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

The best free alternative to Microsoft Visual Studio is Visual Studio Code. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Microsoft Visual Studio and loads of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to Microsoft Visual Studio are Eclipse, VSCodium, MonoDevelop and Apache NetBeans.

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Microsoft Visual Studio alternatives are mainly IDEs, but if you're looking for Code Editors or Text Editors you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Windows, Linux, Open Source, Mac, Android, Android Tablet and iPad. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Microsoft Visual Studio.
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Alternatives list

  1. Visual Studio Code icon

    Visual Studio Code

     1377 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.

    204 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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    13
    Comments about Visual Studio Code as an Alternative to Microsoft Visual Studio
    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.

    alfonsomozkoh
    Negative
    0

    Visual studio Code is not a IDE (Integrated Development Environment), it's a text and code editor. So it's more an alternative to Sublime text or Atom.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 13 comments
    Visual Studio Code icon
    Visual Studio Code icon
    • Visual Studio Code is Free and ProprietaryMicrosoft Visual Studio is Free Personal and Proprietary
    • Visual Studio Code is CustomizableMicrosoft Visual Studio is not according to our users
  2. Eclipse icon

    Eclipse

     1147 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...

    147 Eclipse alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    eclipse on windows 10
     
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    3
    Comments about Eclipse as an Alternative to Microsoft Visual Studio
    maurosoft391
    Negative
    2

    hard to use and poorly designed

    Guest
    Positive
    8

    Eclipse supports multiple languages, looks good too

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    -38

    One is for Java and the other is for C#

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Eclipse icon
    Eclipse icon
    • Eclipse is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Visual Studio is Free Personal and Proprietary
  4. VSCodium icon

    VSCodium

     403 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.

    198 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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    1
    Comments about VSCodium as an Alternative to Microsoft Visual Studio
    Guest
    Positive
    1

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

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    VSCodium icon
    VSCodium icon
    • VSCodium is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Visual Studio is Free Personal and Proprietary
    • VSCodium is Customizable, Privacy focused and LightweightMicrosoft Visual Studio is not according to our users
  5. Ad
  6. MonoDevelop icon

    MonoDevelop

     127 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.

    29 MonoDevelop alternatives

    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
    Comments about MonoDevelop as an Alternative to Microsoft Visual Studio
    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....

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    8

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

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    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 icon
    MonoDevelop icon
    • MonoDevelop is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Visual Studio is Free Personal and Proprietary
  7. Apache NetBeans icon

    Apache NetBeans

     742 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...

    97 Apache NetBeans alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Editor
     
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    5
    Comments about Apache NetBeans as an Alternative to Microsoft Visual Studio
    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.

    gnusensei
    Positive
    0

    Netbeans includes built-in GUI designer with drag and drop ability to create desktop applications and they can run on Windows as well as GNU/Linux and macOS.

    3 of 5 comments
    Apache NetBeans icon
    Apache NetBeans icon
    • Apache NetBeans is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Visual Studio is Free Personal and Proprietary
  8. Code::Blocks icon

    Code::Blocks

     255 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.

    60 Code::Blocks alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Code::Blocks screenshot 1
     
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    4
    Comments about Code::Blocks as an Alternative to Microsoft Visual Studio
    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.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    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 icon
    Code::Blocks icon
    • Code::Blocks is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Visual Studio is Free Personal and Proprietary
  10. PyCharm icon

    PyCharm

     298 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.

    57 PyCharm alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    PyCharm screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about PyCharm as an Alternative to Microsoft Visual Studio
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    It supports proper Python.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    PyCharm icon
    PyCharm icon
    • 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
  11. IntelliJ IDEA icon

    IntelliJ IDEA

     441 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.

    62 IntelliJ IDEA alternatives

    Cost / License

    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
    Comments about IntelliJ IDEA as an Alternative to Microsoft Visual Studio
    Guest
    Negative
    10

    This is only designed for Java not .net.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    IntelliJ IDEA icon
    IntelliJ IDEA icon
    • 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
  12. 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
    Comments about SharpDevelop as an Alternative to Microsoft Visual Studio
    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 }

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    0

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

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    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 icon
    SharpDevelop icon
    • SharpDevelop is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Visual Studio is Free Personal and Proprietary
  13. JetBrains Rider icon

    JetBrains Rider

     34 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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    3
    Comments about JetBrains Rider as an Alternative to Microsoft Visual Studio
    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

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Though Rider costs money it has been a great development tool for my team.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    JetBrains Rider icon
    JetBrains Rider icon
    • JetBrains Rider is Free Personal and ProprietaryMicrosoft Visual Studio is also Free Personal and Proprietary
  14. Lazarus icon

    Lazarus

     130 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.

    32 Lazarus alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • OpenSolaris
    Running on Windows
     
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    4
    Comments about Lazarus as an Alternative to Microsoft Visual Studio
    Guest
    Positive
    3

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

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    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).

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 4 comments
    Lazarus icon
    Lazarus icon
    • Lazarus is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Visual Studio is Free Personal and Proprietary
  15. Windsurf Editor icon

    Windsurf Editor

     34 likes

    Windsurf Editor is an IDE merging AI and developers for lockstep collaboration with Cascade capabilities, boosting speed and contextual coding through copilot and agent-like systems across Mac, Windows, and Linux.

    65 Windsurf Editor alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Windsurf Editor screenshot 1
     
12 of 84 Microsoft Visual Studio alternatives