VS Code is probably the most widely used code editor out there, though I am not sure it is even fair to call it just a code editor anymore. It has become the center of gravity for a lot of developers, and its extension model is the reason so many workflows end up living inside it rather than around it. Extensions can plug directly into the UI and use the same APIs that VS Code itself uses, which makes the editor feel less like a fixed product and more like a platform.
The current market, however, splits into two camps. One camp wants to own the full editor experience, even if that means rebuilding the surface from scratch. Cursor, Windsurf, and Antigravity are some of the clearest examples. These tools are not really escaping VS Code’s orbit; they are trying to control it. Then there are tools like Codex, GitHub Copilot, and Claude that extend VS Code, and I think that approach is the smarter one.
