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.

The editors trying to replace VS Code are fighting gravity

VS Code is too big already

A dedicated AI editor sounds appealing because it can shape the entire workflow around agents, chat, and automation. Tools like Cursor and Windsurf lean into that by designing everything around AI from the start. The problem is not the idea, but the cost of switching. VS Code already sits at the center of most development workflows. You have your extensions, keybindings, themes, debugging setup, and project-specific tooling dialed in. Moving to a new editor means rebuilding all of that before you even get to the AI part.

VS Code is also superior to its forks because it has been battle-tested and includes features that matter to both individuals and enterprises. Everything you use in VS Code is free. It’s an open-source tool, so there is some level of transparency here. Since it’s owned by Microsoft, telemetry data is still shared with the company, so it’s not completely transparent.

Then there are other features, like the extension marketplace. Since it’s VS Code’s own marketplace, you get access to everything. On tools like Cursor and Windsurf, certain extensions are either not available or don’t work as they should. I have also personally experienced better performance and support for things like Jupyter Notebooks on VS Code than on Cursor or any other fork. For enterprise users, something like Live Share is more reliable and useful for team collaboration than the experimental features in Cursor or other forks.

While a forked editor gives full control over the experience, it also has to keep up with VS Code’s ecosystem, maintain compatibility with extensions, and convince you to move your daily work into a new environment. Most developers are not looking for a new place to work. They want better tooling inside the setup they already trust. That makes replacement strategies harder to scale beyond early adopters and experimentation. The more AI becomes a standard feature, the less reason there is to switch editors just to get it.

The smarter tools are extending VS Code

Codex, Claude Code, and similar extensions are on the right path

The smarter tools are the ones that build on top of VS Code rather than trying to replace it. Extensions like GitHub Copilot, OpenAI Codex, and Claude Code plug into the same APIs as any other extension, but they change what the editor can do. You still work inside the same interface, but with more capabilities. You see suggestions show up as you type, chat panels can reference your codebase, and commands can modify files across a project.

I’ve been able to achieve almost everything I could do with Cursor using the Claude Code extension on VS Code. I think the Codex extension from OpenAI is also quite capable. The main limitation is that you can’t switch between models within a single interface. For example, Cursor lets you pick the model you want to use, but that isn’t possible with Codex or Claude. You can work around this with a tool like Continue. It’s an open-source tool that lets you switch between AI models, so you can pick something like Gemini 3.1, GPT-5.5, or whatever fits your needs.

These tools can read your project, understand how files relate to each other, and make coordinated changes. That means you can ask for a refactor, generate a feature, or explore a code path without manually stitching everything together. And since this happens inside VS Code, it fits into the rest of your workflow.

VS Code is being adapted by the AI shift

AI-native editors are not disrupting Visual Studio Code. Microsoft's popular IDE is becoming the place where those capabilities ultimately live. Tools like Cursor and Windsurf are valuable experiments in rethinking the developer experience, but they are still orbiting the same ecosystem they are trying to replace. Meanwhile, extensions like GitHub Copilot, OpenAI Codex, and Claude Code are quietly redefining what VS Code can do without asking developers to start over. For me, VS Code already has the ecosystem, so it's easier for me to extend the editor rather than outright replace it.