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Nova vs Visual Studio Code: catalog facts
Nova	Visual Studio Code
Paid Paid app with a free 30-day trial.	Free Free to download and use. GitHub Copilot and other AI features are separate paid…
macOS	Windows, macOS, Linux
Fully native Mac app with low resource use Terminal, Git, debugging and file transfer in one window	Extensions for essentially every language and framework Remote development over SSH, in containers and in WSL
macOS only, requiring macOS 15.6 or later Paid after the trial	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
Closed source	Closed source
License: Proprietary	License: Microsoft product licence
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026

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