Sublime Text vs VSCode: Which Code Editor is Better?

Sublime Text and VSCode are two of the most popular code editors among developers. Selecting the right code editor involves assessing their strengths, weaknesses, and how well they meet your specific needs and preferences.

Sublime Text, with a 1.22% market share, is renowned for its fast typing experience and efficient search functionality, offering a smooth and seamless coding environment.

On the other hand, VSCode dominates the market with a 75% share and boasts 14 million users. Its features include a built-in terminal and insightful code information, significantly enhancing productivity.

This article will compare Sublime Text and VSCode by exploring their key features, user experiences, and overall capabilities to help you determine which code editor is better suited for your development needs.

Features and Functionality

When it comes to code editors, Sublime Text and VSCode offer unique features and functionalities that cater to different needs. Let’s explore what each editor offers.

Sublime Text: Fast and Efficient Typing

Sublime Text is celebrated for its fast and efficient typing experience, enabling developers to write code with ease. Its powerful search functionality allows users to navigate through large codebases effortlessly. Sublime Text also supports multiple selections, making it easy to make bulk changes quickly. 

However, it lacks built-in code verification and debugging functionality, which might be essential for some custom software development projects. For those who prioritize speed and simplicity, Sublime Text is an excellent choice.

VSCode: Powerful Tools for Web Development

Visual Studio Code (VSCode), on the other hand, offers an extensive set of features tailored towards web development. It includes code verification, IntelliSense, and debugging capabilities, empowering developers to write clean and error-free code efficiently. 

VSCode also excels in providing seamless integration with Git for version control, making it easier for developers to manage their projects. Additionally, its integrated terminal allows for running command-line tasks directly within the editor, enhancing productivity.

Sublime Text vs VSCode

License and Pricing

Sublime Text offers both a free and paid tier, allowing users to access more advanced features by purchasing a license. This flexibility enables developers to choose the option that best fits their needs and budget. VSCode, in contrast, is entirely free to use, making it an accessible option for developers on a budget without sacrificing functionality.

Code Completion and Syntax Highlighting

Both Sublime Text and VSCode offer code completion features to save time and enhance productivity. This functionality suggests code snippets and auto-completes your code as you type, reducing the chances of making syntax errors. 

Additionally, both editors provide syntax highlighting, which enables the visual distinction of different elements in your code, improving readability and reducing errors.

Git Integration

Version control is an essential aspect of software development, and both Sublime Text and VSCode offer Git integration. 85% of developers find that Git has enhanced collaboration capabilities within their teams. 

This integration allows developers to easily manage their projects, track changes, and collaborate with other team members using Git repositories.

Plugin and Extension Ecosystem

When comparing the plugin and extension ecosystems of Sublime Text and VSCode, there are notable differences in their breadth and depth.

VSCode: A Hub for Plugin Development

VSCode boasts an extensive range of available plugins and extensions, largely due to its popularity and strong community support. The VSCode marketplace is a hub for plugin development, offering thousands of options to cater to various needs and preferences. 

This extensive ecosystem enables developers to customize and enhance their coding environment with tools for version control, debugging, code formatting, and more. 

From common features like syntax highlighting and snippet management to specialized tools like code formatters and linters, VSCode provides comprehensive support for nearly every aspect of software development.

Sublime Text: Focus on Simplicity and Speed 

While Sublime Text has a smaller plugin ecosystem in comparison, it is often praised for its simplicity and speed, which many developers find to be compensating factors. Although Sublime Text may lack the sheer volume of specific plugins available in VSCode, it still offers a solid selection of general-purpose plugins that can significantly enhance the coding experience. 

Plugins for syntax highlighting, snippet management, and project management are readily available, and the editor’s efficient performance ensures that these tools run smoothly.

Plugin Management

Both Sublime Text and VSCode provide reliable features for managing plugins and extensions, ensuring that users can easily install, update, and remove them as needed.

Sublime Text uses its Package Control system, a robust and user-friendly package manager that simplifies the process of managing plugins. With Package Control, users can browse, install, and manage plugins directly within the editor, making it easy to enhance Sublime Text’s functionality.

VSCode offers a dedicated extension marketplace, integrated directly into the editor. This marketplace provides a seamless experience for discovering, installing, and managing extensions. VSCode’s built-in extension management tools allow users to search for extensions, read reviews, and see recommendations based on their usage patterns.

Enhancing Coding Workflow

Both Sublime Text and VSCode support a variety of plugins that can streamline your coding workflow. Popular plugins like those for Bootstrap 5 support streamline front-end development and are available for both editors. 

Whether you need basic features or advanced development tools, both editors have options to enhance your productivity and coding efficiency.

 

Sublime Text	Vscode
Smaller plugin ecosystem	Larger plugin ecosystem
Package Control for plugin management	Built-in extension marketplace and management
General-purpose plugins available	Specialized and general-purpose plugins available
Support for Bootstrap 5	Support for Bootstrap 5

Overall, while Sublime Text may have a smaller plugin and extension ecosystem compared to VSCode, both editors offer a variety of plugins that can enhance your coding experience. 

It’s worth considering your specific needs and preferences when choosing between these popular text editors, as the availability of plugins can significantly impact your productivity and workflow.

User Experience and Customization

When it comes to user experience (UI) and customization, Sublime Text and VSCode offer unique features that cater to different coding preferences.

Sublime Text is renowned for its minimalist UI design, which provides a distraction-free coding environment. The interface is clean and uncluttered, allowing you to focus solely on your code. This simplicity makes Sublime Text a preferred choice for many developers who value a clean and intuitive workspace.

What sets Sublime Text apart is its high level of customization. You can personalize your coding experience by choosing from a variety of themes and customizing keyboard shortcuts to suit your workflow. Although Sublime Text is not open source, it offers a comprehensive configuration system that enables you to fine-tune the editor according to your preferences.

On the other hand, VSCode offers a more feature-rich UI with a wide range of customization options. It provides a visually appealing interface that includes features like split views, integrated terminals, and side-by-side diff comparisons. VSCode’s UI is known for its ease of use, making it a popular choice among beginners and seasoned developers alike.

Comparison of User Experience and Customization Features:

Feature	Sublime Text	VSCode
Minimalist UI	Yes	No
Customizable Themes	Yes	Yes
Keyboard Shortcuts	Yes	Yes
Open Source	No	Yes
Integrated Terminals	No	Yes
Side-by-Side Diff Comparisons	No	Yes

As seen in the comparison table, Sublime Text and VSCode offer distinct user experiences and customization options. The choice between the two editors depends on your personal preferences, coding style, and the specific features that matter most to you.

Performance and Speed

When it comes to performance and speed, both Sublime Text and VSCode have their own advantages. Sublime Text, built using the lightweight Electron framework, offers a fast and efficient experience while consuming fewer system resources. 

This makes it an excellent choice for those using lower-end machines or looking for a code editor that runs smoothly without straining their hardware.

On the other hand, VSCode provides a more feature-rich experience, packed with a wide range of tools and extensions. However, due to its richness in features, it may require more system resources to deliver its full capabilities. 

It’s important to consider your hardware specifications when deciding between Sublime Text and VSCode to ensure optimal performance and avoid any potential slowdowns.

Conclusion

Selecting the right code editor for your web development projects can be challenging. When comparing Sublime Text and VSCode, it ultimately comes down to your personal preferences and specific coding requirements.

Consider factors such as code verification, debugging capabilities, plugin and extension availability, user experience, customization options, and performance. Both Sublime Text and VSCode have their unique strengths and weaknesses, so it’s crucial to choose the editor that best matches your coding style and workflow.

Whether you choose Sublime Text or VSCode, pick the one that fits your needs. With the right editor, you can approach your web development projects with confidence and efficiency.

Discover how Flatirons’ custom software development services can help you navigate the complexities of code editors whether you’re leaning towards Sublime Text or VSCode, for your next development project.