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Visual Studio Code vs code-server: catalog facts
Visual Studio Code	code-server
Free Free to download and use. GitHub Copilot and other AI features are separate paid…	Free The open-source software is available without a license fee. Hosting, hardware and…
Windows, macOS, Linux	Linux, macOS, Self-hosted, Web
Extensions for essentially every language and framework Remote development over SSH, in containers and in WSL	Runs the development environment on a machine you control.
The shipped build is not open source and collects telemetry by default Its extension marketplace is licensed for Microsoft builds only	Requires a configured host with WebSocket support.
Downloadable app	Self-hosted
Closed source	Open source
License: Microsoft product licence	License: MIT
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026

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