I switched from VS Code to Open VSX, and Microsoft’s is lagging behind

VS Code is probably the best IDE around. It has almost everything you need, whether it’s AI features, stability or performance. In terms of pure functionality, it checks all the boxes, and on paper it’s open source. There’s not much to complain about at first glance.

That said, VS Code is not entirely open source. The telemetry data collected by Microsoft remains a concern for some people, and the market itself is not truly open. Publishers must agree to Microsoft’s licensing terms, and marketplace APIs cannot be used outside of their ecosystem.

This becomes a real limitation if someone wants to create VS Code. They cannot legally use the official market, making it more difficult for alternative FDI to grow. This is one of the main obstacles to a more diverse ecosystem.

For example, VSCodium is a de-Microsoft version of VS Code that I recently switched to. It does not have access to the official market; instead it uses the Open VSX registry. Open VSX is open source and a solid alternative to the VS Code Marketplace. In my experience so far, it actually gets better.

Open VSX ticks all the boxes

It is designed to support editors based on the Visual Studio Code extension model.

Open VSX Registry is an open source extension registry designed to support editors based on the VS Code extension model. It is managed by the Eclipse Foundation and offers a vendor-neutral alternative to Microsoft’s extensions market.

Open VSX supports the same extension format used by Visual Studio Code. Extensions released for VS Code can be packaged and distributed through Open VSX without requiring structural changes. This ensures good compatibility between editors that implement the VS Code Extension API, including VSCodium and other VS Code-based IDEs.

The registry provides industry-standard functionality, including extension discovery, installation, versioning, and updates. You can browse available extensions, install them directly in supported editors, and receive updates through the same extension management interface. For the most commonly used extensions, such as language support, themes, linters, and productivity tools, you will find equivalent versions readily available on Open VSX.

Open VSX is completely open source, including both the server-side registry and associated tools. The source code is publicly available and this transparency also extends to the release process. Extension authors can publish their extensions independently without being constrained by a single vendor-controlled ecosystem.

The platform also supports self-hosting. You can deploy your own Open VSX registry instance to manage and distribute extensions in controlled environments. Although this seems excessive for an individual, it is particularly useful for large organizations that must meet specific compliance requirements. Self-hosting is also useful when you need offline access or internal curation of extensions.

OpenVSX is truly open source

And has almost every extension you need, with a few exceptions

Unlike Microsoft’s Marketplace, Open VSX operates under an open governance model. It is not tied to a single commercial product or distribution. Extensions hosted on Open VSX can be used across multiple compatible publishers without licensing restrictions tied to a specific vendor’s version or service.

The registry also supports automated post feeds. Extension developers can integrate the Open VSX release into their CI/CD pipelines, enabling consistent updates to the Microsoft Marketplace and Open VSX, if desired. It also allows developers to support a broader user base without maintaining separate codebases.

So it goes without saying that OpenVSX is not without limitations. On the one hand, it’s up to developers to publish their extensions separately. This means that some extensions available on VS Code Marketplace are missing or not receiving updates at the same time. This is especially true for extensions published exclusively by Microsoft or those with restrictive licensing terms.

However, Open VSX is not a simple fallback solution. Its public catalog already includes extensions for everyday tools that most developers rely on, including Python, Java, PHP, Ruby, Swift, SQL, OpenTofu, and AI-assisted coding. Popular extensions such as Pyrefly, Language Support for Java by Red Hat, PHP, Composer, PHP Profiler and Ruby LSP are available and I have had no problems using them.

The Python extension supports IntelliSense, debugging, linting, formatting, refactoring and unit testing. Java, PHP, Ruby, Swift, OpenTofu and SQLTools extensions cover full language support, debugging, database work, infrastructure tools and other common development workflows.

It’s worth pointing out that Open VSX does not need to match Microsoft’s Marketplace extension for the extension to be useful. It should cover the extensions you use every day, and in the most common configurations, that’s exactly what it does.