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Our reviewVSCodium is still the editor VS Code should have been for privacy-minded Mac developers: same muscle memory, no Microsoft telemetry and an active 1.126 release line in August 2026. Pair it with Continue or a terminal agent if you want AI. Choose stock VS Code only when Microsoft-locked extensions are non-negotiable.
Best for
- Privacy-Conscious Developers
- Open-Source Advocates
- Enterprise Teams with OSS Policies
What is VSCodium?
VSCodium is Visual Studio Code, minus Microsoft. Specifically, it's a community-maintained build of VS Code's open-source repository (the MIT-licensed 'Code - OSS' project) that strips out Microsoft's telemetry, tracking and proprietary branding before compiling the binaries. The editing experience matches VS Code, same Electron shell, same Monaco editor, same extension architecture, while Open VSX replaces the Microsoft Marketplace by default. As of 2026-08-09 the macOS Homebrew cask tracks stable 1.126.04524 for both Apple Silicon and Intel (Monterey or newer livecheck path), so VSCodium remains an actively released editor rather than an archived fork. That currency matters: Chromium/Electron security fixes continue to land and the editor stays compatible with modern language tooling on macOS Tahoe 26.x. Why switch in 2026: procurement teams that require MIT-licensed binaries, developers who refuse product telemetry and users composing their own AI stack (Continue, Claude Code, Codex, Meta Muse Code, local Ollama) instead of buying an AI-first IDE. The hard tradeoff is unchanged, some Microsoft-published extensions detect non-MS builds and refuse to run. Validate remote/SSH/Live Share needs before standardising a team on VSCodium. Unlike Void (deprecated/archived in 2026), VSCodium is a living foundation. Install with brew install --cask vscodium, optionally add Insiders via vscodium@insiders and treat AI as an explicit add-on rather than a bundled subscription.
Install with Homebrew
brew install --cask vscodiumKey Features
Zero Telemetry
The defining feature. VSCodium removes all telemetry endpoints, crash reporting and usage tracking that Microsoft bakes into VS Code. The product.json file is patched at build time to disable every phone-home mechanism. You can verify this yourself, the build scripts are public on GitHub. No data about your files, your extensions, your usage patterns, or your hardware leaves your machine.
Open VSX Extension Registry
Instead of Microsoft's Visual Studio Marketplace, VSCodium connects to the Open VSX Registry maintained by the Eclipse Foundation. Most popular extensions are available: ESLint, Prettier, Python, Rust Analyzer, GitLens, Docker and thousands more. Publishers upload to Open VSX alongside the Microsoft marketplace and community members mirror extensions that publishers haven't uploaded directly. Open VSX remains the default gallery in 2026 builds.
Same Editor, Same Settings
VSCodium uses the same settings.json format, the same keybindings.json, the same launch.json for debugging and the same tasks.json for build tasks. If you export your VS Code settings, you can import them into VSCodium and start working immediately. Themes, snippets and language configurations transfer without modification.
Community-Maintained Builds
The VSCodium team tracks VS Code releases closely. When Microsoft publishes a new VS Code version, VSCodium typically produces a matching build within 24-48 hours. Builds are available for macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), Windows and Linux across multiple package formats.
MIT License Throughout
Every component of VSCodium is MIT-licensed open-source software. Unlike VS Code, where the published binary has a proprietary Microsoft license even though the source is MIT, VSCodium's binaries are distributed under the same MIT terms. This matters for organizations with strict open-source policies.
Portable Mode
VSCodium supports a portable installation mode where all settings, extensions and data are stored in a folder alongside the application binary. Carry your entire development environment on a USB drive or sync it between machines via cloud storage without installing anything system-wide.
Current 1.126.x release train
Stable 1.126.04524 (August 2026 Homebrew/GitHub) keeps the editor on the modern Code - OSS line with arm64 and x64 macOS artefacts, Insiders channel available for earlier builds.
Who Should Use VSCodium?
The Privacy-Conscious Developer
They audit their tools the way they audit their dependencies. They refuse to run software that sends usage data without explicit consent. VSCodium gives them the VS Code editing experience with the guarantee that nothing phones home. They pair it with Firefox, Proton Mail and Signal for a privacy-respecting toolchain.
The Enterprise Developer with Open-Source Policy
Their company requires all development tools to be open-source with compatible licenses. VS Code's binary license is proprietary (despite the source being MIT), which fails the compliance check. VSCodium's MIT-licensed binaries satisfy the policy. They install it across the team and sync settings via a shared dotfiles repository.
The Linux Power User on Mac
They use Linux on their workstation and macOS on their laptop. VSCodium works identically on both, with the same extension registry and the same settings format. They maintain a single dotfiles repo with their VSCodium config and the experience is consistent across platforms. No Microsoft account required, no settings sync through Microsoft's cloud, they use their own git repo.
How to Install VSCodium on Mac
VSCodium is available via Homebrew Cask with native Apple Silicon support.
Install via Homebrew
Run brew install --cask vscodium in your terminal. This downloads the universal binary for macOS.
Launch and Import Settings
Open VSCodium. If migrating from VS Code, copy your settings: cp -r ~/Library/Application\ Support/Code/User/* ~/Library/Application\ Support/VSCodium/User/
Install Extensions
Open the Extensions sidebar (Cmd+Shift+X). Search for your essential extensions, most are available on Open VSX. Install them the same way you would in VS Code.
Verify No Telemetry
Open Settings (Cmd+,) and search for 'telemetry'. All telemetry settings should be disabled by default. You can also check product.json in the app bundle to confirm no Microsoft endpoints are present.
Pro Tips
- • If an extension you need isn't on Open VSX, you can manually download the .vsix from the VS Marketplace website and install it via
codium --install-extension path/to/extension.vsix. - • Use
codiuminstead ofcodein your terminal. Add shell integration with 'Shell Command: Install codium command in PATH' from the Command Palette. - • Your VS Code settings are fully compatible, copy settings.json, keybindings.json and snippets directly.
Configuration Tips
Mirror VS Code Extensions to Open VSX
If you maintain extensions, publish to both the VS Marketplace and Open VSX. The ovsx CLI tool from the Eclipse Foundation makes this a single extra step in your CI pipeline. Your users on VSCodium will find them automatically.
Use a Dotfiles Repo for Settings Sync
Since VSCodium doesn't have Microsoft's Settings Sync, symlink your settings.json and keybindings.json from a git repo: ln -s ~/dotfiles/vscodium/settings.json ~/Library/Application\ Support/VSCodium/User/settings.json. This gives you version-controlled, cross-machine sync without any cloud service.
Alternatives to VSCodium
VSCodium exists in the space between VS Code and fully independent editors.
Visual Studio Code
Same editor with Microsoft telemetry, the full marketplace and built-in Settings Sync. If you don't mind the data collection, VS Code has a slightly smoother out-of-box experience.
Cursor
AI-focused VS Code fork with Composer and Cursor Tab. More features than VSCodium for AI-assisted development, but proprietary and more resource-heavy.
Zed
A completely different editor written in Rust. Much faster, but a different extension ecosystem and editing approach. For developers who want speed over VS Code compatibility.
Pricing
VSCodium is free and open-source under the MIT license. No paid tiers, no subscriptions, no feature gates. Optional costs are whatever AI providers or extensions you attach (Continue cloud models, Copilot where permitted, Muse Spark API and so on). Distributed via GitHub Releases, Homebrew and Linux package managers.
Pros
- Zero telemetry, verified by open build scripts
- Identical editing experience to VS Code
- MIT-licensed binaries (not just source)
- Settings and keybindings transfer from VS Code with no changes
- Open VSX registry has most popular extensions
- Apple Silicon native support
- Portable mode for USB or cloud-synced installations
Cons
- Some Microsoft-exclusive extensions unavailable (C# Dev Kit, Remote - SSH, GitHub Copilot)
- Open VSX registry is smaller than Microsoft's marketplace
- Builds lag VS Code releases by 24-48 hours
- No built-in Settings Sync (use a dotfiles repo instead)
- Smaller community means fewer VSCodium-specific resources
Community & Support
VSCodium is maintained by a group of volunteers on GitHub. The project has 26,000+ stars and an active issue tracker. The community is particularly strong among privacy advocates, Linux users and open-source purists. Documentation is maintained in the project wiki and most VS Code documentation applies directly since the editor is functionally identical. The Open VSX Registry has its own community and contribution guidelines for extension publishers.
Frequently Asked Questions about VSCodium
Is VSCodium exactly the same as VS Code?
Which extensions are missing from Open VSX?
Can I install .vsix files manually?
codium --install-extension file.vsix. This works for extensions not on Open VSX, though you won't get automatic updates for manually installed extensions.Is VSCodium slower than VS Code?
Should I switch from VS Code to VSCodium?
Does GitHub Copilot work in VSCodium?
What VSCodium version should Mac users install in August 2026?
How does VSCodium compare to Void now?
About the Author
Expert Tips for VSCodium
Community threads still centre on Marketplace gaps: plan a half-day pilot for remote/SSH extensions before migrating a whole engineering org off Microsoft VS Code.
In 2026 the winning pattern on X is VSCodium for the GUI plus Muse Code/Claude Code/Codex in the terminal, rather than expecting VSCodium itself to become Cursor.
Related Technologies & Concepts
Sources & References
Key Verified Facts
- Official website explaining that VSCodium is a telemetry-free, community-driven, freely-licensed binary distribution of Microsoft's editor VS Code.[1]
- The official repository containing the build scripts that clone Microsoft's vscode repository, remove telemetry and compile the MIT-licensed binaries.[2]
- The upstream 'Code - OSS' repository where the core MIT-licensed source code for Visual Studio Code is maintained by Microsoft and the community.[3]
- Official Microsoft documentation detailing the usage data, crash reports and telemetry collected by default in the standard Visual Studio Code binaries.[4]
- The vendor-neutral open-source extension registry used by VSCodium, as the official Microsoft marketplace Terms of Service restrict its use to Microsoft products.[5]
- 1vscodium.comVSCodium - Open Source Binaries of VS Code
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
Source excerpt
Official website explaining that VSCodium is a telemetry-free, community-driven, freely-licensed binary distribution of Microsoft's editor VS Code.
- 2github.comVSCodium GitHub Repository
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
Source excerpt
The official repository containing the build scripts that clone Microsoft's vscode repository, remove telemetry and compile the MIT-licensed binaries.
- 3github.comMicrosoft VS Code GitHub Repository
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
Source excerpt
The upstream 'Code - OSS' repository where the core MIT-licensed source code for Visual Studio Code is maintained by Microsoft and the community.
- 4code.visualstudio.comVisual Studio Code Telemetry
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
Source excerpt
Official Microsoft documentation detailing the usage data, crash reports and telemetry collected by default in the standard Visual Studio Code binaries.
- 5open-vsx.orgOpen VSX Registry
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
Source excerpt
The vendor-neutral open-source extension registry used by VSCodium, as the official Microsoft marketplace Terms of Service restrict its use to Microsoft products.
- 6itsfoss.comVSCodium: 100% Open Source Version of Microsoft's VS Code
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
Source excerpt
An editorial overview explaining how VSCodium provides the exact same user experience as VS Code but respects user privacy by disabling background tracking.
- 7infoq.comVSCodium Provides Telemetry-Free VS Code Binaries
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
Source excerpt
A technical news report detailing the launch of VSCodium and how it automates the process of building VS Code from source without Microsoft's proprietary additions.
- 8dev.toVS Code vs VSCodium: What's the difference?
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
Source excerpt
A comparative article highlighting that while performance is identical due to the shared Electron/Monaco base, VSCodium differs strictly in licensing, telemetry and extension marketplace access.
- 9github.comVSCodium Docs - Extensions and the Marketplace
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
Source excerpt
Documentation explaining the legal restriction of the Microsoft Visual Studio Marketplace and how VSCodium routes extension requests to the Eclipse Foundation's Open VSX.
- 10ghacks.netVSCodium is a telemetry-free build of Visual Studio Code
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
Source excerpt
A software review confirming that VSCodium strips out the proprietary branding and telemetry found in Microsoft's official VS Code binaries.
- 11github.comVSCodium 1.126.04524 release
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
Source excerpt
Stable tag with macOS arm64/x64 assets.
- 12formulae.brew.shHomebrew cask vscodium
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
Source excerpt
brew install --cask vscodium
- 13raw.githubusercontent.comHomebrew vscodium.rb livecheck
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
Source excerpt
Monterey+ version 1.126.04524
