# Emacs vs VSCodium

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** VSCodium

| Attribute | Emacs | VSCodium |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 39.2 (53% (medium)) | 51.2 (38% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | 22 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 0 | 0 |
| adoption.github_stars | 5,218 | 33,642 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A free and open-source text editor built on a Lisp interpreter that enables extensive customization through Lisp code. It combines core text editing with broader functionality including project planning, email and news reading, debugging, calendar, and IRC capabilities. It is indexed under IDEs & Code Editors.","source":"https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/","question":"What is Emacs?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Emacs is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the GPL-3.0 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/","question":"Is Emacs free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Emacs supports Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/","question":"What platforms does Emacs support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Emacs can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/","question":"Can Emacs be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Emacs is published under the GPL-3.0 licence, a copyleft licence, so check its terms before embedding it in a closed-source product. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/emacs-mirror/emacs","question":"Is Emacs open source?","confidence":0.95}]` | `[{"answer":"VSCodium provides a community-maintained, MIT-licensed build of Microsoft's Visual Studio Code editor. It distributes the same core functionality as VS Code but without telemetry, tracking, or Microsoft-specific customizations, available pre-built for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It is indexed under IDEs & Code Editors.","source":"https://vscodium.com","question":"What is VSCodium?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"VSCodium offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://vscodium.com","question":"Is VSCodium free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"VSCodium supports the web, Windows, macOS, Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://vscodium.com","question":"What platforms does VSCodium support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. VSCodium can be deployed cloud / SaaS and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://vscodium.com","question":"Can VSCodium be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. VSCodium is published under the MIT licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/vscodium/vscodium","question":"Is VSCodium open source?","confidence":0.95}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | An open-source text editor written in C and Lisp that emphasizes extensibility and customization through programming, with support for multiple platforms and international character input methods. | VSCodium provides a community-maintained, MIT-licensed build of Microsoft's Visual Studio Code editor. It distributes the same core functionality as VS Code but without telemetry, tracking, or Microsoft-specific customizations, available pre-built for Windows, macOS, and Linux. |
| features.capabilities | `{"type":"terminal_editor","lsp_dap":true,"builtin_ai":"none","deployment":"desktop","os_support":"GNU/Linux, Windows, macOS, BSD, Haiku, Android","remote_dev":false,"open_source":"oss","base_platform":"original","extensibility":"plugins","pricing_model":"free","language_scope":"polyglot","git_integration":false,"code_intelligence":"lsp_grade","integrated_debugger":true}` | `{"type":"full_ide","lsp_dap":true,"builtin_ai":"none","deployment":"both","os_support":"Windows, macOS, Linux (multiple architectures: x86-64, ARM64, ppc64le, loong64)","remote_dev":true,"open_source":"oss","base_platform":"vscode_fork","extensibility":"marketplace","pricing_model":"free","language_scope":"polyglot","git_integration":true,"code_intelligence":"ide_grade","integrated_debugger":true}` |
| integrations.count | 2 | - |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Tree-Sitter"},{"name":"EditorConfig"}]` | - |
| language.primary | Emacs Lisp | Shell |
| license.spdx | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"linux":true,"android":true,"windows":true}` | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"web":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","summary":"Free and open source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/","retrievedAt":"2026-10-13T13:45:48.009Z"}` | `{"type":"free","summary":"Free, open source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://vscodium.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T23:06:47.119Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | free |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | - | 11 |
| release.history | - | `[{"url":"https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/releases/tag/1.140.06880","date":"2026-10-13T17:03:30Z","type":"stable","version":"1.140.06880"},{"url":"https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/releases/tag/1.135.06055","date":"2026-09-09T08:19:21Z","type":"stable","version":"1.135.06055"},{"url":"https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/releases/tag/1.126.04524","date":"2026-07-07T13:01:09Z","type":"stable","version":"1.126.04524"},{"url":"https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/releases/tag/1.121.03429","date":"2026-05-22T22:14:58Z","type":"stable","version":"1.121.03429"},{"url":"https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/releases/tag/1.116.02821","date":"2026-04-27T14:01:34Z","type":"stable","version":"1.116.02821"},{"url":"https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/releases/tag/1.112.01907","date":"2026-03-20T12:01:28Z","type":"stable","version":"1.112.01907"},{"url":"https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/releases/tag/1.110.11631","date":"2026-03-08T23:34:19Z","type":"stable","version":"1.110.11631"},{"url":"https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/releases/tag/1.110.11607","date":"2026-03-07T23:19:53Z","type":"stable","version":"1.110.11607"},{"url":"https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/releases/tag/1.110.11602","date":"2026-03-07T18:24:37Z","type":"stable","version":"1.110.11602"},{"url":"https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/releases/tag/1.110.01571","date":"2026-03-06T11:59:01Z","type":"stable","version":"1.110.01571"},{"url":"https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/releases/tag/1.109.51242","date":"2026-02-20T18:39:01Z","type":"stable","version":"1.109.51242"},{"url":"https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/releases/tag/1.109.41146","date":"2026-02-16T18:37:09Z","type":"stable","version":"1.109.41146"},{"url":"https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/releases/tag/1.109.31074","date":"2026-02-13T18:51:47Z","type":"stable","version":"1.109.31074"},{"url":"https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/releases/tag/1.109.21026","date":"2026-02-11T18:55:07Z","type":"stable","version":"1.109.21026"},{"url":"https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/releases/tag/1.109.01000","date":"2026-02-10T17:01:01Z","type":"stable","version":"1.109.01000"},{"url":"https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/releases/tag/1.108.20787","date":"2026-02-01T19:40:23Z","type":"stable","version":"1.108.20787"},{"url":"https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/releases/tag/1.108.10359","date":"2026-01-15T00:24:56Z","type":"stable","version":"1.108.10359"},{"url":"https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/releases/tag/1.107.18627","date":"2025-12-25T11:55:59Z","type":"stable","version":"1.107.18627"},{"url":"https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/releases/tag/1.107.18605","date":"2025-12-24T14:11:50Z","type":"stable","version":"1.107.18605"},{"url":"https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/releases/tag/1.106.37943","date":"2025-11-26T23:56:27Z","type":"stable","version":"1.106.37943"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 3.2 | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Femacs-mirror%2Femacs&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=nixpkgs&package_name=vscodium-fhs&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (IDEs & Code Editors)

| Capability | Emacs | VSCodium |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Type | Terminal editor | Full IDE |
| Language scope | Polyglot | Polyglot |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Deployment | Desktop | Both |
| **Platform support** |  |  |
| OS support | GNU/Linux, Windows, macOS, BSD, Haiku, Android | Windows, macOS, Linux (multiple architectures: x86-64, ARM64, ppc64le, loong64) |
| Base platform | Original | VS Code fork |
| **Extensibility** |  |  |
| Extensibility | Plugins | Extension marketplace |
| **DX** |  |  |
| LSP / DAP support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Remote / dev-containers | ✗ | ✓ |
| Integrated debugger / profiler | ✓ | ✓ |
| Code intelligence depth | LSP-grade | IDE-grade |
| Built-in git integration | ✗ | ✓ |
| **AI** |  |  |
| Built-in AI | None | None |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Openness | Open-source | Open-source |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Pricing model | Free | Free |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T17:47:43.115Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*