Eclipse vs NetBeans IDE vs Visual Studio

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Eclipse

2.6K
2.3K
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NetBeans IDE

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Visual Studio

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Eclipse vs NetBeans IDE vs Visual Studio: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this article, we will discuss the key differences between Eclipse IDE, NetBeans IDE, and Visual Studio. These are popular Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) used for software development.

  1. Ease of Use: Eclipse IDE is known for its extensive customization options and flexibility, allowing developers to configure the environment according to their needs. NetBeans IDE, on the other hand, offers a more user-friendly interface with a simpler setup process. Visual Studio provides a visually appealing and intuitive interface, making it easier for beginners to get started.

  2. Language Support: Eclipse IDE supports multiple programming languages, including Java, C, C++, Python, and more. NetBeans IDE also supports various languages but is particularly known for its strong support for Java development. Visual Studio primarily focuses on Microsoft technologies like C#, .NET, and Visual Basic.

  3. Platform Compatibility: Eclipse IDE is developed in Java and can run on multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. NetBeans IDE is also Java-based and provides support for different operating systems. Visual Studio, on the other hand, is primarily designed for Windows and offers limited compatibility with other platforms.

  4. Plugin Ecosystem: Eclipse IDE has a vast and active community that has contributed numerous plugins and extensions, making it highly customizable and adaptable for different development needs. NetBeans IDE also has a good range of plugins available, but its ecosystem is relatively smaller compared to Eclipse. Visual Studio has a rich ecosystem of extensions, particularly for Microsoft technologies, providing developers with a wide range of additional features and functionality.

  5. Debugging and Profiling: Eclipse IDE offers robust debugging and profiling tools, allowing developers to analyze code, identify performance bottlenecks, and optimize their applications. NetBeans IDE also provides similar debugging and profiling capabilities. Visual Studio, being a Microsoft product, offers advanced debugging features like Just-in-Time debugging, which allows developers to debug applications on the fly.

  6. Integration with Tools and Services: Eclipse IDE integrates well with various tools and services, such as version control systems (Git, SVN), build tools (Ant, Maven), and continuous integration servers (Jenkins). NetBeans IDE also offers seamless integration with these tools and services. Visual Studio integrates tightly with other Microsoft tools and services, such as Azure cloud services, Team Foundation Server, and NuGet package manager.

In summary, Eclipse IDE provides extensive customization options and strong language support, while NetBeans IDE offers a user-friendly interface and excellent Java development capabilities. Visual Studio excels in its integration with Microsoft technologies and provides advanced debugging features.

Advice on Eclipse, NetBeans IDE, and Visual Studio
christy craemer
Needs advice
on
EclipseEclipseIntelliJ IDEAIntelliJ IDEA
and
PyCharmPyCharm

UPDATE: Thanks for the great response. I am going to start with VSCode based on the open source and free version that will allow me to grow into other languages, but not cost me a license ..yet.

I have been working with software development for 12 years, but I am just beginning my journey to learn to code. I am starting with Python following the suggestion of some of my coworkers. They are split between Eclipse and IntelliJ IDEA for IDEs that they use and PyCharm is new to me. Which IDE would you suggest for a beginner that will allow expansion to Java, JavaScript, and eventually AngularJS and possibly mobile applications?

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Replies (12)
Recommends
on
Visual Studio CodeVisual Studio Code

Pycharm is great for python development, but can feel sometimes slow and community version has Somme very annoying restrictions (like they disabled jupyter notebooks plugin and made it premium feature). I personally started looking into VS Code as an alternative, and it has some very good potential. I suggest you take it into account.

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Recommends
on
PyCharmPyCharm

The Community version of PyCharm is free and should give you what you need to get started with Python. Both PyCharm and IntelliJ are made by JetBrains. IntelliJ is initially focused on Java but you can get plugins for lots of other things. I subscribe to JetBrains' Toolbox: https://www.jetbrains.com/toolbox-app/ and have access to all of their great tools.

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Recommends
on
Visual Studio CodeVisual Studio Code

Hi, I will give my opinion based on my experience. I have used PyCharm, both community and Professional version. The community has limited functions, like you can't use a Jupyter notebook whereas it's available in the Professional version. PyCharm is slower compared to Visual Studio Code. Also Visual Studio Code is an editor which supports various languages. I myself have used both Visual Studio Code and PyCharm. I feel Visual Studio Code would be better choice. You may as well decide based upon your requirements.

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Charles Nelson
Recommends
on
IntelliJ IDEAIntelliJ IDEA

I couldn't imagine using a development tool other than the IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate All Products Pack. A single license allows me to work directly on my server running Ubuntu and/or my workstation running Windows 10 Pro simultaneously. My current project uses HTML, W3CSS, JavaScript, Java, Groovy, Grails, C, GO, Python, Flask, and Rust. For me it's worth every penny of the $150 license fee. And you can try it for free.

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awesomebanana2018
Recommends
on
Visual Studio CodeVisual Studio Code

Visual Studio code is easy to use, has a good UI, and a large community. Python works great with it, but unlike some other editors, it works with most languages either by default or by downloading a plugin. VS Code has built in linting, syntax coloring, autocompletes (IntelliSense), and an api for plugins to do there own tooling.

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Ivan Martinez Morales
Software Engineer Intern · | 4 upvotes · 688.8K views
Recommends
on
Visual Studio CodeVisual Studio Code

I'd personally recommend Visual Studio Code as it gives you the flexibility of working in any language, so long as there are extensions to support it. It gives you the flexibility to learn Python, venture into Java, Javascript, and eventually AngularJS, and potentially mobile applications. It's also free and you can install it on your personal computer. I think Visual Studio Code would serve your intended use case best.

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Isaac Povey
Casual Software Engineer at Skedulo · | 3 upvotes · 688.8K views
Recommends
on
IntelliJ IDEAIntelliJ IDEA

IntelliJ really is the best for Java, I switched from eclipse years ago and never looked back. As for javascript, python and angular either using the standalone products from jetbrains (pycharm for python, webstorm for js) or installing the relevant plugins for InteliJ will be your best bet. Pycharm etc. are really just InteliJ with some additional plugins installed.

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Pranshu Verma
Engineer at Cisco Systems · | 3 upvotes · 688.8K views
Recommends
on
PyCharmPyCharm

If you starting with Python then PyCharm is better. For Java I would suggest to go with IntelliJ IDEA but people also prefer eclipse so I would say try both and then decide. For JS/Angular/React I would suggest go with VSCode. I personally use it and prefer as its light weight and have good integration with chrome for frontend development.

PyCharm, IntelliJ IDEA are both products of JetBrains. They have a free (limited feature) and paid edition. Eclipse is free. VSCode is also free.

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Brian Turner
System Architect at Mary's Watch, Inc. · | 1 upvotes · 688.7K views
Recommends
on
IntelliJ IDEAIntelliJ IDEA

Easy to learn and everything you need

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Pritam Nandy
Engineering Manager at Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited · | 1 upvotes · 636.3K views
Recommends
on
PyCharmPyCharm

This is a very easy to use tool and gives you the opportunity to start coding right after the installation with almost everything setup automatically by the tool.

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Recommends
on
PyCharmPyCharm

Pycharm is all you need to get start coding in python or any of its framework. Its an awesome tool you should give it a try :)

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Recommends
on
PyCharmPyCharm

All three are great, however, I believe that IntelliJ IDEA's multiple IDE's are slightly more straight-forward and more up-to date than Eclipse. If I had to choose one specifically for Python projects I would go with PyCharm.

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The problem I have is whether to choose Android Studio or Visual Studio? I have to develop a simple app for a school project that can work on both iPhone and Android.

The most important factors for me are Android and iOS compatibility. Although note that i would like to become a Software Engineer when i finish my course. (I'd like to work for Apple, just saying!)

After that id like easy integration for Google Ads and such if i do develop another app that people actually use to support development. (I'd also like to stick with one easy programming language that's compatible with a wide variety of platforms since i'm a beginner and have only ever used Pascal)

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Replies (1)
Recommends
on
FlutterFlutter

First of all - Android Studio and Visual Studio are IDE's. Tools to create code. What you are asking is programming framework. I assume that when you are talking about Android Studio you mean Native Android Development and by Visual Studio you mean Xamarin.

If you want to create crossplatform app then Native Android Development is NOT a way to go. Xamarin might work for you, BUT - you'd rather recommend you to go with Flutter. It's much more performant than Xamarin, programming model is friendlier for developer and technology seems just more refined. It's also officially supported by google, so no worries about support.

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Decisions about Eclipse, NetBeans IDE, and Visual Studio
Nikola Yovchev
Head of Engineering at Relay42 · | 4 upvotes · 167.6K views

Since IntelliJ is the de-facto standard for writing Java/Kotlin/Scala application, and in Relay42 we are heavy Java users, every new engineer gets an Ultimate subscription from day1. The gains in productivity, pair programming speed (esp with the Code With Me feature) by using the same and familiar editor are totally worth the cost.

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Manabu Tokunaga
CEO, Co-Founder at WinguMD · | 10 upvotes · 521.9K views

I originally chose IntelliJ over Eclipse, as it was close enough to the look and feel of Visual Studio and we do go back and forth between the two. We really begin to love IntelliJ and their suite of IDEs so we are now using AppCode for the IOS development because the workflow is identical with the IntelliJ. IntelliJ is super complex and intimidating at first but it does afford a lot of nice utilities to get us produce clean code.

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Pros of Eclipse
Pros of NetBeans IDE
Pros of Visual Studio
  • 131
    Does it all
  • 76
    Integrates with most of tools
  • 64
    Easy to use
  • 63
    Java IDE
  • 32
    Best Java IDE
  • 9
    Open source
  • 3
    Hard for newbews
  • 2
    Great gdb integration
  • 2
    Professional
  • 2
    Good Git client allowing direct stage area edit
  • 2
    True open source with huge contribution
  • 2
    Great code suggestions
  • 2
    Extensible
  • 2
    Lightweight
  • 0
    Works with php
  • 76
    Rich features
  • 69
    Crossplatform
  • 49
    Plugins(Git, SVN)
  • 38
    Easy to use
  • 38
    Extensible
  • 35
    PHP Support
  • 34
    Java support
  • 28
    File History
  • 21
    Code analysis
  • 18
    MySQL support
  • 14
    Free
  • 14
    Open source
  • 10
    Code completion
  • 9
    Strong Maven Support
  • 8
    NodeJs support
  • 6
    Webdev king
  • 6
    Easy maven project start
  • 6
    Best
  • 4
    Jira Plugin
  • 4
    Foss
  • 3
    Out of the box integration with maven, git, svn
  • 3
    History of changes, friendly tabs
  • 3
    Mandatory
  • 2
    Intuitive ui
  • 2
    Chrome plugin to live update javascript from browser
  • 2
    Groovy support
  • 2
    Native Nette support
  • 2
    I don't like NetBeans
  • 2
    Smarty support
  • 2
    Visual GUI Builder for Swing / AWT
  • 2
    Custom html tags support
  • 1
    Powerful refactoring
  • 1
    Composer commands inside IDE
  • 305
    Intellisense, ui
  • 244
    Complete ide and debugger
  • 165
    Plug-ins
  • 104
    Integrated
  • 93
    Documentation
  • 37
    Fast
  • 35
    Node tools for visual studio (ntvs)
  • 33
    Free Community edition
  • 24
    Simple
  • 17
    Bug free
  • 8
    Made by Microsoft
  • 6
    Full free community version
  • 5
    JetBrains plugins (ReSharper etc.) work sufficiently OK
  • 3
    Productivity Power Tools
  • 2
    Vim mode
  • 2
    VIM integration
  • 1
    I develop UWP apps and Intellisense is super useful
  • 1
    Cross platform development
  • 1
    The Power and Easiness to Do anything in any.. language
  • 1
    Available for Mac and Windows

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Cons of Eclipse
Cons of NetBeans IDE
Cons of Visual Studio
  • 14
    2000 Design
  • 9
    Bad performance
  • 4
    Hard to use
  • 2
    PHP debug doesn't support conditional breakpoints
  • 16
    Bulky
  • 14
    Made by Microsoft
  • 6
    Sometimes you need to restart to finish an update
  • 3
    Too much size for disk
  • 3
    Only avalible on Windows

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What is Eclipse?

Standard Eclipse package suited for Java and plug-in development plus adding new plugins; already includes Git, Marketplace Client, source code and developer documentation. Click here to file a bug against Eclipse Platform.

What is NetBeans IDE?

NetBeans IDE is FREE, open source, and has a worldwide community of users and developers.

What is Visual Studio?

Visual Studio is a suite of component-based software development tools and other technologies for building powerful, high-performance applications.

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What are some alternatives to Eclipse, NetBeans IDE, and Visual Studio?
Android Studio
Android Studio is a new Android development environment based on IntelliJ IDEA. It provides new features and improvements over Eclipse ADT and will be the official Android IDE once it's ready.
IntelliJ IDEA
Out of the box, IntelliJ IDEA provides a comprehensive feature set including tools and integrations with the most important modern technologies and frameworks for enterprise and web development with Java, Scala, Groovy and other languages.
PyCharm
PyCharm’s smart code editor provides first-class support for Python, JavaScript, CoffeeScript, TypeScript, CSS, popular template languages and more. Take advantage of language-aware code completion, error detection, and on-the-fly code fixes!
Atom
At GitHub, we're building the text editor we've always wanted. A tool you can customize to do anything, but also use productively on the first day without ever touching a config file. Atom is modern, approachable, and hackable to the core. We can't wait to see what you build with it.
JavaScript
JavaScript is most known as the scripting language for Web pages, but used in many non-browser environments as well such as node.js or Apache CouchDB. It is a prototype-based, multi-paradigm scripting language that is dynamic,and supports object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming styles.
See all alternatives