Microsoft Visual Studio Code alternatives for Mac
Microsoft Visual Studio Code — Open-source code editor — is installed 36,536 times a month through Homebrew. These are hand-picked alternatives that occupy the same slot, ordered by how comparable their user base is.
Run
brew install --cask visual-studio-code to install Microsoft Visual Studio Code itself.- Cursor5.2× smaller user base
- Zed4.1× smaller user base
- Sublime Text7.0× smaller user base
- Postman4.0× smaller user base
- Bruno7.6× smaller user base
- Tower351.3× smaller user base
- DBeaver Community Edition3.7× smaller user base
- JetBrains Toolbox18.3× smaller user base
Full comparison
| Microsoft Visual Studio Code | Cursor | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | GUI app | GUI app |
| Category | Developer Tools | Developer Tools |
| Open source | Not declared | Not declared |
| Licence | Not declared | Not declared |
| Apple silicon | Universal | Universal |
| Latest version | 1.143.1 | 3.27.14,69b724ebc67ec522c1b5d287a5025f7a7e81be97 |
| Dependencies | 0 | 0 |
| Installs (30 days) | 36,536 | 6,983 |
| Install command | brew install --cask visual-studio-code | brew install --cask cursor |
How we picked these
The list comes from a hand-maintained set of same-purpose apps, not from keyword matching. Alternatives are removed automatically when Homebrew no longer carries them. Ordering reflects 30-day install volume, not paid placement. Data updated 2026-10-26.