Visual Studio Code

Free, extensible code editor from Microsoft with debugging, Git, extensions and built-in AI agent features.

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The Visual Studio Code homepage — Screenshot of code.visualstudio.com taken by TopTool.

Pricing: Free · see prices
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Web
Categories: Development

About Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code is a free code editor from Microsoft for Windows, macOS and Linux, with a web version as well. It provides editing, debugging, task running and version control, and a large extension marketplace adds languages, tools and MCP servers. The product is built from the open-source Code - OSS repository (MIT licence) and released as a Microsoft-branded build under a Microsoft product licence. Recent releases put AI agents at the centre of the homepage: GitHub Copilot chat and agent features are built in, with a Copilot Free plan for individuals, paid Copilot plans, or the option to bring your own model keys. Microsoft has open-sourced the Copilot Chat extension, while Copilot's backend services stay closed source.

Good for

Developers in almost any language who want a free, lightweight editor that can be extended into a full working environment through extensions.

Watch out for

The downloadable VS Code build uses a Microsoft product licence, which differs from the MIT-licensed Code - OSS source. AI features rely on a GitHub account and Copilot plan or your own model keys; per the FAQ they can be switched off with the chat.disableAIFeatures setting.

Pricing notes

As of October 2026 the FAQ says VS Code is free for private and commercial use. GitHub Copilot is separate: a Copilot Free plan gives a monthly allowance, and paid Copilot plans are sold by GitHub.