head to head · open source
vscode vs react-ace
vscode has 194,494 GitHub stars, 44,389 forks, 21,181 open issues and last shipped yesterday. react-ace has 4,205 stars, 596 forks, 217 open issues and last shipped 7 days ago. vscode leads on adoption by 4,525% (194,494 vs 4,205 stars). vscode is written in TypeScript under MIT; react-ace is written in TypeScript under MIT. vscode has attracted 23% as many forks as stars, react-ace 14%. 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 | react-ace | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 194K | ★ 4.2K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-27 |
| Forks | ⑂ 44K | ⑂ 596 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick vscode if
- You weight community size — 194K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick react-ace if
- You want the react-ace feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and react-ace fits your workflow better
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 →
About react-ace
React Ace A set of react components for Ace NOTE FOR VERSION 8! : We have stopped support for Brace and now use Ace builds. Please read the documentation on how to migrate. Examples are being updated. DEMO of React Ace DEMO of React Ace Split Editor DEMO of React Ace Diff Editor Install npm install react ace ace builds yarn add react ace ace builds Basic Usage Examples Checkout the example directory for a working example using webpack. Documentation Ace Editor Split View Editor Diff Editor How to add modes, themes and keyboard handlers Frequently Asked Questions Migrate to version 8 Backers Support us with a…
read the full react-ace overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is vscode or react-ace more popular?
vscode has 194,494 GitHub stars and react-ace has 4,205. vscode has the larger community by that measure.
Are vscode and react-ace free?
Both are open source. vscode is licensed under MIT and react-ace under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between vscode and react-ace?
vscode is written in TypeScript and react-ace 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, vscode or react-ace?
Choose vscode if you want the larger community (194,494 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose react-ace if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.