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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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 Linux, Mac, Open Source, Android, iPad and Free. 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
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Alternatives list

  1. Visual Studio Code icon
     1479 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.

    234 Visual Studio Code alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Chrome OS
    • Snapcraft
    Good alternative?
     
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    14
  2. Eclipse icon
     1158 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 type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Good alternative?
     
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    4
  3. VSCodium icon
     448 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.

    221 VSCodium alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Electron
    • Snapcraft
    • Homebrew
    • Chocolatey
    Good alternative?
     
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    2
  4. MonoDevelop icon
     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 type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • .NET Framework
    • Xamarin Studio
    Good alternative?
     
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    7
  5. Apache NetBeans icon
     748 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 type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Good alternative?
     
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    6
  6. Code::Blocks icon
     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
    Good alternative?
     
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    4
  7. Qt Creator icon
     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.

    131 Qt Creator alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Good alternative?
     
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    5
  8. SharpDevelop icon
     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
    Good alternative?
     
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    6
  9. JetBrains Rider icon
     37 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 type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
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    4
  10. PyCharm icon
     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 type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Good alternative?
     
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    1
  11. IntelliJ IDEA icon
     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 type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
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    1
  12. Lazarus icon
     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
    Good alternative?
     
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    4
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