Ah, the age-old debate of VS Code vs WebStorm. It's like the ultimate battle between Batman and Superman or Coke and Pepsi. Both are great in their own way, but which one is better?
If you're a front-end developer trying to decide between VS Code and WebStorm, you're not alone. Both of these code editors are extremely popular and have an army of supporters vouching for them. Let’s take a look at some of the differences.
Code editing experience
When it comes to code editing experience, both VS Code and WebStorm are great. However, they have different approaches. VS Code is known for its simplicity and ease of use. It has a minimalistic design and a straightforward interface that makes it easy for beginners to get started. WebStorm, on the other hand, has a more complex interface with a steeper learning curve. It's designed for professional developers who need advanced features to help them code more efficiently.
Language support
Both VS Code and WebStorm support a wide range of programming languages, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and TypeScript. However, WebStorm has more built-in support for advanced languages like Sass, Less, and Stylus, as well as more advanced features like code analysis and refactoring.
Integrated development environment (IDE) features
WebStorm is an IDE, which means it comes with a range of built-in features like code completion, debugging, and version control. VS Code, on the other hand, is a code editor with a wide range of extensions that can be used to add IDE features. While both editors can be used to create and debug code, WebStorm has more built-in functionality that can help developers work faster.
Performance
VS Code is known and loved for its speed and responsiveness, while WebStorm can be slower and more resource-intensive. If you're working on a larger project, WebStorm may be a better choice as it has better performance when dealing with large codebases.
Price
VS Code is free, while WebStorm requires a paid license. The good news is that JetBrains, the company behind WebStorm, offers free licenses to students and educators. If you're just starting out as a developer and want to keep costs down, VS Code is a great option.
Community support
Both VS Code and WebStorm have active communities of developers who create and share extensions and plugins. Undenibly, VS Code has a larger community and a wider range of extensions available. This can be very helpful if you're looking for specific functionality that isn't available in the base editor.
Well, what's the verdict? Depends! Both VS Code and WebStorm are great options for front-end developers. If you're just starting out and want a simple, easy-to-use editor that's free, VS Code is a good choice. If you're a professional developer who needs advanced functionality like code analysis and refactoring, WebStorm may be a better option. Ultimately, the choice depends on your personal preferences and needs as a developer!
Top comments (2)
I've read many articles and tested WebStorm myself, but I can't find one valid and tangible reason why JetBrains' product is better. This makes me think that it's pure personal preference and kind of a dogmatic approach (many say it's better = it must be better).
Maybe it was not your intention to go deep in the details, but I'll try to address some of your points:
VSCode perfectly supports code completion, debugging and version control. I'm curious to know what other "built in functionality" you refer to.
Never had performance issues with VSCode, even on large projects. WebStorm, on the other hand, sucks up as much memory as it can (indexing takes a big part).
Again, a lot of people mention "refactoring" as the silver bullet but VSCode has many features and keeps growing. Besides, there are innumerable extensions for refactoring if you need something more specific.
To sum it up, I'm really interested in the details of why WebStorm is better than VSCode, but the more I research and test, the more it seems it's just not true.
Thank you!
The biggest deal breaker for me: VS code's git-support is much worse than git-support in WebStorm. I checked I believe all popular git plugins and none was able to show me changes by file or folder.