IntelliJ IDEA vs Visual Studio vs Xcode

Overview

Xcode

Stacks19.3K

Followers14.7K

Votes213

Visual Studio

Stacks59.6K

Followers37.9K

Votes1.1K

IntelliJ IDEA

Stacks44.0K

Followers36.9K

Votes1.5K

IntelliJ IDEA vs Visual Studio vs Xcode: What are the differences?

IntelliJ IDEA, Visual Studio, and Xcode are all integrated development environments (IDEs) that are commonly used by developers for software development. While all three IDEs offer features such as code editing, debugging, and project management, there are key differences that set them apart. In the following sections, we will explore the key differences between IntelliJ IDEA, Visual Studio, and Xcode.

Cost: IntelliJ IDEA has both free and paid versions available, with the paid version offering advanced features. Visual Studio, on the other hand, has a range of editions available, including a free Community edition, but the more feature-rich versions come at a cost. Xcode, however, is completely free for macOS users.
Platform: IntelliJ IDEA is a Java-based IDE and can be used for developing applications across different platforms, including Java, Kotlin, and Android. Visual Studio, on the other hand, is primarily designed for Windows and supports languages such as C#, C++, and .NET. Xcode is exclusively designed for macOS and iOS development.
Language Support: IntelliJ IDEA offers extensive language support and is known for its wide range of plugins and integrations. It supports languages like Java, Kotlin, Groovy, Scala, and more. Visual Studio also has a strong language support, particularly for Microsoft technologies like C#, but it has limited support for other languages compared to IntelliJ IDEA. Xcode focuses mainly on Swift and Objective-C for iOS and macOS development.
User Interface: IntelliJ IDEA has a clean and intuitive user interface that is highly customizable. It provides various themes and layout options to suit the preferences of different developers. Visual Studio has a more comprehensive and complex user interface due to its extensive features, which may require a learning curve for new users. Xcode has a streamlined interface specifically designed for macOS and iOS development.
Plugin Ecosystem: IntelliJ IDEA has a vast and active plugin ecosystem, allowing developers to extend and enhance its functionality. It has a plugin marketplace where users can find and install a wide range of plugins contributed by the community. Visual Studio also has a plugin system, but it is not as extensive as IntelliJ IDEA's ecosystem. Xcode, being a more specialized IDE, has a smaller plugin ecosystem compared to the other two.
Integration with other Tools: IntelliJ IDEA provides smooth integration with various build tools, version control systems, and development frameworks. It has built-in support for popular tools like Gradle, Maven, and Git. Visual Studio offers seamless integration with Microsoft's own tools and services, such as Azure and Azure DevOps. Xcode integrates tightly with Apple's development ecosystem, including frameworks like SwiftUI, and it also has built-in support for tools like Xcode Server.

In summary, IntelliJ IDEA offers extensive language support, a customizable user interface, and a vast plugin ecosystem. Visual Studio excels in Microsoft technology support and integration with Microsoft tools and services. Xcode is a specialized IDE for macOS and iOS development, focusing primarily on Swift and Objective-C.

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Advice on Xcode, Visual Studio, IntelliJ IDEA

christy

Program Manager

Jul 1, 2020

Needs adviceon

Python

Eclipse

IntelliJ IDEA

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?

2.03M views2.03M

Comments

Manabu

CEO, Co-Founder at WinguMD

Jun 13, 2020

Decided

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.

551k views551k

Comments

Samriddhi

Machine Learning Engineer at Chefling

Sep 26, 2020

Decided

Lightweight and versatile. Huge library of extensions that enable you to integrate a host of services to your development environment. VS Code's biggest strength is its library of extensions which enables it to directly compete with every single major IDE for almost all major programming languages.

1.04M views1.04M

Comments

Detailed Comparison

Xcode	Visual Studio	IntelliJ IDEA
The Xcode IDE is at the center of the Apple development experience. Tightly integrated with the Cocoa and Cocoa Touch frameworks, Xcode is an incredibly productive environment for building amazing apps for Mac, iPhone, and iPad.	Visual Studio is a suite of component-based software development tools and other technologies for building powerful, high-performance applications.	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.
Source Editor;Assistant Editor;Asset Catalog;OpenGL Frame Capture;Version Editor;Interface Builder Built In;iOS Simulator;Integrated Build System;Continuous Integration;Instrument Library;Command Line Tools	-	Smart Code Completion;On-the-fly Code Analysis;Advanced Refactorings;Database Tools;UML Designer;Version Control Tools;Build Tools
Statistics
Stacks 19.3K	Stacks 59.6K	Stacks 44.0K
Followers 14.7K	Followers 37.9K	Followers 36.9K
Votes 213	Votes 1.1K	Votes 1.5K
Pros & Cons
Pros 130 IOS Development 33 Personal assistant on steroids 29 Easy setup 17 Excellent integration with Clang 3 Beautiful Cons 6 Massively bloated and complicated for smaller projects 3 Horrible auto completiting and text editing 1 Very slow emulator 1 Slow startup	Pros 305 Intellisense, ui 244 Complete ide and debugger 165 Plug-ins 104 Integrated 93 Documentation Cons 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	Pros 301 Fantastically intelligent 242 Best-in-class ide 190 Many languages support 158 Java 121 Fast Cons 20 Large footprint required to really enjoy (mem/disc) 16 Very slow 8 Bad for beginners 7 UI is not intuitive 5 Constant reindexing
Integrations
Cocoa Touch (iOS) Cocoa (OS X)	No integrations available	Java

What are some alternatives to Xcode, Visual Studio, IntelliJ IDEA?

PhpStorm

PhpStorm is a PHP IDE which keeps up with latest PHP & web languages trends, integrates a variety of modern tools, and brings even more extensibility with support for major PHP frameworks.

WebStorm

WebStorm is a lightweight and intelligent IDE for front-end development and server-side JavaScript.

NetBeans IDE

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

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!

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.

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.

RubyMine

JetBrains RubyMine IDE provides a comprehensive Ruby code editor aware of dynamic language specifics and delivers smart coding assistance, intelligent code refactoring and code analysis capabilities.

CLion

Knowing your code through and through, CLion can take care of the routine while you focus on the important things. Boost your productivity with the keyboard-centric approach (Vim-emulation plugin is also available in plugin repository), full coding assistance, smart and relevant code completion, fast project navigation, intelligent intention actions, and reliable refactorings.

Pharo

A pure object-oriented programming language and a powerful environment, focused on simplicity and immediate feedback.

Nuclide

A unified developer experience for web and mobile development, built as a suite of packages on top of Atom to provide hackability and the support of an active community.

Related Comparisons

IntelliJ IDEA vs Visual Studio vs Xcode: What are the differences?

Cost: IntelliJ IDEA has both free and paid versions available, with the paid version offering advanced features. Visual Studio, on the other hand, has a range of editions available, including a free Community edition, but the more feature-rich versions come at a cost. Xcode, however, is completely free for macOS users.
Platform: IntelliJ IDEA is a Java-based IDE and can be used for developing applications across different platforms, including Java, Kotlin, and Android. Visual Studio, on the other hand, is primarily designed for Windows and supports languages such as C#, C++, and .NET. Xcode is exclusively designed for macOS and iOS development.
Language Support: IntelliJ IDEA offers extensive language support and is known for its wide range of plugins and integrations. It supports languages like Java, Kotlin, Groovy, Scala, and more. Visual Studio also has a strong language support, particularly for Microsoft technologies like C#, but it has limited support for other languages compared to IntelliJ IDEA. Xcode focuses mainly on Swift and Objective-C for iOS and macOS development.
User Interface: IntelliJ IDEA has a clean and intuitive user interface that is highly customizable. It provides various themes and layout options to suit the preferences of different developers. Visual Studio has a more comprehensive and complex user interface due to its extensive features, which may require a learning curve for new users. Xcode has a streamlined interface specifically designed for macOS and iOS development.
Plugin Ecosystem: IntelliJ IDEA has a vast and active plugin ecosystem, allowing developers to extend and enhance its functionality. It has a plugin marketplace where users can find and install a wide range of plugins contributed by the community. Visual Studio also has a plugin system, but it is not as extensive as IntelliJ IDEA's ecosystem. Xcode, being a more specialized IDE, has a smaller plugin ecosystem compared to the other two.
Integration with other Tools: IntelliJ IDEA provides smooth integration with various build tools, version control systems, and development frameworks. It has built-in support for popular tools like Gradle, Maven, and Git. Visual Studio offers seamless integration with Microsoft's own tools and services, such as Azure and Azure DevOps. Xcode integrates tightly with Apple's development ecosystem, including frameworks like SwiftUI, and it also has built-in support for tools like Xcode Server.

IntelliJ IDEA vs Visual Studio vs Xcode

Overview