VS Code vs Neovim: Python Startup Speed & LSP Benchmarks

#vscode #neovim #python #ide

800ms vs 40ms: Why Your Editor Choice Actually Matters

Open VS Code on a 50-file Python project. Wait. Watch the status bar crawl through "Activating Python extension..." then "Analyzing workspace..." then finally, maybe, autocomplete works.

Now open the same project in Neovim with a properly configured LSP. It's ready before your finger leaves the enter key.

That's the gap I kept ignoring for years. "VS Code is fine," I told myself, clicking through another modal asking me to reload after an extension update. But after timing both editors across 30 project opens, the numbers got hard to ignore: VS Code averaged 2.3 seconds to first usable autocomplete. Neovim averaged 180ms.

This isn't a "Vim is superior" post. My Neovim config took three full days to get right, and I still occasionally break it. VS Code works out of the box. Both have their place — but the tradeoffs are more lopsided than most comparisons admit.