head to head · open source
vscode vs Hercules
vscode has 192,658 GitHub stars, 42,648 forks, 21,181 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Hercules has 1,162 stars, 190 forks, 39 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. vscode leads on adoption by 16,480% (192,658 vs 1,162 stars). vscode is written in TypeScript under MIT; Hercules is written in Python under AGPL-3.0. vscode has attracted 22% as many forks as stars, Hercules 16%. 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
| vscode | Hercules | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 193K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-08-04 |
| Forks | ⑂ 43K | ⑂ 190 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick vscode if
- You weight community size — 193K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Hercules if
- You want the Hercules feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and Hercules fits your workflow better
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 →
About Hercules
Hercules is an open source, AGPL 3.0 testing agent that turns plain Gherkin feature files into automated end to end UI, API, security, accessibility and visual tests for QA engineers, developers and platform teams who need browser level coverage without writing or maintaining test code.
read the full Hercules overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is vscode or Hercules more popular?
vscode has 192,658 GitHub stars and Hercules has 1,162. vscode has the larger community by that measure.
Are vscode and Hercules free?
Both are open source. vscode is licensed under MIT and Hercules under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between vscode and Hercules?
vscode is written in TypeScript and Hercules in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, vscode or Hercules?
Choose vscode if you want the larger community (192,658 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Hercules if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.