The best Visual Studio Code alternatives in 2026

1

GitHub

Code hosting, pull requests and CI in one place 9.0 -0.1 vs Visual Studio Code

• Worse value -0.5

Best for: Developers and teams who want hosting, code review and CI in one place

2

Linear

Fast, focused issue tracking for software teams 8.9 -0.2 vs Visual Studio Code

• Worse value -1.5
• Fewer features -0.9
• Better design +0.6
• Faster +0.4

Best for: Software teams who want fast, low-friction issue tracking and planning

3

Raycast

Fast, extensible launcher that replaces Spotlight 8.8 -0.4 vs Visual Studio Code

• Fewer features -1.2
• Worse value -1.1
• More private +0.4

Best for: Mac power users and developers who live on the keyboard

4

Cursor

AI-first code editor built on VS Code 8.7 -0.5 vs Visual Studio Code

• Worse value -2.1
• Slower -0.4

Best for: Developers who want AI help built into every part of their editor

5

Warp

Modern AI-powered terminal for Mac, Windows and Linux 8.3 -0.9 vs Visual Studio Code

• Worse value -1.9
• Fewer features -1.0
• Less private -0.8
• Slower -0.6

Best for: Developers who want a modern terminal with AI help built in

6

Docker Desktop

Build and run containers locally on any desktop 8.1 -1.1 vs Visual Studio Code

• Slower -2.0
• Worse value -1.9
• Weaker design -1.4
• Fewer features -0.6

Best for: Developers who build and test containerized apps on their own machine

7

Postman

API platform for testing, documenting and sharing APIs 7.8 -1.4 vs Visual Studio Code

• Worse value -2.5
• Slower -2.0
• Weaker design -1.4
• Less private -1.2

Best for: API developers and QA teams who test and document APIs together