head to head · open source
react vs vscode
react has 250,552 GitHub stars, 51,372 forks, 1,377 open issues and last shipped yesterday. vscode has 192,640 stars, 42,602 forks, 21,181 open issues and last shipped yesterday. react leads on adoption by 30% (250,552 vs 192,640 stars). react is written in JavaScript under MIT; vscode is written in TypeScript under MIT. react has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, vscode 22%. vscode was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| react | vscode | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 251K | ★ 193K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 51K | ⑂ 43K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick react if
- You weight community size — 251K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick vscode if
- You want the vscode feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and vscode fits your workflow better
About react
React is a JavaScript library under the MIT licence for building user interfaces, using a declarative, component based model that renders both on the web and, through React Native, on mobile.
read the full react overview →
About vscode
Visual Studio Code is Microsoft's open source code editor — the Code OSS repository, written in TypeScript on Electron and released under the MIT license — and it serves two audiences: developers who want a lightweight editor covering the core edit build debug cycle on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and contributors who want to work directly on the editor, its roadmap, and its extensions.
read the full vscode overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is react or vscode more popular?
react has 250,552 GitHub stars and vscode has 192,640. react has the larger community by that measure.
Are react and vscode free?
Both are open source. react is licensed under MIT and vscode under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between react and vscode?
react is written in JavaScript and vscode in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, react or vscode?
Choose react if you want the larger community (250,552 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose vscode if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.