Kitsmith / Utilities / Visual Studio Code
Microsoft’s free code editor, now pitched as “your home for multi-agent development” — GitHub Copilot’s AI agents built in, alongside the extension ecosystem that already made it the default.
Our take
The default for a reason: extensions for nearly every language, a huge community, and AI pair-programming via Copilot with a genuine free entry point (“no trial, no credit card required” per its own site). One nuance worth knowing: the underlying source (Code - OSS) is MIT-licensed on GitHub, but the actual Microsoft-branded build distributed from this site carries Microsoft’s own product license — telemetry and marketplace terms included — not a plain MIT license.
- Price
- Free
- License
- Open source
- Requires
- No fixed minimum version — Microsoft’s own requirements page states VS Code supports “macOS versions with Apple security update support,” which it defines as typically the latest release and the two previous versions, so the effective floor moves forward as older macOS releases age out of Apple’s own security-update window.
- Get it via
- Homebrew · Direct
- Developer
- Microsoft
Do you use Visual Studio Code?
Who made this
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What it does
Extension marketplace
Tens of thousands of extensions for language support, themes, and tooling.
Built-in AI agents
GitHub Copilot agent mode can plan, edit, and run commands across files, using Copilot or third-party model providers.
Integrated terminal & Git
A built-in terminal and source-control panel without leaving the editor.
The deal
- Free to download and use
- Source MIT-licensed on GitHub; the official Microsoft build carries Microsoft’s own product license
- GitHub Copilot AI features have a free entry tier plus paid plans for heavier use
Worth knowing: The source code (Code - OSS) is MIT-licensed and hosted on GitHub, but the Microsoft-branded build downloaded from code.visualstudio.com is covered by Microsoft’s own product license rather than the plain MIT license — confirmed on Microsoft’s own license page.
Visual Studio Code — questions people ask
Is VS Code free?
Yes, free to download and use. Copilot’s AI agent features start free, with paid plans for higher usage.
Is VS Code open source?
The underlying source is MIT-licensed on GitHub. The Microsoft-branded build distributed from the official site carries Microsoft’s own product license instead of the plain MIT license.
Who makes VS Code?
Microsoft.
Is Visual Studio Code free?
Visual Studio Code is free to use with optional paid unlocks.
Does Visual Studio Code work alongside a notch app like Alcove?
Yes — Visual Studio Code lives in the screen, so it runs happily alongside any Dynamic Island hub or notch app.
Where can I download Visual Studio Code?
Visual Studio Code is available via Homebrew, Direct.
Is Visual Studio Code open source?
Yes — Visual Studio Code is open source.
Reviews
No public ratings yet. Reader reviews are coming to Kitsmith soon.
Listing hand-verified August 28, 2026 from the developer's site and public sources.
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