a Windows text editor, originally called MEDIT, as a personal programming project and alternative to Notepad. After releasing it through CompuServe as shareware, the editor quickly attracted both individual and corporate users. More than 30 years later, UltraEdit has grown into a suite of professional editing tools with more than 4 million users worldwide.

Who are some of the biggest customers of your product?

UltraEdit's answer:

BMW
Capital One
CVS Pharmacy
Intel
Progressive
Samsung
Allianz
BNP Paribus
National Bank of Canada
Mercedes

User comments

Share your experience with using VS Code and UltraEdit. 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

UltraEdit 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...

Boost Your Productivity with These Top Text Editors and IDEs
convesio.com · Nov 2023

UltraEdit offers features like code folding, syntax highlighting, and project management, providing a comprehensive set of tools for efficient coding. It also has a built-in FTP client, making it easier to edit files...
13 Best Text Editors to Speed up Your Workflow
kinsta.com · Sep 2023

UltraEdit serves a few purposes. First of all, it allows developers and programmers an option for uploading and editing large files. You’ll also notice that it has incredible power and performance for locating files...
Top 10 Notepad++ Alternatives for Mac in 2022
www.imymac.com · Jul 2022

This is one of the best Notedpad++ Mac alternatives. It has one of the neatest features such as a source code and text editor. It was also recognized as one of the leading source and text editors in the industry. You...

Social recommendations and mentions

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

VS Code 1218 mentions

UltraEdit 0 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 / 5 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

Tracking UltraEdit since Mar 2021.

Alternatives to VS Code and UltraEdit

When comparing VS Code and UltraEdit, 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 UltraEdit:

Sublime Text vs VS Code Sublime Text vs UltraEdit
Vim
Highly configurable text editor built to enable efficient text editing

Compare Vim to VS Code or UltraEdit:

Vim vs VS Code Vim vs UltraEdit
Notepad++
A free source code editor which supports several programming languages running under the MS Windows environment.

Compare Notepad++ to VS Code or UltraEdit:

Notepad++ vs VS Code Notepad++ vs UltraEdit
GNOME
An easy and elegant way to use your computer, GNOME is designed to put you in control and get things done.

Compare GNOME to VS Code or UltraEdit:

GNOME vs VS Code GNOME vs UltraEdit
Node.js
Node.js is a platform built on Chrome's JavaScript runtime for easily building fast, scalable network applications

Compare Node.js to VS Code or UltraEdit:

Node.js vs VS Code Node.js vs UltraEdit
Eclipse IoT
Eclipse IoT provides the technology needed to build IoT Devices, Gateways, and Cloud Platforms.

Compare Eclipse IoT to VS Code or UltraEdit:

Eclipse IoT vs VS Code Eclipse IoT vs UltraEdit