PyCharm vs VS Code for Python: Which Should You Use?

If you’re choosing between PyCharm and VS Code for your first real Python project, you’re probably worried about picking wrong. You won’t break anything either way, because both run the same Python and the same files.

My verdict: start with VS Code if you also write JavaScript or SQL, or want one free editor for everything. Pick PyCharm if you live in Python all day and want refactoring, inspections and a test runner that work the moment you open a project.

In this tutorial, I’ll compare PyCharm vs VS Code for Python on one small invoice script. The runs are real (Python 3.12.5, VS Code 1.144.1). PyCharm isn’t installed on this machine, so its side comes from the JetBrains docs, not made-up screenshots.

PyCharm vs VS Code for Python at a Glance

Feature	PyCharm	VS Code
What it is	A full Python IDE from JetBrains	A general code editor from Microsoft, extended for Python
Cost model	One product: free core features + optional Pro subscription	Free; the Python extension is free too
Python support	Built in on install	Python extension (adds Pylance, Python Debugger, Python Environments)
Code intelligence	JetBrains inspections and refactoring engine	Pylance language server
Debugger	Built in, visual	Python Debugger extension (debugpy)
Virtual environments	Offered when you create a project	Python: Create Environment command
Tests	Built-in runner for pytest and unittest	Testing view for pytest and unittest
Django, Flask, FastAPI	Advanced support is a Pro feature	Extensions + manual launch configs
Databases, remote (SSH, WSL, Docker)	Pro features	Free Microsoft extensions
Other languages	Python first (web front end in Pro)	Almost any language through extensions

Every example below uses the same invoices.py file: three open invoices for a small Denver design studio, due in November and December 2026.

# Open invoices, Denver design studio, 11/05/2026 (USD)
invoices = [
    ("Harper Dental", "11/14/2026", 1250.00),
    ("Lakeside Realty", "11/20/2026", 860.50),
    ("Brooks Lane CPA", "12/01/2026", 2315.75),
]


def total_due(rows):
    return sum(amount for _, _, amount in rows)


for client, due, amount in invoices:
    print(f"{client:<16} due {due}  ${amount:>9,.2f}")
print(f"{'Total':<31}${total_due(invoices):>9,.2f}")

Output:

Harper Dental    due 11/14/2026  $ 1,250.00
Lakeside Realty  due 11/20/2026  $   860.50
Brooks Lane CPA  due 12/01/2026  $ 2,315.75
Total                          $ 4,426.25

Before you install either tool, make sure Python itself is there. You can check your Python version from a terminal in a few seconds; both editors only wrap that interpreter.

Running a Python Script: Same Result in Both

Here’s the part people overthink. Neither editor has its own Python. VS Code’s Run Python File in Terminal button and PyCharm’s Run button both start python invoices.py with the interpreter you selected.

Same file, same output: three rows and a $4,426.25 total. PyCharm prints identical lines in its Run tool window, because it runs the same interpreter with the same arguments.

If you’d like to understand what those buttons do under the hood, my guide on how to run a Python script covers the terminal, double-click and IDE options side by side.

Setup: How Long Until You Can Write Python?

This is the first real difference you’ll feel. PyCharm installs as a Python IDE, so when you create a project it asks for an interpreter and offers to create a virtual environment right there.

VS Code starts as a plain editor. You add the Microsoft Python extension from the Extensions view, and it pulls in three helpers on its own. Here’s a quick check of what’s installed on my machine:

@echo off
echo VS Code version:
call code --version
echo.
echo Python extensions:
call code --list-extensions --show-versions | findstr python

Output:

VS Code version:
1.144.1
261c84cb1eddf11235f9e2c921425e9663fbe556
x64

Python extensions:
ms-python.debugpy@2026.6.0
ms-python.python@2026.10.0
ms-python.vscode-pylance@2026.4.1
ms-python.vscode-python-envs@1.40.0

So VS Code takes one extra install step, about a minute. After that, run Python: Select Interpreter from the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) so it knows which Python to use.

Note: the extension versions in that output will be newer on your PC; VS Code updates extensions automatically.

PyCharm doesn’t bundle Python either. If it isn’t on your machine yet, follow my steps to install Python on a Mac or install Python on Ubuntu before you open either tool.

Code Intelligence: Pylance vs PyCharm Inspections

Both editors give you autocomplete, go-to-definition, rename and inline error hints. They just get there differently. VS Code uses Pylance, Microsoft’s language server for Python, which also powers its type checking.

PyCharm uses its own JetBrains code analysis, which it calls inspections. In my experience, it’s stronger at project-wide refactoring, like renaming a function used in 30 files or moving a module and fixing every import.

Pylance is fast and light, and it’s great on type hints. If you annotate your functions, both tools will flag a mismatched argument before you run anything.

Pro Tip: in VS Code, set Python > Analysis: Type Checking Mode to basic or strict. The default (off) hides many of the warnings PyCharm shows out of the box.

Debugging in PyCharm vs VS Code: Which Is Easier?

Same invoices.py, now with a bug a lot of us have shipped: the Lakeside Realty amount came in from a CSV as the string "860.50" instead of a number.

# Open invoices, Denver design studio, 11/05/2026 (USD)
invoices = [
    ("Harper Dental", "11/14/2026", 1250.00),
    ("Lakeside Realty", "11/20/2026", "860.50"),
    ("Brooks Lane CPA", "12/01/2026", 2315.75),
]


def total_due(rows):
    return sum(amount for _, _, amount in rows)


print(f"Total due: ${total_due(invoices):,.2f}")

Error:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "C:\pyguides\pydemo\invoices.py", line 13, in <module>
    print(f"Total due: ${total_due(invoices):,.2f}")
                         ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "C:\pyguides\pydemo\invoices.py", line 10, in total_due
    return sum(amount for _, _, amount in rows)
           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for +: 'float' and 'str'

Both tools show this exact traceback in their terminal or Run window. The difference is what you do next: set a breakpoint on the return sum(...) line and step through each invoice.

In VS Code, click the gutter (or press F9) to add a breakpoint, then press F5 and choose Python File. PyCharm has a Debug button next to Run; click it and the debugger opens with the same variables view.

Honestly, the debuggers are close. PyCharm needs zero setup; VS Code asks for a launch config the first time. For quick checks without any IDE, there’s also the built-in Python breakpoint() function.

The fix is to convert the value where it enters your program: float(amount), or better, clean the column when you read the CSV.

Virtual Environments and Packages in Each Tool

Every project should get its own environment so packages don’t collide. If the idea is new, read Python virtual environments explained first; both editors build exactly the same .venv folder.

Here’s what both editors do behind the scenes, run by hand on the same invoice script:

python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\python -c "import sys; print(sys.prefix != sys.base_prefix)"
.venv\Scripts\python invoices.py

Output:

True
Harper Dental    due 11/14/2026  $ 1,250.00
Lakeside Realty  due 11/20/2026  $   860.50
Brooks Lane CPA  due 12/01/2026  $ 2,315.75
Total                          $ 4,426.25

True confirms the script ran inside the environment, and the total is still $4,426.25. In VS Code, Python: Create Environment runs this step for you; PyCharm does it from the new-project dialog.

The classic error with either tool is installing a package into one Python and running another. If you see ModuleNotFoundError after pip install, check which interpreter the editor’s status bar or settings point to.

Is PyCharm Free Now? Editions and Licensing in 2026

PyCharm used to ship as two products: Community (free) and Professional (paid). Starting with version 2025.1, JetBrains merged them into one PyCharm, and Community 2025.2 was the last standalone release.

Today you install one app. The core features stay free, including Jupyter notebook support. A Pro subscription unlocks the extras, and new users get a one-month Pro trial after installing.

Per JetBrains, Pro adds advanced Django, Flask and FastAPI support, database tools for 40+ databases, and remote development over SSH, WSL and Docker. Check the JetBrains site for current pricing and free licenses for students and open source.

VS Code is free, and so are the Microsoft Python, Pylance, debugger and Remote extensions. That’s the honest cost difference: VS Code gives you web-framework and remote features for $0.00, but you wire them up yourself.

Performance: Is VS Code Lighter Than PyCharm?

Usually, yes. VS Code opens quickly and stays light until you add extensions. PyCharm indexes your whole project on first open, so a big repo can feel slow for a minute or two.

That indexing is also why PyCharm’s search, navigation and refactoring feel so sure of themselves afterwards. On an older laptop with 8 GB of RAM, I’d lean toward VS Code; on a decent workstation, you’ll rarely notice.

I didn’t benchmark the two side by side here, since PyCharm isn’t installed on this PC, so I won’t quote startup seconds. Blog numbers vary a lot with plugins and project size.

Web Frameworks, Data Science and Jupyter

For Django, PyCharm Pro is hard to beat: template support, run configurations, manage.py tasks and database tools in one window. VS Code handles Django well too, but you add extensions and write a launch config.

For data work, both open Jupyter notebooks, and in PyCharm notebook support is part of the free core. VS Code’s Jupyter extension is free as well and is popular with data scientists.

If you’re just starting with web apps, my guide on how to install Django works the same in either editor, because the commands run in the terminal.

Which One Should You Use: PyCharm or VS Code?

• You’re learning Python and also touching HTML, JavaScript or SQL: VS Code.
• You build large Python-only codebases and refactor often: PyCharm.
• You do Django or Flask with databases every day and can pay for Pro: PyCharm Pro.
• You work on an older laptop or over Remote SSH to a Linux box: VS Code.
• You aren’t sure: start with VS Code, then try PyCharm’s Pro trial on a real project.

Whichever you pick, add an AI helper only after the basics click. I compared options in the best AI for Python coding, and it works inside both editors.

How to Switch from PyCharm to VS Code (or Back)

1. Keep the project folder as it is; neither tool changes your .py files.
2. Point the new editor at the existing .venv: Python: Select Interpreter in VS Code, or the interpreter setting in PyCharm.
3. Recreate run settings: a launch.json in VS Code, or a Run configuration in PyCharm.
4. Set up tests in the new tool (VS Code: Configure Python Tests in the Testing view).
5. Add .idea/ and .vscode/ to .gitignore unless your team shares them.

I’ve moved projects both ways in an afternoon. Editor settings are the only thing you lose. If the old run configuration set API keys, move them to a .env file and read them as environment variables in Python so both tools see them.

Both run the same Python, so the choice comes down to setup, refactoring depth and Pro-only framework tools. Try your real project in each for a week and keep the one you stop fighting.

A few more guides worth a look:

• What the Python interpreter actually does
• Is Python an interpreted language?
• Python vs C#: which language to learn
• Go vs Python compared

Frequently asked questions