Microsoft · since 2015
Visual Studio Code
The free code editor the whole industry learns on.
Visual Studio Code is free, fast enough, and has an extension for everything. Tutorials, tools, and teammates usually assume it.
Optional Copilot is separate. As a plain editor, VS Code is still the safest excellent default at $0.
Why it's here
- Free with a massive extension ecosystem
- What most tutorials and teams assume
- Works for almost any language
- Optional AI features — the editor itself stays free