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Notepad++ vs Visual Studio Code: catalog facts
Notepad++	Visual Studio Code
Free Free as in speech and free as in beer, in the author’s own words, under the GNU General…	Free Free to download and use. GitHub Copilot and other AI features are separate paid…
Windows	Windows, macOS, Linux
Opens instantly and uses little memory, thanks to pure Win32 and the Scintilla component Syntax highlighting for many programming and natural languages, with tabs and split view	Extensions for essentially every language and framework Remote development over SSH, in containers and in WSL
Windows only; there is no official macOS or Linux build The plugin ecosystem is older and less active than that of modern editors	The shipped build is not open source and collects telemetry by default Its extension marketplace is licensed for Microsoft builds only
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Closed source
License: GPL-3.0	License: Microsoft product licence
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 20, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.