Free Microsoft Visual Studio Alternatives

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.

filter to find the best alternatives

Microsoft Visual Studio alternatives are mainly IDEs but may also be Code Editors or Text Editors.  Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Microsoft Visual Studio.
Microsoft Visual Studio iconMicrosoft Visual Studio
  931
  • IDE
  • Free Personal • Proprietary
  • ...

Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) from Microsoft. It is used to develop computer programs for Microsoft Windows, as well as web sites, web applications and web services.

More about Microsoft Visual Studio
More about Microsoft Visual Studio
Microsoft Visual Studio alternatives page was last updated Nov 8, 2024
  Suggest Alternatives
  1. Lazarus icon
    Lazarus icon

    Lazarus

     126 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    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.

    29 Lazarus alternatives
    Running on Windows

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • OpenSolaris
    An integrated UI running on Windows 10
    Running in Linux based OS
    +2
    Lazarus screenshot 3

    Lazarus Features

    1.  Rad
    2.  Visual design
    3.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    4.  Dark Mode
    5.  Code Formatting
    6.  Autocompletion
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Syntax Highlighting
    9.  Compiles to native assembly code
    10.  Object-oriented Language
    Lazarus iconMicrosoft Visual Studio Icon

    Lazarus VS Microsoft Visual Studio

    Is Lazarus a good alternative to Microsoft Visual Studio?
     
    Comments about Lazarus as an Alternative to Microsoft Visual Studio
     
       
    gnusensei

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

    Positive comment •Feb 5, 2022
    1
    Guest

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

    Positive comment •Jul 9, 2020
    3
    Guest

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

    Positive comment •Nov 3, 2016
    5
    Show more comments
    3 of 4 comments
    Microsoft Visual Studio Icon
    Lazarus icon

    • Most users think Lazarus is a great Microsoft Visual Studio alternative.

    • Lazarus is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Visual Studio is Free Personal and Proprietary
  2. PyCharm icon
    PyCharm icon

    PyCharm

     282 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    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.

    74 PyCharm alternatives
    PyCharm screenshot 1

    License model

    • Freemium • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    PyCharm screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Support for Themes
    2.  Privacy focused
    3.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Code Completion
    2.  Python IDE
    3.  Refactoring
    4.  Code Formatting
    5.  Embedded debugger
    6.  Works Offline
    7.  No registration required
    8.  Ad-free
    9.  Syntax Highlighting
    10. Git icon  Git Support
    11.  Real time collaboration
    12. Git icon  Git integration
    PyCharm iconMicrosoft Visual Studio Icon

    PyCharm VS Microsoft Visual Studio

    Is PyCharm a good alternative to Microsoft Visual Studio?
     
    Comments about PyCharm as an Alternative to Microsoft Visual Studio
     
    Guest

    It supports proper Python.

    Positive comment •Oct 13, 2022
    0
    Microsoft Visual Studio Icon
    PyCharm icon

    • Some users think PyCharm is a great Microsoft Visual Studio alternative, some don't.

    • PyCharm is Freemium and Open SourceMicrosoft Visual Studio is Free Personal and Proprietary
    • PyCharm is Privacy focused and LightweightMicrosoft Visual Studio is not according to our users
  4. JetBrains Rider icon
    JetBrains Rider icon

    JetBrains Rider

     31 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    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...

    15 JetBrains Rider alternatives
    JetBrains Rider screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free Personal • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    JetBrains Rider screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  C#
    2.  Syntax Highlighting
    3.  NET Support
    4.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    5.  Dark Mode
    6.  Automatic content formatting
    JetBrains Rider iconMicrosoft Visual Studio Icon

    JetBrains Rider VS Microsoft Visual Studio

    Is JetBrains Rider a good alternative to Microsoft Visual Studio?
     
    Comments about JetBrains Rider as an Alternative to Microsoft Visual Studio
     
    Ola Johansson

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

    Positive comment •May 1, 2023
    0
    Guest

    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

    Positive comment •Nov 8, 2019
    3
    Guest

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

    Positive comment •Feb 11, 2020
    0
    Microsoft Visual Studio Icon
    JetBrains Rider icon

    • Almost everyone thinks JetBrains Rider is a great Microsoft Visual Studio alternative.

    • JetBrains Rider is Free Personal and ProprietaryMicrosoft Visual Studio is also Free Personal and Proprietary
  5. IntelliJ IDEA icon
    IntelliJ IDEA icon

    IntelliJ IDEA

     420 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    IntelliJ IDEA, a JetBrains IDE, is the leading integrated development environment that makes Java and Kotlin development a more productive and enjoyable experience. It helps you produce high-quality code more efficiently, provides everything you need out of the box, and takes...

    60 IntelliJ IDEA alternatives
    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.

    License model

    • Freemium • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Inspections help find probable bugs and dead code, detect performance issues, and improve the overall code structure by providing quick-fixes for any code that contains potential concerns.
    In the Search Everywhere window, you can search for files, actions, classes, symbols, settings, UI elements, and anything in Git, all from a single entry point.
    +1
    IntelliJ IDEA provides first-class support for leading frameworks with dedicated assistance for Jakarta EE, JPA, Reactor, Spring and Spring Boot, and other popular frameworks.

    Properties

    1.  Support for Themes
    2.  Distraction-free

    Features

    1.  Code Completion
    2.  Java IDE
    3.  Auto Correction
    4.  Dark Mode
    5.  Syntax Highlighting
    6.  Real time collaboration
    7.  Ad-free
    8.  Works Offline
    9.  Autocompletion
    10.  Spell Checking
    11.  Code Formatting
    12. Git icon  Git Support
    IntelliJ IDEA iconMicrosoft Visual Studio Icon

    IntelliJ IDEA VS Microsoft Visual Studio

    Is IntelliJ IDEA a good alternative to Microsoft Visual Studio?
     
    Comments about IntelliJ IDEA as an Alternative to Microsoft Visual Studio
     
    Guest

    This is only designed for Java not .net.

    Negative comment •Jan 4, 2018
    9
    Microsoft Visual Studio Icon
    IntelliJ IDEA icon

    • Some users think IntelliJ IDEA is a great Microsoft Visual Studio alternative, some don't.

    • IntelliJ IDEA is Freemium and Open SourceMicrosoft Visual Studio is Free Personal and Proprietary
  6. RStudio icon
    RStudio icon

    RStudio

     128 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    RStudio™ is an integrated development environment (IDE) for R. RStudio combines an intuitive user interface with powerful coding tools to help you get the most out of R.

    56 RStudio alternatives
    RStudio on Windows

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Xfce
    RStudio on Mac OS X
    RStudio on Ubuntu Linux
    +1
    RStudio screenshot 3

    RStudio Features

    1.  Syntax Highlighting
    2.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    3.  Code Completion
    4.  Data science
    5.  Session Management
    6.  Embedded debugger
    RStudio iconMicrosoft Visual Studio Icon

    RStudio VS Microsoft Visual Studio

    Is RStudio a good alternative to Microsoft Visual Studio?
     
  7. Aide IDE icon
    Aide IDE icon

    Aide IDE

     12 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Open-source code editor, enhancing VS Code with AI tools for chat-edit flow, proactive linter suggestions, AI completions, and AST navigation. Integrates with swebench-lite, empowering intelligent development with an inline AI widget and smart agents.

    55 Aide IDE alternatives
    Aide IDE screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Aide IDE screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  No registration required
    2.  No Tracking
    3.  Works Offline
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  Autocompletion
    6.  Syntax Highlighting
    7.  Code Completion
    8.  VSCode
    9.  Linting
    10.  AI-Powered
    Aide IDE iconMicrosoft Visual Studio Icon

    Aide IDE VS Microsoft Visual Studio

    Is Aide IDE a good alternative to Microsoft Visual Studio?
     
  9. WebStorm icon
    WebStorm icon

    WebStorm

     131 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    JetBrains WebStorm is a commercial IDE for JavaScript, CSS & HTML built on JetBrains' IntelliJ IDEA platform.

    61 WebStorm alternatives
    WebStorm screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free Personal • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    WebStorm Features

    1.  Syntax Highlighting
    2.  Support for Javascript
    3.  Secure File Sharing
    WebStorm screenshot 1
    WebStorm screenshot 2
    +3
    WebStorm screenshot 3
    WebStorm iconMicrosoft Visual Studio Icon

    WebStorm VS Microsoft Visual Studio

    Is WebStorm a good alternative to Microsoft Visual Studio?
     
You are at page 2 of Microsoft Visual Studio alternatives