IntelliJ IDEA

I’m pretty sure using Jetbrains Rider requires you to have a license for it, since it’s not free software like the IntelliJ Idea counterpart. Visual Studio itself is a very, very powerful IDE and has support for multiple different languages, provided you’re working on a Windows based system.

If you’re not working on a Windows based system, and you’re fine with fiddling around a little bit with your developer environment at the beginning for better experience later, and will not be developing any desktop c# applications, I have to recommend Visual Studio Code, since it’s lighter than the full fledged Visual Studio, and has absolutely amazing integration with almost anything you might need to develop .NET web applications, be it C#, JavaScript, TypeScript, YAML/JSON, SQL/NoSQL Databases, Docker, Kubernetes etc.

But in the end, if you’re getting a Visual Studio license, I’d recommend trying it out, because it’s an absolutely spectacular piece of software for working on .NET applications, and once you understand it, you’ll fall in love with it. The problem is, it’s full power is unlocked when using it on a Windows PC.

I have been using Visual Studio.NET since its first incarnation - actually before its first incarnation as I was on the alpha and beta programs for it back in 2000 or so. Visual Studio is a great IDE but it's only available for Windows users (Don't mention the MacOS version of it because Microsoft don't really care about it, and it shows). If you only use Windows then that's fine.

I have since moved away from Windows for daily use and use Ubuntu / RHEL Linux 60% of the time and MacOS about 35% of the time so Visual Studio is a no-go for me. I switched to JetBrains about eight to ten years ago, purchasing the all-products pack at that time. I can use any of their tools on Windows, Linux or MacOS. For the rare occasion when I need to use Windows, I can still use my preferred JetBrains IDE with ho problems. This is critical for me.

If this is not critical for you, and you use Windows all the time, then you can't go wrong with Visual Studio; especially since they already bought you a license for it.

If you do decide to go with Rider, then I'd highly recommend buying the all-products pack instead of just the Rider IDE. There will undoubtedly be times when another JB tool, like PyCharm, or IntelliJ or DataGrip will be useful to you.

I made the decision to go with JetBrains a long time ago and I never looked back. In fact, about six months ago I closed my Microsoft account completely.

That's my 2¢, YMMV.

The project management is easier in PyCharm and for a sample project you probably don't need the complex project management in intellij. I definitely wouldn't use two IDEs at the same time, unless you got too much machine capacity and like more complex interactions.

Since the code is python, pycharm is lighter on resources, and there is no need to use the full Intellij IDE.

PyCharm (pro) - great editor designed specifically for Python and python apps - complex (good for configurability, bad for simplicity) - expensive ($200 first year, $120 third year)

PyCharm (free) - same as above but without a REST client or support for other web development tools (which you will likely end up using) - ok to get your feet wet (you can always upgrade later) Full comparison: https://www.jetbrains.com/pycharm/features/editions_comparison_matrix.html

VS Code (free) - Configurable "IDE" with support for most modern languages - TONS of simple-to-install extensions that add functionality - Great docs and UI

Sublime Text (free) - one of the most minimal editors out there - it just works

It's really down to personal preference. But I would recommend downloading all of the FREE editors, getting setup in each, and keeping only the ones you like.

My personal choice for web development is VS Code but I started with Pycharm (free), and use Sublime text on occasion.

Just focus on learning and developing and you will find what features you're looking for.

While you are quite likely to eventually want to upgrade to the pro version, the community version of PyCharm is suitable for large projects.

PyCharm's background 'linting', refactoring tools, folding, navigation and integration with git make the learning needed to use it pay dividends in productivity very quickly.

I use Intellij IDEA Ultimate for javascript development and testing. Everything is configured and run smoothly. Visual Studio Code is a basic editor with a rich set of plugins. Making them to work smoothly is challenging sometimes. If you don't have a license for the Ultimate Edition, you can use Intellij EAP builds. The best judgement is to test both tools and see where you perform your work more efficiently. I'd recommend Intellij IDEA IDE for professional development.

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.

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.