VS Code if you want a modern, batteries-included editor that works great out of the box. Vim if you want maximum editing speed and want to work entirely from the terminal.
Side-by-side
| Vim | VS Code | |
|---|---|---|
| Learning curve | Steep (weeks to months) | Easy (minutes) |
| Editing speed (once learned) | Fastest | Fast |
| Startup time | Instant | 1-3 seconds |
| Memory usage | ~10 MB | ~300-500 MB |
| GUI | Terminal-based | GUI with terminal |
| Extensions | Plugins (vimscript/lua) | Marketplace (huge) |
| Git integration | Manual / plugins | Built-in (excellent) |
| Debugging | Plugins | Built-in |
| AI integration | Plugins | Copilot, Cursor, etc. |
| Available everywhere | Yes (every server has vi) | Desktop only |
Where Vim wins
- Speed — once you learn the keybindings, you edit text faster than any other editor.
ciwto change a word,ddto delete a line,.to repeat — it’s a language for editing. - Terminal-native — SSH into a server, edit a config file, done. No GUI needed.
- Resource usage — runs on a Raspberry Pi, a 10-year-old laptop, or a remote server with 256 MB RAM.
- Always available — vi/vim is installed on virtually every Unix system.
- Keyboard-only — your hands never leave the keyboard. No mouse.
Where VS Code wins
- Immediate productivity — open it, start coding. No learning curve.
- Extensions — the marketplace has everything. Language support, themes, Git, Docker, databases, AI.
- Debugging — set breakpoints, inspect variables, step through code. Built-in.
- Git integration — visual diffs, merge conflict resolution, GitLens.
- AI tools — GitHub Copilot, Cursor integration, inline chat.
- Multi-language — excellent support for every language without configuration.
The best of both worlds
Many developers use VS Code with Vim keybindings:
VS Code extension: "Vim" (vscodevim)You get Vim’s editing speed with VS Code’s features. It’s the most popular Vim extension on the marketplace.
How to choose
- Beginner? VS Code. Learn Vim later when you’re curious.
- Work on remote servers often? Learn Vim (at least the basics).
- Want maximum productivity? VS Code + Vim keybindings.
- Love the terminal? Neovim (modern Vim with Lua config and LSP).
See also: Vim cheat sheet | VS Code shortcuts cheat sheet