Alternatives to Eclipse
The classic extensible Java IDE
Eclipse ranks #7 of 10 in IDEs, with an Alt Score of 78. It is licensed under EPL-2.0, free and available on Windows, macOS and Linux. 11 of 12 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Developers who need a free, open-source IDE, especially Java programmers, plus teams and vendors who build on it as a base for their own tooling.
A full-featured Java IDE with an integrated debugger, code editor, and build tooling. A plugin architecture and marketplace let you add support for other languages and frameworks (C/C++, PHP, web, etc.). It's extensible enough that companies embed it as the foundation for their own commercial development tools.
Download and install Eclipse from eclipse.org, then write, build, and debug code directly in the IDE. Install additional plugins from the Eclipse Marketplace to extend it for other languages or specialized workflows.
Where Eclipse stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave Eclipse
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
Sign in to add a reason — new reasons go through moderation before appearing.
Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the IDEs checklist (16 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| IDEs checklist | Eclipse | Visual Studio | CLion | NetBeans | Rider | WebStorm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Language server (LSP) support | ||||||
| Debugger built in | ||||||
| Git integration | ||||||
| AI code completion | ||||||
| Remote / SSH development | ||||||
| Extensions marketplace | ||||||
| Refactoring tools | ||||||
| Integrated terminal | ||||||
| Profiler built in | ||||||
| Database tools built in | ||||||
| Free tier / community edition | ||||||
| Startup speed class |
Every fact and feature listed for Eclipse is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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License EPL-2.0 verified 2026-07-11
Eclipse Public License 2.0
https://projects.eclipse.org/projects/eclipse.platform -
Pricing model Free verified 2026-07-11
We host Adoptium, Software Defined Vehicle, Jakarta EE, Eclipse IDE, and 400+ open source projects, including runtimes, tools, specifications, and frameworks for enterprise, cloud, edge, automotive, A
https://www.eclipse.org/about/ -
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux verified 2026-07-11
Now bundles a JRE — macOS · Windows · Linux
https://www.eclipse.org/downloads/packages/ -
Status active verified 2026-07-11
New & Noteworthy Eclipse IDE 2026-06 (4.40)
https://eclipseide.org/release/noteworthy/2026-06/ -
Language server (LSP) support Yes verified 2026-07-11
Eclipse LSP4E makes Eclipse IDE able to consume the Language Server protocol (LSP) and the Debug Adapter protocol (DAP).
https://github.com/eclipse-lsp4e/lsp4e -
Debugger built in Yes verified 2026-07-11
The debugger allows you to control the execution of your program by setting breakpoints, suspending launched programs, stepping through your code, and examining the contents of variables.
https://help.eclipse.org/latest/topic/org.eclipse.jdt.doc.user/concepts/cdebugger.htm -
Git integration Yes verified 2026-07-11
EGit is a set of Eclipse plugins for working with Git repositories.
https://github.com/eclipse-egit/egit -
AI code completion Partial verified 2026-07-11
GitHub Copilot is your AI-powered coding assistant, offering assistance throughout your software development journey. Leveraging large language models, it offers suggestions via code completions and c
https://marketplace.eclipse.org/content/github-copilot -
Remote / SSH development Partial verified 2026-07-11
Remote System Explorer is result of Eclipse Target Management team work. It support SSH, Telnet, FTP and DStore protocols.
https://marketplace.eclipse.org/content/remote-system-explorer-ssh-telnet-ftp-and-dstore-protocols -
Extensions marketplace Yes verified 2026-07-11
a great source of plug-ins and products that you can add to Eclipse
https://eclipseide.org/getting-started/ -
Refactoring tools Yes verified 2026-07-11
The goal of Java program refactoring is to make system-wide code changes without affecting the behavior of the program.
https://help.eclipse.org/latest/topic/org.eclipse.jdt.doc.user/concepts/concept-refactoring.htm -
Integrated terminal Yes verified 2026-07-11
A fully working command-line Terminal inside Eclipse.
https://marketplace.eclipse.org/content/eclipse-terminal -
Profiler built in Partial verified 2026-07-11
The Eclipse Memory Analyzer is a fast and feature-rich Java heap analyzer that helps you find memory leaks and reduce memory consumption.
https://marketplace.eclipse.org/content/memory-analyzer -
Database tools built in Partial verified 2026-07-11
The Eclipse Data Tools Platform™ provides extensible frameworks and exemplary tools, enabling a diverse set of plug-in offerings specific to particular data-centric technologies.
https://projects.eclipse.org/projects/tools.datatools -
Free tier / community edition Yes verified 2026-07-11
We host Adoptium, Software Defined Vehicle, Jakarta EE, Eclipse IDE, and 400+ open source projects, including runtimes, tools, specifications, and frameworks for enterprise, cloud, edge, automotive, A
https://www.eclipse.org/about/
FAQ
Yes. Visual Studio, CLion and NetBeans have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
NetBeans, PyCharm and IntelliJ IDEA — every license claim links its source.