Tools like classic Visual Basic

David6 appsUpdated Jun 8, 2023

The original release of Microsoft Visual Basic was ground-breaking. It was a development software that put the power of Windows-based app creation in the hands of average PC users. Early tech enthusiasts across the world would wield that power to build software to run small businesses, manage collections of things through custom databases or entertain themselves and others with Windows-based games.

Sadly, with the advent of its .NET platform, Microsoft discontinued support for the classic Visual Basic IDE. While the classic software can still run on modern PCs and the .NET version is still supported, users miss the days when the IDE saw feature additions and continued advancement.

Fortunately, other IDEs have managed to fill the void. This list is comprised of the closest modern relatives as well as outright clones of the beloved classic.

Gambas
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Gambas is a full-featured object language and development environment built on a BASIC interpreter. It is released under the GNU General Public Licence. Its architecture is largely inspired by Java. Gambas is made up of: a compiler, an interpreter, an archiver, a scripter, a...
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
IDE
Platforms
Linux
David’s note
Gambas is a Linux-based clone of Classic Visual Basic with an unfailing development history. While limited in scope to Linux-based operating systems, it's totally free and open-source and bears all the hallmarks of the classic VB interface.
Xojo
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Real Software and Real Studio are now Xojo. Create your own apps, like commercial or in house apps, games, utilities and more with Xojo! This object-oriented multi-platform development tool enables ordinary people to create extraordinary apps for the Desktop, Web, Console, and...
Cost / License
Paid
Proprietary
Application type
IDE
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
David’s note
Originally released under the name Real Basic, Xojo is the evolution of a long-running take on the Visual Basic paradigm that's developed into a modern and fully-featured IDE spanning multiple platforms. With the signature, drag-and-drop simplicity of VB, Xojo can be used to build native apps for desktop, mobile, the web and even Raspberry Pi.
Delphi
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Embarcadero Delphi, formerly CodeGear Delphi and Borland Delphi, is a software development environment for Microsoft Windows applications originally developed by Borland and now owned and developed by Embarcadero Technologies.
Cost / License
Paid
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
IDE
Code Editor
Platforms
Windows
+2
David’s note
Unlike Visual Basic, Delphi is built on the Pascal programming language. So while it's not a 1:1 clone of VB, it's actually close enough in design that classic VB users should feel right at home very quickly. Like VB, Delphi is a Windows-only development platform. But notably, Delphi can build native apps for Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS and Android, and all using the same code base.
Lazarus
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Lazarus is a cross-platform IDE for the Free Pascal compiler. It tries to offer a Delphi-like programming experience through its own 'Lazarus Component Library' and supporting many platforms like Windows, OSX, Linux, BSD, Android, iOS and more.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
IDE
Android Development Tool
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
OpenSolaris
+2
David’s note
Lazarus is sort of like an open-source variant of Delphi. Designed to understand Delphi projects, its built on Free Pascal and actually manages to provide a closer feel to classic VB with its multi-modal window interface. While not directly supporting mobile app development the way Delphi does, Lazarus isn't limited to Windows-based development as it's available on Windows, Mac, Linux and even BSD.
CodeTyphon
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CodeTyphon is a fork/distribution of Lazarus with thousands of Lazarus/Free Pascal components bundled into distribution and with own Lazarus expansion features.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
IDE
Platforms
Windows
Linux
BSD
David’s note
CodeTyphon is a fork of Lazarus, one that bundles a ton of additional components while also adding features of its own. It's also well maintained and sees constant updates. CodeTyphoon provides a great option for those wanting more than the base Lazarus IDE.
B4X
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Cross platform development tools for native iOS, Android, desktop and server applications. B4X is a Rapid Application Development (RAD) tool for real world apps. The programming language is a modern version of Visual Basic.
Cost / License
Freemium
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
IDE
Android Development Tool
Platforms
Windows
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
David’s note
Modelled after Visual Basic Classic, B4X has done a great job of extending the paradigm to creating apps for other platforms. It can create native apps for typical desktop platforms but also for iOS, Android and even Arduino.