head to head · open source
react vs vscode
react has 252,095 GitHub stars, 51,624 forks, 1,377 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. vscode has 194,494 stars, 44,389 forks, 21,181 open issues and last shipped yesterday. react leads on adoption by 30% (252,095 vs 194,494 stars). react is written in JavaScript under MIT; vscode is written in TypeScript under MIT. react has attracted 20% as many forks as stars, vscode 23%. 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 | ★ 252K | ★ 194K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-10-31 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 52K | ⑂ 44K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick react if
- You weight community size — 252K 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 · React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces. Declarative: React makes it painless to create interactive UIs. Design simple views for each state in your application, and React will efficiently update and render just the right components when your data changes. Declarative views make your code more predictable, simpler to understand, and easier to debug. Component Based: Build encapsulated components that manage their own state, then compose them to make complex UIs. Since component logic is written in JavaScript instead of templates, you can easily pass rich data through your app and…
read the full react overview →
About vscode
Visual Studio Code Open Source ("Code OSS") The Repository This repository (" Code OSS ") is where we (Microsoft) develop the Visual Studio Code product together with the community. Not only do we work on code and issues here, but we also publish our roadmap, monthly iteration plans, and our endgame plans. This source code is available to everyone under the standard MIT license. Visual Studio Code Visual Studio Code is a distribution of the Code OSS repository with Microsoft specific customizations released under a traditional Microsoft product license. Visual Studio Code combines the simplicity of a code editor…
read the full vscode overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is react or vscode more popular?
react has 252,095 GitHub stars and vscode has 194,494. 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 (252,095 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose vscode if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.