head to head · open source
vscode vs Xed-Editor
vscode has 192,700 GitHub stars, 42,805 forks, 21,181 open issues and last shipped today. Xed-Editor has 2,311 stars, 159 forks, 80 open issues and last shipped yesterday. vscode leads on adoption by 8,238% (192,700 vs 2,311 stars). vscode is written in TypeScript under MIT; Xed-Editor is written in Kotlin under GPL-3.0. vscode has attracted 22% as many forks as stars, Xed-Editor 7%. 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 | Xed-Editor | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 193K | ★ 2.3K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Kotlin |
| Last push | 2026-09-20 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 43K | ⑂ 159 |
| 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 Xed-Editor if
- You want the Xed-Editor feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Kotlin
- You evaluated both and Xed-Editor 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 Xed-Editor
Xed Editor is a free, GPL 3.0 licensed text and code editor for Android, written in Kotlin, built for developers and power users who want syntax highlighting, LSP powered code intelligence, a built in terminal, and extensions on a phone or tablet.
read the full Xed-Editor overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is vscode or Xed-Editor more popular?
vscode has 192,700 GitHub stars and Xed-Editor has 2,311. vscode has the larger community by that measure.
Are vscode and Xed-Editor free?
Both are open source. vscode is licensed under MIT and Xed-Editor under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between vscode and Xed-Editor?
vscode is written in TypeScript and Xed-Editor in Kotlin. 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 Xed-Editor?
Choose vscode if you want the larger community (192,700 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Xed-Editor if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.