Need advice about which tool to choose?Ask the StackShare community!
Sublime Text vs Xcode: What are the differences?
Introduction
Sublime Text and Xcode are both popular text editors used by developers for coding and programming tasks. While they share some similarities, there are key differences between the two that set them apart. In this markdown, we will outline the main differences between Sublime Text and Xcode.
Primary Purpose: Sublime Text is primarily focused on being a text editor with extensive customization options and a lightweight design. It is known for its speed and efficiency in handling large codebases. In contrast, Xcode is an integrated development environment (IDE) specifically designed for macOS and iOS app development. It provides a wide range of tools and features for building, testing, and debugging applications.
Language Support: Sublime Text offers support for multiple programming languages out of the box, with syntax highlighting and autocomplete features. It provides a wide range of plugins and packages that can be installed to extend its functionality further. Xcode, on the other hand, is specifically tailored for Objective-C, Swift, and Apple's frameworks, offering comprehensive support and integration for these languages.
Interface: Sublime Text features a clean and minimalist interface, with a focus on simplicity and ease of use. It allows for extensive customization of layouts, themes, and keyboard shortcuts. Xcode, being an IDE, has a more complex interface that includes various panels, navigators, and inspectors to facilitate app development. It provides a graphical interface builder for designing user interfaces and offers advanced debugging and profiling tools.
Version Control: Sublime Text has built-in preferences for using version control systems like Git, allowing developers to manage their code repositories efficiently. However, it lacks native integration with specific version control systems. In contrast, Xcode provides robust integration with Git and other popular version control systems like Subversion. It offers features such as visual diff tools, blame annotations, and seamless collaboration with team members.
Build and Compilation: Sublime Text relies on external build systems and task runners for compiling and running code. It can be configured to work with a variety of build tools, making it flexible but requiring manual setup. On the other hand, Xcode has a built-in build system that automates the process of building, running, and testing projects. It provides a seamless development experience with automatic code signing, provisioning profiles, and app distribution options.
Project Management: Sublime Text is primarily a file-centric editor, where developers work on individual files or projects without an extensive project management system. It does not provide built-in features for organizing and navigating large codebases. In contrast, Xcode organizes projects into workspaces that can contain multiple projects and dependencies. It provides features like code refactoring, integrated documentation, and project-wide search capabilities, making it suitable for larger development efforts.
In Summary, Sublime Text is a straightforward and highly customizable text editor, ideal for general-purpose coding across multiple languages. Xcode, on the other hand, is a feature-rich IDE specifically tailored for macOS and iOS development, with comprehensive language support, project management tools, and seamless integration with Apple's ecosystem.
Visual Studio Code became famous over the past 3+ years I believe. The clean UI, easy to use UX and the plethora of integrations made it a very easy decision for us. Our gripe with Sublime was probably only the UX side. VSCode has not failed us till now, and still is able to support our development env without any significant effort.
Goland being paid, as well as built only for Go seemed like a significant limitation to not consider it.
Since communication with Github is not necessary, the Atom is less convenient in working with text and code. Sublim's support and understanding of projects is best for us. Notepad for us is a completely outdated solution with an unacceptable interface. We use a good theme for Sublim ayu-dark
I decided to choose VSCode over Sublime text for my Systems Programming class in C. What I love about VSCode is its awesome ability to add extensions. Intellisense is a beautiful debugger, and Remote SSH allows me to login and make real-time changes in VSCode to files on my university server. This is an awesome alternative to going back and forth on pushing/pulling code and logging into servers in the terminal. Great choice for anyone interested in C programming!
Pros of Sublime Text
- Lightweight720
- Plugins652
- Super fast641
- Great code editor468
- Cross platform442
- Nice UI280
- Unlimited trial260
- Cmd + d is the best command ever153
- Great community92
- Package control, modules46
- Mac OS X support26
- Easy to get started with23
- Monokai22
- Everything you need without the bloat21
- Built in Python21
- Easy18
- Speed14
- Session & edit resuming12
- Package Control10
- Well Designed9
- Multiple selections8
- ALT + CMD + DOWN is the best command ever7
- Nice7
- Fast, simple and lightweight7
- It's easy to use, beautiful, simple, and plugins rule5
- So futuristic and convenient5
- ALT + F3 the best command ever5
- Great5
- Find anything fast within entire project4
- Easy to use4
- Free4
- Simple and clean design4
- Hackable3
- Pretty3
- UI + plugins3
- Sublime Merge (Git Integration)3
- Totally customizable2
- Color schemes and cmd+d2
- Material theme best theme forever2
- Const0
Pros of Xcode
- IOS Development130
- Personal assistant on steroids33
- Easy setup29
- Excellent integration with Clang17
- Beautiful3
- Built-in everything1
Sign up to add or upvote prosMake informed product decisions
Cons of Sublime Text
- Steep learning curve8
- Everything7
- Flexibility to move file4
- Number of plugins doing the same thing4
- Doesn't act like a Mac app4
- Not open sourced3
- Don't have flutter integration2
- Forces you to buy license2
Cons of Xcode
- Massively bloated and complicated for smaller projects6
- Horrible auto completiting and text editing3
- Slow startup1
- Very slow emulator1