The Best Microsoft Visual Studio AlternativesTop IDEs & Code Editors like Microsoft Visual Studio

Microsoft Visual Studio is described as 'IDE used to create programs, apps, websites, and web services using various frameworks. It supports multiple languages and offers tools for coding, debugging, and design' and is a leading IDE in the development category. There are more than 100 alternatives to Microsoft Visual Studio for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Linux, Mac, BSD and Web-based apps. The best Microsoft Visual Studio alternative is Visual Studio Code, which is free. Other great apps like Microsoft Visual Studio are Eclipse, VSCodium, MonoDevelop and Apache NetBeans.

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Alternatives list

  1. Visual Studio Code icon

    Visual Studio Code

     1455 likes

    Free and extensible code editor with built-in Git support, smart IntelliSense, integrated debugger, 30,000+ extensions, works offline, supports markdown and syntax highlighting for numerous languages.

    232 Visual Studio Code alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Chrome OS
    • Snapcraft
    Visual Studio Code screenshot 1
     
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    14
    Visual Studio Code vs Microsoft Visual Studio Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Ola Johansson
    8

    It's maybe not as capable as the real VS. But it's still a great environment and with a couple of extensions it can do a lot of things VS can.

    Top Negative Comment
    Some Random Guy
    3

    VSCode is a code editor, Visual Studio is a full-fledged IDE. Sure, it's a good program, but not a good alternative.

    coyoteconscious
    Negative
    0

    Just because it has visual in the name and does code does not make it an alternative to a visual programming tool. VSC is a text-based IDE, not a visual programming tool.

    3 of 14 comments
    • Visual Studio Code is Free and ProprietaryMicrosoft Visual Studio is Free Personal and Proprietary
    • Visual Studio Code is a Code Editor Microsoft Visual Studio is an IDE
    • Visual Studio Code is CustomizableMicrosoft Visual Studio is not according to our users
  2. Eclipse icon

    Eclipse

     1157 likes

    Eclipse is an extensible development platform with runtimes and application frameworks for building, deploying and managing software across the entire software lifecycle. Many people know Eclipse as a Java IDE, but it is much more than that- Eclipse actually consists of over 60...

    149 Eclipse alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    eclipse on windows 10
     
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    4
    Eclipse vs Microsoft Visual Studio Comments
    maurosoft391
    Negative
    2

    hard to use and poorly designed

    Guest
    Positive
    8

    Eclipse supports multiple languages, looks good too

    coyoteconscious
    Negative
    0

    Eclipse is a text-based IDE, not a visual programming tool.

    3 of 4 comments
    • Eclipse is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Visual Studio is Free Personal and Proprietary
  4. VSCodium icon

    VSCodium

     446 likes

    This repository contains a build file to generate FLOSS release binaries of Microsoft's Visual Studio Code - Open Source ("Code - OSS") project, the open source core of the proprietary Visual Studio Code.

    220 VSCodium alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Electron
    • Snapcraft
    • Homebrew
    • Chocolatey
    VSCodium screenshot 1
     
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    2
    VSCodium vs Microsoft Visual Studio Comments
    coyoteconscious
    Negative
    1

    VSCodium is a text-based IDE, not a visual programming tool.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    its the same but without the useless features that cause more harm than good

    • VSCodium is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Visual Studio is Free Personal and Proprietary
    • VSCodium is a Code Editor Microsoft Visual Studio is an IDE
    • VSCodium is Customizable, Privacy focused and LightweightMicrosoft Visual Studio is not according to our users
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  6. MonoDevelop icon

    MonoDevelop

     128 likes

    MonoDevelop enables developers to write desktop and web applications on Linux, Windows and Mac OS X. It also makes it easy to port .NET applications created with Visual Studio to Linux and Mac OS X maintaining a single code base for all platforms.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • .NET Framework
    • Xamarin Studio
    MonoDevelop screenshot 1
     
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    7
    Discontinued

    As of October 2021, the GitHub repository README has been updated to say "This project has not been built nor maintained since January 2020 and has been archived".

    MonoDevelop vs Microsoft Visual Studio Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    6

    I've used MonoDevelop extensively for C# work in Linux. It can work with Visual Studio projects, and much of the shortcut key mappings match Visual Studio. Support for WinForms is available, but there is no viable GUI layout tool/functionality available. A pity that there's no XAML/WPF support under Linux....

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    8

    Has to be built from source before it'll run on Windows.

    gnusensei
    Positive
    0

    MonoDevelop's GUI designer is admirable, I've tried it and impressed immediately with how easy and straightforward it to design a window by drag and drop. Try to compare it with Netbeans', Eclipse's or CodeBlocks' GUI designer you will know what I mean.

    3 of 7 comments
    • MonoDevelop is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Visual Studio is Free Personal and Proprietary
  8. Apache NetBeans icon

    Apache NetBeans

     749 likes

    A free, open-source Integrated Development Environment for software developers. You get all the tools you need to create professional desktop, enterprise, web, and mobile applications with the Java language, C/C++, and even dynamic languages such as PHP, JavaScript, Groovy, and...

    98 Apache NetBeans alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Editor
     
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    6
    Apache NetBeans vs Microsoft Visual Studio Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    brandomettout
    1

    Free and Open Source Software. Changing leadership from Oracle to Apache Foundation.

    Top Negative Comment
    Kris Regina
    0

    It's not for dotNET languages.

    coyoteconscious
    Negative
    0

    Apache Netbeans is a text-based IDE, not a visual programming tool.

    3 of 6 comments
    • Apache NetBeans is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Visual Studio is Free Personal and Proprietary
  9. Code::Blocks icon

    Code::Blocks

     256 likes

    Code::Blocks is a free C++ IDE built to meet the most demanding needs of its users. It is designed to be very extensible and fully configurable.

    61 Code::Blocks alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Code::Blocks screenshot 1
     
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    4
    Code::Blocks vs Microsoft Visual Studio Comments
    maurosoft391
    Negative
    0

    windows forms are missing and it's poorly designed

    Guest
    Negative
    0

    Code::Blocks has 0.1% of the functionality of VS. It looks ugly as well.

    gnusensei
    Positive
    0

    Faster, smaller, and able to make graphical desktop applications by adding GUI designer plugin wxSmith for C++ language and wxWidgets framework. Also, CodeBlocks is cross platform.

    3 of 4 comments
    • Code::Blocks is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Visual Studio is Free Personal and Proprietary
  10. Qt Creator icon

    Qt Creator

     111 likes

    Qt Creator is a cross-platform integrated development environment (IDE) built for the maximum developer experience. Qt Creator runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS desktop operating systems and allows developers to create software across desktop, mobile, and embedded platforms.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Qt Creator screenshot 1
     
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    5
    Qt Creator vs Microsoft Visual Studio Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    3

    Found everything in Qt Creator for Linux that is in VS for Windows.

    Guest
    Positive
    1

    It has A lot of really use full tools and you can install many extensions and even support for other programming languages then python,c++ etc

    ichimitch
    Negative
    -5

    Does not support C# as they believe "it is not widely used enough" pfft

    3 of 5 comments
    • Qt Creator is Paid and Open SourceMicrosoft Visual Studio is Free Personal and Proprietary
  11. SharpDevelop icon

    SharpDevelop

     81 likes

    #develop (short for SharpDevelop) is a free IDE for C#, VB.NET and Boo projects on Microsoft's .NET platform. It is open-source, and you can download both sourcecode and executables.

    25 SharpDevelop alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • .NET Framework
    SharpDevelop on Vista
     
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    6
    Discontinued

    Unfortunately SharpDevelop has been discontinued. It is still a viable alternative for VS for versions until 2016, but it doesn't support C# 7.0 as VS 2017 does. See details: http://www.icsharpcode.net/OpenSource/SD/WhatsNew.aspx

    SharpDevelop vs Microsoft Visual Studio Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    6

    It's very similar to it and size is very low! { Visual Studio - up to 3 GB / sharp Develop - Only Up to 15 MB in size }

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Only to a certain extent. Lacking many features and is no longer updated.

    lordunknown
    Positive
    4

    It's small, lightweight, specialized on .NET development (but C++ is available too), supports designing both WinForms and WPF and has NuGet support. Perfect IDE for lightweight C# developing (if you don't need to handle a team of 10000 employees working on 5 big projects)

    3 of 6 comments
    • SharpDevelop is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Visual Studio is Free Personal and Proprietary
  12. PyCharm icon

    PyCharm

     304 likes

    Cross-platform IDE for Python and Django with refactoring capabilities, code completion, VCS integration, deployment, issue tracking, remote debugging, and Community Edition, though lacking database support and web technologies.

    58 PyCharm alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    PyCharm screenshot 1
     
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    1
    PyCharm vs Microsoft Visual Studio Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    It supports proper Python.

    • PyCharm is Freemium and Open SourceMicrosoft Visual Studio is Free Personal and Proprietary
    • PyCharm is Lightweight and Privacy focusedMicrosoft Visual Studio is not according to our users
  13. IntelliJ IDEA icon

    IntelliJ IDEA

     451 likes

    IntelliJ IDEA is the JetBrains IDE for pro development in Java and Kotlin. Built for your comfort, it unlocks productivity, ensures quality code, supports cutting-edge tech, and protects your privacy.

    68 IntelliJ IDEA alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    IntelliJ IDEA interface overview: the Project tool window (left) outlines the code structure and the Editor (right) is used to read, write, and explore the source code.
     
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    1
    IntelliJ IDEA vs Microsoft Visual Studio Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    10

    This is only designed for Java not .net.

    • IntelliJ IDEA is Freemium and Open SourceMicrosoft Visual Studio is Free Personal and Proprietary
    • IntelliJ IDEA is Privacy focusedMicrosoft Visual Studio is not according to our users
  14. JetBrains Rider icon

    JetBrains Rider

     35 likes

    JetBrains Rider is a powerful integrated development environment (IDE) designed specifically for developing .NET applications. With its intuitive and feature-rich interface, Rider provides developers with a seamless coding experience across multiple platforms, including Windows...

    13 JetBrains Rider alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    JetBrains Rider screenshot 1
     
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    4
    JetBrains Rider vs Microsoft Visual Studio Comments
    Ola Johansson
    Positive
    0

    The most similar to VS. Actually better at many things, and real cross-platform.

    Guest
    Positive
    3

    Rider is Resharper... but as a standalone IDE. It is a full blown IDE voor C# and .NET, complete with extensive code completion, peek (decompile) and refactoring

    Dylan Hunt
    Positive
    0

    Incredible hotkeys, intuitive, no squigglies (C++) ever, WYSWYG always, shift+shift symbol search is godsend, significantly better multi-line multi-editing; it reads your mind.

    3 of 4 comments
    • JetBrains Rider is Free Personal and ProprietaryMicrosoft Visual Studio is also Free Personal and Proprietary
  15. Lazarus icon

    Lazarus

     132 likes

    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.

    33 Lazarus alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • OpenSolaris
    Running on Windows
     
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    4
    Lazarus vs Microsoft Visual Studio Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    3

    Because of license agreement, you can create unlimited codes by using Lazarus but VS has limits in license agreement

    gnusensei
    Positive
    1

    Lazarus GUI designer is nice and easy to use. Drag and drop works without much hassles about layouting.

    Guest
    Positive
    5

    Open Source done entirely in an independent language very like TurboPascal (Delphi).

    3 of 4 comments
    • Lazarus is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Visual Studio is Free Personal and Proprietary
    • Lazarus is LightweightMicrosoft Visual Studio is not according to our users
12 of 112 Microsoft Visual Studio alternatives