Best free alternatives to Visual Studio Code for Windows and Mac
Updated · FPTWaze editors
Compare the best alternatives to Visual Studio Code, including free and open-source editors and IDEs for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Quick answer: The best alternatives to Visual Studio Code are Cursor (freemium, Win, Mac, Linux), Eclipse IDE (open source, Win, Mac, Linux), Notepad++ (open source, Win) and Visual Studio Community (freemium, Win).
The best alternatives to Visual Studio Code are Cursor, Eclipse IDE, Notepad++ and Visual Studio Community. Visual Studio Code is a free code editor from Microsoft that runs on Windows, macOS, Linux and the web. It adds IntelliSense, debugging, Git integration, an integrated terminal and a large extension marketplace. Some people look for another editor because they want AI features, an open-source license, a tool for one specific language, or an editor that runs only on Windows. The picks below cover those needs.
Cursor is a good fit for developers who like working in VS Code but want AI features. It is a VS Code-compatible editor that adds AI chat, code generation across files and agent workflows. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Its license is freemium, and paid plans raise AI usage limits.
Eclipse IDE suits developers who want a free, open-source IDE that runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. It is best known for Java, and packages also exist for Jakarta EE and C/C++. Thousands of plug-ins extend it. Its license is EPL-2.0.
Notepad++ suits Windows users who want a fast, small, free text and source code editor. It is open source under the GPL-3.0 license. It adds tabs, syntax highlighting for dozens of languages, search and replace with regular expressions, macros and plug-ins. It runs on Windows only.
Visual Studio Community suits Windows developers who build .NET, C++, game or desktop applications. It is free for individuals, students and open-source projects, and it includes advanced debugging and profiling. It runs on Windows only.
How to choose an alternative to Visual Studio Code
Choose by need. For AI help in an editor that works like VS Code, pick Cursor; its paid plans raise AI usage limits. For a free, open-source IDE on Windows, macOS and Linux, pick Eclipse IDE. For a small, fast editor on Windows only, pick Notepad++. For .NET or C++ work on Windows, pick Visual Studio Community if you are an individual, student or open-source developer.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to Visual Studio Code?
Yes. Eclipse IDE and Notepad++ are open-source alternatives to Visual Studio Code that are free to use. Eclipse IDE runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, while Notepad++ runs on Windows only.
Is Visual Studio Code open source?
The source code of Visual Studio Code, called Code-OSS, is MIT licensed. Microsoft's builds of Visual Studio Code add branding and telemetry. Visual Studio Code itself is listed as freeware.
Which alternative to Visual Studio Code runs on Linux?
Cursor and Eclipse IDE both run on Linux, as Visual Studio Code does. Notepad++ and Visual Studio Community run on Windows only.
Still prefer Visual Studio Code? The most popular code editor, with a huge extension marketplace.
How this guide was made: written with AI assistance from the facts in our catalog (license, platforms, what each program does) and checked by an editor before publication.
