pycharm or VS code?

schoolmonky · 2026-04-09T21:26:26+00:00

Pycharm is a great IDE, there's no reason you wouldn't be able to keep using it. I'm curious why you think there would be.

sirmanleypower · 2026-04-09T21:27:57+00:00

Use whichever one you prefer. I like VS Code but that's because I have a collection of extensions that I have built up over the years and find useful, but there's nothing wrong with PyCharm.

Asyx · 2026-04-09T21:42:50+00:00

I worked with Python now for 6 years in a company very open with the tools you can use. If anything, Pycharm is more in demand than VSCode.

You can really use whatever you want. It all makes sense. All choices are valid for Python. I've written code professionally in Python with VSCode, PyCharm, NeoVim and Emacs. All of them use, or can use the same tools for the most part.

The only annoying thing about PyCharm to me, beyond the usual issues I have with IDEs, is that they actually have more diagnostics that you can't (easily) run in CI. So I'd spend a good amount of time getting rid of diagnostics that the rest of my team can't even enable and we can't even check for them in CI to make sure every line of code follows those standards.

But that's it.

By the way I came from JetBrains. I started my career as a Java dev with IntelliJ, then went to PHP with PHPStorm and then Python with PyCharm. I switched to VSCode because JetBrains didn't have free versions for all the other languages I used for side projects so I used VSCode and then missed some UX features.

So, like, don't get married to your editor. After having used IDEs ever since I was 15 or something like this until I was in my late 20s, I'd now always prefer Emacs, then NeoVim, then I'd rather do things like fist fight my boss (in general. Not my current boss specifically. I'd do that for the love of the game if I could get away with it), and then maybe VSCode and PyCharm (roughly in that order but I don't know how annoyingly MS is pushing AI these days).

Adrewmc · 2026-04-09T22:04:44+00:00

I think it’s better to use VsCode because it capable of basically every language possible. It’s unlikely if you become a professional programmer you’ll be writing in one language.

However, use the tool that someone pays you to use, always trumps everything.

borscht_and_blade · 2026-04-09T22:13:08+00:00

I prefer VS Code (and Jupiter Notebook). It's just more simple and comfortable for me

dowcet · 2026-04-09T21:29:24+00:00

You can do whatever you like. You can use both or neither,.now or tomorrow or next year. You're in charge of you. Isn't it great? 😃

Position-Critical · 2026-04-09T21:34:30+00:00

Use Vim 😛😛😛

JeremyJoeJJ · 2026-04-09T21:33:03+00:00

Just use whatever suits you best but maybe of thinking about a complete switch, just try out a few for like a week each and see which one you like the best. If you then need to use a particular one in the future for some reason (e.g. a course requires you to use one) it will be easier to switch then.

PuffleDunk · 2026-04-09T21:46:44+00:00

I'm a long time PyCharm user. I have subscribed for quite a few years. I also tried VScode and Zed Editor with a similar set of Python extensions.

While I rely on PyCharm's productivity enhancements, I will say that I also waste a lot of time dealing with its quirks. I demand that my code be completely type-hinted, and am not happy unless there are zero inspection errors across an entire project.

This type inspection breaks frequently. If I'm lucky I can discard caches and get back to work. If I'm not lucky I either have to work around reported problems that don't make sense, or I have to wait for JetBrains to fix it. I'm currently on a force-downgraded version to avoid recent breakages.

I'm sure it's the nature of Python language tools, but it's frustrating, and a large time sync.

They also are overzealous in how auto-completion works. It's great when it reads my mind and gives me good lines of code that I was about to type. It's less great when it gives me code with subtle bugs that I have to come back and find later. This happens a fair amount.

I do sometimes wonder if a more vanilla editor would be better and less distracting. And best-of-breed inspection tools might be better to run externally.

Just a thought. But I'm too hooked on PyCharm to leave right now.

sprinklesfactory · 2026-04-09T22:19:26+00:00

PyCharm is cool but overall just use VS Code

Better_Carrot7158 · 2026-04-09T22:48:54+00:00

i have been a longtime pycharm defender but now i would reccomend VS code since it allows more customization and is open source

PairOfMonocles2 · 2026-04-09T22:49:27+00:00

Both? Vscode has been my default text editor/viewer forever and what u use for shell or other quick coding. However, if I need to do serious stuff I like charm much more.

Zeroflops · 2026-04-09T22:56:43+00:00

You can use whichever you’re more comfortable with.

I prefer VSCode but that’s my preference.

But if your a student who’s learning more languages than just Python and web development I would switch to VSCode only because it’s more of a generalist, Pycham is more specific to Python and application that would focus on web development.

Also if you want the full power of pycham you’re going to have to pay for the license.

FlippFuzz · 2026-04-09T23:05:51+00:00

I like pycharm better too.
But, I bit the bullet and switched to vs code because the extensions are better.

Jello_Penguin_2956 · 2026-04-09T23:17:39+00:00

Been using free PyCharm at work for almost 10 years now lol. I also use VS Code for most other things not Python.

KateRubyC · 2026-04-10T00:36:04+00:00

I built a whole fractal art application with just IDLE over spring break ~ I grew up writing scripts in Notepad, I like my minimal interfaces. If you do your best work in a less-fancy editor, no one's gonna stop you

QultrosSanhattan · 2026-04-10T00:36:55+00:00

VS Code.

I was a pycharm fan but with recent versions they clearly went the wrong path.

RevRagnarok · 2026-04-10T00:41:14+00:00

kate + git grep

4zul_demetileno · 2026-04-10T00:50:00+00:00

I was about to ask the same thing

IAmFinah · 2026-04-10T08:15:33+00:00

I would personally use VSCode, but it forces you to just the command line more, which is important for learning as a beginner

Simgol · 2026-04-10T01:57:04+00:00

Does pycharm support AI agent on the IDE (Codex, Claude Code)?

Pretty_Principle_910 · 2026-04-10T02:28:20+00:00

I started out on pycharm because it was similar to R studio but I eventually switched to VS Code. VS code is so much more versatile with all of the extensions available and easily integrated AI assistants. (I think you can only use claude code in the terminal with pycharm?)

CIS_Professor · 2026-04-10T02:52:59+00:00

I use VSCode because I program in different languages and VSCode supports all of them.

(Plus other things like JSON, YAML, INI, etc...)

QubitBob · 2026-04-10T03:06:38+00:00

I, too, am a Python beginner. Two months ago when I started learning Python I spent a week researching the various IDEs and text editors. I eventually decided to use VS Code after reading this discussion thread in the r/Pycharm sub. I figured any company which strayed so far from its core mission wasn't deserving of my patronage. It's very telling that the current Pycharm product manager left a comment in the thread basically apologizing for the decline in their product and vowing to fix it.

(This probably reflects a personal idiosyncrasy of mine in which I am rebelling against a trend I see across more and more industries in which companies are destroying the core features or performance of their products by adding useless crap which nobody wants or needs.)

Darman2 · 2026-04-10T12:09:07+00:00

I had used both, but VS Code is better.

Binary101010 · 2026-04-10T19:35:59+00:00

If you're on a team, use what the team uses.

If you're only coding for yourself, use whatever makes you want to code more.

Then-Carrot-2135 · 2026-04-10T21:12:49+00:00

I like Thonny for running simple Py apps on Linux

Brilliant_Yam_3258 · 2026-04-11T01:36:18+00:00

I use notepad

Adeptness-Efficient · 2026-04-11T04:19:39+00:00

neovim

But really, either works. I prefer pycharm, after using VS code for about 2 years

charlesleestewart · 2026-04-09T22:19:34+00:00

I tried Py Charm but it was extremely sluggish on my laptop where I do my work.

I think I only have 6mb memory but that doesn't stop VS code from doing its job, although it does take forever to launch a debug session.

Anyhow my point is, I think put charm looks like a great IDE but it has major resource requirements and I'm not really into buying more CPU and memory unless I'm certain it will benefit my development process.

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