Quick and easy almost IDE
January 23, 2026

Quick and easy almost IDE

Bruce Carter | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Microsoft Visual Studio Code

I mostly use Microsoft Visual Studio Code in development projects that are less appropriate for development in Xcode due to the amount of overhead in getting Xcode projects set up properly. Microsoft Visual Studio Code works very well for our shell and Python scripting tasks related to our Jamf Pro instance. It is just easier to get a project put together with Microsoft Visual Studio Code for these small, low overhead items.

Pros

  • Quick editing of low overhead projects
  • Minimal configuration and setup
  • Following along with online programming courses using Microsoft Visual Studio Code
  • Cross platform (not just macOS/iOS) development
  • Expandable with plugins
  • General AI integration

Cons

  • Better documentation integration
  • Odd crashes sometimes
  • Interface can be a little dense sometimes
  • Build train support (automation)
  • It's one more development environment to learn - Negative
  • It facilitates using Windows programmer resources on macOS projects - Positive
  • It is fairly quick to learn, less time spent in training and skill development - Positive
  • Integration with CoPilot promotes "vibe coding" - Both Positive and Negative
It is great for non-mainstream Apple device programming (anything not using Swift or Obj-C). However, it is not as full (some would say overly) featured as Xcode, so sometimes you are looking for a feature that it just doesn't have. The ability to add functionality via plugins is a benefit, but the NEED to add features that way is a drawback. Still in all, a solid "almost" IDE.
As described earlier, for low overhead projects, Microsoft Visual Studio Code does a great job of getting you in and out, all the way down as far as launch time for the app and compile time. Xcode is really feature heavy, but that makes learning how to use it a task of its own. Anaconda is much more of a do everything yourself kind of environment, and is certainly good for Python. However, Microsoft Visual Studio Code has a sweet spot right in the middle of the two and works well for small to mid-sized, cross platform, and non-Apple languages (not Swift/Obj-C).

Do you think Microsoft Visual Studio Code delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Microsoft Visual Studio Code's feature set?

Yes

Did Microsoft Visual Studio Code live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of Microsoft Visual Studio Code go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Microsoft Visual Studio Code again?

Yes

If the project is a straight up macOS or iOS/iPadOS/watchOS/tvOS/etc development, then Xcode is the way to go, just because it is Apple's development environment. For just about anything else, particularly cross platform stuff, and especially in the case of a macOS/Windows parallel development scenario, Microsoft Visual Studio Code can definitely be appropriate and more effective. It is also a fairly good way to bring a Windows developer on to a macOS environment.

Evaluating Microsoft Visual Studio Code and Competitors

  • Integration with Other Systems
  • Ease of Use
  • Other
It was included with our enterprise contract with Microsoft. The app itself is free anyway, but since we have a relationship with Microsoft we also get assistance and consulting for free, particularly since they are getting into the macOS management arena with Intune. In higher education, especially with budgets lately, it is always a good thing to hear "and it comes with".
We did not do a formal evaluation and selection of Microsoft Visual Studio Code. A lot of our development projects are individual or small team-oriented, so we pretty much have the freedom to select the development tools that fit the particulars of the project the best. Sometimes it is necessary to get everything into the same system, but our developers write in anything from a text editor up to Xcode.

Microsoft Visual Studio Code Training

  • No Training
If you have experience with a programming oriented editor, or with any other IDE (integrated development environment) you won't have any trouble picking up Microsoft Visual Studio Code without formal training. Plus, if you want it, there is quite a bit available free online, and from training organizations such as Udemy. But it's not a requirement.

Using Microsoft Visual Studio Code

ProsCons
Like to use
Relatively simple
Easy to use
Technical support not required
Well integrated
Consistent
Quick to learn
Convenient
Feel confident using
Familiar
None
  • Small scripting projects
  • Projects using a non-Apple core language (Swift, Obj-C)
  • Quick fix edits
  • Following courses where the instructor is using Microsoft Visual Studio Code on a Windows machine
  • Integrating with the large collection of Apple frameworks
  • Automation
  • Complex build trains

Microsoft Visual Studio Code Reliability

It is easily deployed with our Jamf Pro instance. There is actually very little setup involved in getting the app deployed, and it is fairly well self-contained and does not deploy a large amount of associated files. However, it is not particularly conducive to large project, multi-developer/department projects that involve some form of central integration.
Overall, Microsoft Visual Studio Code is pretty reliable. Every so often, though, the app will experience an unexplained crash. Since it is a stand-alone app, connectivity or service issues don't occur in my experience. Restarting the app seems to always get around the problem, but I do make sure to save and backup current work.
Microsoft Visual Studio Code is pretty snappy in performance terms. It launches quickly, and tasks are performed quickly. I don't have a lot of integrations other than CoPilot, but I suspect that if the integration partner is provisioned appropriately that any performance impact would be pretty minimal. It doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles (unless you start adding plugins left and right).

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