Best IDE Software in 2026

42 ide software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.

42ranked
25free plans on this page
$6.90/molowest paid tier
3 Oct 2026last checked
#1 Visual Studio Top pick · 9.3 Free plan · $8.33/mo #2 IntelliJ IDEA Runner-up · 9.2 Free plan · $8.33/mo #3 PyCharm Also great · 9.2 Free plan · $16.67/mo
  1. Free planFree trial Windows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Paid from
    45 /user/mo
    Built-in debugger
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
    $8.33/mofirst paid tier About Visual StudioVisit site
  2. Free planFree trial LinuxmacOSWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Built-in debugger
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
    $8.33/mofirst paid tier About IntelliJ IDEAVisit site
  3. 3 9.2
    Free planFree trial LinuxmacOSWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Built-in debugger
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
    $16.67/mofirst paid tier About PyCharmVisit site
  4. 4 9.2
    Free planFree trial AndroidiOSLinuxmacOSWebWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Built-in debugger
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
  5. 5 9.1
    Free planFree trial LinuxmacOSWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Built-in debugger
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
  6. 6 9.1
    Free planFree trial LinuxmacOSWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Built-in debugger
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
    $14.08/mofirst paid tier About RiderVisit site
  7. 7 8.9
    Free planFree trial LinuxmacOSWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Built-in debugger
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
    $10.90/mofirst paid tier About CLionVisit site
  8. 8 8.9
    Free planFree trial LinuxmacOSWindows
    Free plan
    No
    Built-in debugger
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
    $24.08/mofirst paid tier About GoLandVisit site
  9. 9 8.7
    Free planFree trial LinuxmacOSWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Built-in debugger
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
    $6.90/mofirst paid tier About RustRoverVisit site
  10. 10 8.3
    Free plan AndroidiOSLinuxmacOSWebWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
    $18/mofirst paid tier About ReplitVisit site
  11. Free plan extensionLinuxmacOSWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Built-in debugger
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
  12. Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Built-in debugger
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
  13. Free plan apiextensionLinuxmacOSWebWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
    $99/mofirst paid tier About Arm Keil MDKVisit site
  14. Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
  15. 15 7.6
    Free plan WindowsmacOSLinux
    Free plan
    Yes
    Built-in debugger
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
  16. 16 7.6
    Free plan WindowsmacOSLinux
    Free plan
    Yes
    Built-in debugger
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
  17. 17 7.6
    Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
  18. 18 7.5
    Free plan extensionLinuxmacOSself-hostedWebWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
  19. 19 7.4
    Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
  20. 20 7.4
    Free plan AndroidiOSLinuxmacOSWebWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Supported languages
    Xojo programming language
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
  21. 21 7.2
    Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Built-in debugger
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
  22. Free plan WindowsmacOSLinux
    Free plan
    Yes
    Built-in debugger
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
  23. 23 7.1
    Free plan WindowsmacOSLinux
    Free plan
    Yes
    Built-in debugger
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
  24. 24 7.1
    Free plan WindowsLinux
    Free plan
    Yes
    Supported languages
    Ada, SPARK, C, C++; extensible to other languages via customization
    Deployment
    desktop
    Mobile development
    No
    Built-in debugger
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
  25. 25 7.1
    Free plan Web
    Free plan
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms

Is your platform on this list?

Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.

Questions about this list

Which ide software is ranked first on The Geeks Club?

Visual Studio is ranked #1 of 42 with a score of 9.3. IntelliJ IDEA is second and PyCharm third.

How many of these have a free plan?

25 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.

Which is the cheapest paid option?

On this page, RustRover has the lowest first paid tier we found: $6.90/mo.

How is this list ranked?

Ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.

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