Why I switched back to WebStorm?

27 February 2024

I used JetBrains products for a long time, but I switched to Visual Studio Code (VS Code) because it was faster, lighter, free, and popular. I used it for a few years, thinking it met my needs.

However, I realized I was wrong. I’ve switched back to WebStorm and I’m very happy. Here’s why:

In my opinion, WebStorm’s user interface and user experience are better than VS Code’s. The new UI is a significant improvement.
WebStorm has everything I need without configuration or searching for plugins like in VS Code. I can open a project and start working immediately.
WebStorm offers better error detection, code completion, and hints. While this may reflect my lack of proper VS Code usage, I felt like I had the necessary plugins and configurations. However, WebStorm identified over 100 issues in my project without any additional setup, which VS Code missed.

I’ve used a lot of editors, and they all have their pros and cons. However, I believe that WebStorm is the best fit for me. I can pay for a product like this because it improves my workflow and productivity. WebStorm may be slightly slower than VS Code, but it’s an IDE, with more features and power. Honestly, I haven’t noticed a significant speed difference on my system.

The only feature that doesn’t work as expected is the AI Assistant. Fortunately, GitHub Copilot works as well with WebStorm as it does with VS Code. I hope that JetBrains will become a strong competitor to GitHub Copilot in the future.

Welcome back, JetBrains!