10 Best IDEs Right Now of 2026

1. 1

   Visual Studio Code

   Microsoft's free, open source code editor with built-in debugging, a large extension marketplace and agent features from GitHub Copilot, Claude and Codex.

   9.7overall

   Microsoft's free, open source code editor with built-in debugging, a large extension marketplace and agent features from GitHub Copilot, Claude and Codex.

   Best forMost developers who want one free editor for any language, with AI agents available when they need them.

   Adoption data

   70.9%In the 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, 70.9% of the 13,193 respondents to the development environments question said they used VS Code regularly, the highest share of any editor in the survey.

   Stack Overflow, Dev IDEs, Technology data 2026, Stack Overflow Developer Survey (2026): “Visual Studio Code 9,350 70.9%”

   Visual Studio Code remains the editor most developers reach for first. Stack Overflow's 2026 survey found 70.9% of respondents use it regularly, and the survey team notes its usage has stayed at or above 71% since 2021 despite newer AI editors. Microsoft's FAQ confirms it is free for private or commercial use. The core product covers editing, navigation and integrated debugging, and the extension marketplace fills in language support for almost any stack. Its AI story has also caught up with AI-native editors: the product page describes agent sessions that work through a plan with you, an Agents window for running several agents in parallel, and a choice of Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Microsoft or open-weight models, with Copilot, Claude or Codex as the agent harness. Copilot Free covers a monthly allowance, and heavier use needs a paid Copilot plan. The tradeoff is configuration, since Java, C# and C++ projects often need several extensions to match a dedicated IDE.

   Strengths

   • +Free for private or commercial use
   • +Used by 70.9% of surveyed developers, far ahead of any other editor
   • +Works for nearly every language through extensions

   Limitations

   • −Deep language support depends on which extensions you install
   • −Heavier refactoring for Java or C# is stronger in dedicated IDEs
   • −Paid AI usage comes through a separate Copilot plan

   SummaryVS Code pairs the largest user base of any editor with a zero price and agent features that now match most AI-native rivals. It is the best default IDE for most developers in 2026.

2. 2

   IntelliJ IDEA

   JetBrains' Java and Kotlin IDE, now offered free with paid Ultimate features and built-in support for running AI agents.

   9.0overall

   JetBrains' Java and Kotlin IDE, now offered free with paid Ultimate features and built-in support for running AI agents.

   Best forJava and Kotlin developers who want the deepest refactoring, debugging and code analysis available.

   Adoption data

   24.3%In the 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, 24.3% of the 13,193 respondents to the development environments question said they used IntelliJ IDEA regularly, the most of any JetBrains IDE.

   Stack Overflow, Dev IDEs, Technology data 2026, Stack Overflow Developer Survey (2026): “IntelliJ IDEA 3,201 24.3%”

   IntelliJ IDEA is the strongest pick when your work is mostly Java or Kotlin. JetBrains says it is trusted by 72% of Java developers and more than 300,000 organizations, and 24.3% of all respondents in the 2026 Stack Overflow survey use it regularly. The case for it is code intelligence: the IDE resolves usages, dependencies and types across the whole project, so a rename updates every reference, and debugging, testing, profiling and database tools sit one click away. JetBrains has rebuilt its AI story around that strength. Through JetBrains Air you can run several agents in parallel, track their sessions and comment on diff lines to send work back, while connecting agents on your own API key, a subscription you already pay for or JetBrains AI. The download is free with 30 days of Ultimate included, and Ultimate features are paid. We could not load USD prices from our location, so check the vendor page. For polyglot or front-end work, VS Code is simpler.

   Strengths

   • +Deepest Java and Kotlin tooling on this list
   • +Free version with a 30-day Ultimate trial
   • +Agents can use IDE refactoring instead of text search

   Limitations

   • −Ultimate features need a paid subscription
   • −Focused on JVM languages more than general editing
   • −USD pricing could not be confirmed from our location

   SummaryIntelliJ IDEA is the best IDE for Java and Kotlin, with refactoring and analysis that general editors do not match. It ranks second overall because its reach and price advantage are smaller than VS Code's.

3. 3

   Visual Studio

   Microsoft's full IDE for .NET and C++ on Windows, with a free Community edition and GitHub Copilot agent mode built in.

   8.7overall

   Microsoft's full IDE for .NET and C++ on Windows, with a free Community edition and GitHub Copilot agent mode built in.

   Best for.NET and C++ developers on Windows who want a complete IDE with debugging, testing and profiling in one install.

   Adoption data

   27.6%In the 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, 27.6% of the 13,193 respondents to the development environments question said they used Visual Studio regularly, second only to VS Code and Notepad++.

   Stack Overflow, Dev IDEs, Technology data 2026, Stack Overflow Developer Survey (2026): “Visual Studio 3,643 27.6%”

   Visual Studio is the full IDE Microsoft builds for .NET and C++ developers on Windows, and it remains one of the most used tools in the 2026 Stack Overflow survey at 27.6% of respondents. Microsoft's pricing page recommends the free Community edition for individuals and describes it as the best comprehensive IDE for .NET and C++ developers on Windows. Teams that need paid licenses can start with Professional monthly at $45 per user per month, which also includes Azure DevOps Basic, or move to Enterprise at $250 per user per month. AI help is integrated rather than bolted on: GitHub Copilot agent mode reasons through a task, applies changes, runs tests and linters and iterates on errors, and Copilot Free includes 2,000 code completions and 50 chat messages per month. The limits are clear. It runs on Windows only, and developers outside the Microsoft stack get more from VS Code or JetBrains tools.

   Strengths

   • +Free Community edition for individuals
   • +Agent mode available in Copilot Free
   • +Complete .NET and C++ toolchain in one product

   Limitations

   • −Windows only
   • −Paid editions are needed for many business uses
   • −More than most developers need outside .NET and C++

   SummaryVisual Studio is the best choice for .NET and C++ work on Windows, and its free Community edition keeps the entry cost at zero. Outside that stack, lighter editors make more sense.

4. 4

   Cursor

   An AI-native code editor and coding agent with desktop, CLI and cloud agents, now centered on Grok models with third-party models available.

   8.4overall

   An AI-native code editor and coding agent with desktop, CLI and cloud agents, now centered on Grok models with third-party models available.

   Best forDevelopers who want an editor built around delegating tasks to AI agents.

   Adoption data

   14.9%In the 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, 14.9% of the 13,193 respondents to the development environments question said they used Cursor regularly, the most of any AI-native editor in the survey.

   Stack Overflow, Dev IDEs, Technology data 2026, Stack Overflow Developer Survey (2026): “Cursor 1,971 14.9%”

   Cursor is the most widely used AI-native editor, with 14.9% of respondents in the 2026 Stack Overflow survey using it regularly, ahead of Zed, Windsurf and Kiro. It describes itself as a coding agent for building ambitious software, and every plan includes Cursor Agent, with desktop and CLI interfaces for handing off tasks. Pricing changed sharply this year. The Free plan has limited agent and chat requests, Plus is $8 per month but its page notes that only Grok models are available on that plan, and Premium at $30 per month adds cloud agents and automations, Bugbot code reviews, code hosting through Origin and third-party models billed at API list price. Teams starts at $30 per user per month with SSO, usage analytics and privacy controls. That makes Cursor capable but harder to budget than a flat subscription, and developers who want Anthropic or OpenAI models should plan for usage charges on top of the plan price.

   Strengths

   • +Most used AI-native editor in the 2026 survey
   • +Free plan and a low $8 entry price
   • +Agent, CLI and cloud agents share one product

   Limitations

   • −The $8 Plus plan only includes Grok models
   • −Third-party models are billed separately by usage
   • −Cloud agents and code review need the $30 Premium plan

   SummaryCursor is the leading AI-native editor and the best pick for agent-first development. Its Grok-only entry plan and usage-billed third-party models keep it below VS Code on value.

5. 5

   Zed

   A fast open source code editor written in Rust, with parallel AI agents and real-time collaboration.

   8.4overall

   A fast open source code editor written in Rust, with parallel AI agents and real-time collaboration.

   Best forDevelopers who want a very fast editor with AI agents and pair programming built in.

   Adoption data

   11.4%In the 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, 11.4% of the 13,193 respondents to the development environments question said they used Zed regularly.

   Stack Overflow, Dev IDEs, Technology data 2026, Stack Overflow Developer Survey (2026): “Zed 1,504 11.4%”

   Zed is the strongest new general-purpose editor on this list. The team wrote it from scratch in Rust to make use of multiple CPU cores and the GPU, and it now runs on macOS, Linux and Windows. In the 2026 Stack Overflow survey 11.4% of respondents used it regularly, a notable figure for an editor this young. AI is built in but not forced on you: the Personal plan is free forever and gives unlimited use with your own API keys or external agents such as Claude Agent and Codex CLI. Pro costs $10 per month for unlimited edit predictions and $5 of included tokens, with further usage billed at API list price plus 10%, and Business is $30 per seat per month. Zed also includes collaboration that most rivals lack, so teammates can chat, code together and share screens inside the editor. The main gap is ecosystem size, since it has far fewer extensions than VS Code.

   Strengths

   • +Free forever plan with bring-your-own-key AI
   • +Pro costs only $10 per month
   • +Built-in multiplayer collaboration

   Limitations

   • −Smaller extension catalog than VS Code
   • −Usage beyond the included $5 of tokens is billed at API price plus 10%
   • −Business plan has no free trial

   SummaryZed offers the best mix of speed, AI agents and price among the newer editors. Choose it if you want a lean editor and can live with a smaller extension catalog.

6. 6

   Neovim

   A free, open source, Vim-based terminal editor that is extensible with Lua and supports LSP and Tree-sitter.

   8.3overall

   A free, open source, Vim-based terminal editor that is extensible with Lua and supports LSP and Tree-sitter.

   Best forKeyboard-driven developers who want a fully configurable editor that runs anywhere.

   Adoption data

   14.7%In the 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, 14.7% of the 13,193 respondents to the development environments question said they used Neovim regularly.

   Stack Overflow, Dev IDEs, Technology data 2026, Stack Overflow Developer Survey (2026): “Neovim 1,939 14.7%”

   Neovim is the editor for developers who want complete control. It is a Vim-based, hyperextensible editor whose configuration lives in init.lua, with a versioned and documented API and RPC so extensions can be written in any language. It is not a classic IDE out of the box, but its built-in LSP client provides semantic code inspection and refactoring, Tree-sitter parsing gives accurate syntax highlighting and text objects, and the built-in terminal and session commands such as :connect and :detach cover much of what developers use tmux for. It stays fully compatible with Vim's editing model and runs Vim 8.x plugins. In the 2026 Stack Overflow survey 14.7% of respondents used Neovim regularly, about the same share as Cursor. It costs nothing and is licensed under Apache 2.0. The tradeoffs are setup time and a learning curve: turning Neovim into a full IDE means choosing plugins, and AI features come only from third-party plugins.

   Strengths

   • +Free and open source
   • +Works the same everywhere with one build type
   • +Used by 14.7% of surveyed developers

   Limitations

   • −Steep learning curve for modal editing
   • −IDE features depend on plugins and configuration
   • −No built-in AI assistant

   SummaryNeovim is the best free editor for developers who prefer the keyboard and want to build their own environment. Newcomers will be productive faster in VS Code or Zed.

7. 7

   Eclipse IDE

   The Eclipse Foundation's free, open source IDE and plugin platform, best known for Java development.

   8.1overall

   The Eclipse Foundation's free, open source IDE and plugin platform, best known for Java development.

   Best forJava developers and organizations that need a free, extensible IDE with long-standing plugin support.

   Adoption data

   6.9%In the 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, 6.9% of the 13,193 respondents to the development environments question said they used Eclipse regularly.

   Stack Overflow, Dev IDEs, Technology data 2026, Stack Overflow Developer Survey (2026): “Eclipse 910 6.9%”

   Eclipse IDE is the long-running free alternative to IntelliJ IDEA for Java work. The Eclipse Foundation releases it on a regular schedule, and the 2026-09 release supports Java 26, adds a wizard for compact source files in Java 25 and later projects, and brings a quick assist that converts enhanced for loops to forEach statements. Platform changes in the same release include regular expression content assist in find and replace, console zoom, filters in the Problems view and a debug option to resume all suspended threads except the selected one. It is free and open source under the Eclipse Public License 2.0, and its plugin marketplace remains one of the largest of any IDE, which is why many vendors still build tooling on it. In the 2026 Stack Overflow survey 6.9% of respondents used Eclipse regularly. The weaknesses are a heavier, older interface and no built-in AI agent described on its product page, so AI-heavy teams usually pick another editor.

   Strengths

   • +Free and open source
   • +Mature Java tooling with current Java support
   • +Huge plugin ecosystem

   Limitations

   • −Interface feels dated next to newer editors
   • −No built-in AI agent on the product page
   • −Much smaller share of developers than IntelliJ IDEA

   SummaryEclipse is a solid free Java IDE with current language support and a deep plugin catalog. IntelliJ IDEA and VS Code are easier to recommend for most new projects.

8. 8

   Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)

   Cognition's agent-first editor, formerly Windsurf, that manages local and cloud agents from one command center.

   7.6overall

   Cognition's agent-first editor, formerly Windsurf, that manages local and cloud agents from one command center.

   Best forDevelopers who want to run and supervise several coding agents, including Devin cloud agents, from the editor.

   Adoption data

   3.2%In the 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, 3.2% of the 13,193 respondents to the development environments question said they used Windsurf regularly, the survey's name for the product before its rename to Devin Desktop.

   Stack Overflow, Dev IDEs, Technology data 2026, Stack Overflow Developer Survey (2026): “Windsurf 423 3.2%”

   Windsurf now ships as Devin Desktop from Cognition, and the product has moved from an AI-assisted editor toward a home for every agent you run. The homepage describes one command center to manage agents locally or in the cloud, with the Agent Client Protocol used to bring other agents and frontier models into the same place. The pricing page keeps a free plan with a light agent quota, unlimited inline edits and unlimited Tab completions. Pro at $20 per month raises quotas, opens frontier models from OpenAI, Claude, Gemini and SpaceXAI, includes free use of SWE-2 and adds Devin cloud agents. Max costs $200 per month, and Teams is $80 per month plus $40 for each full developer seat. Adoption is the weak point: only 3.2% of respondents in the 2026 Stack Overflow survey used it regularly, listed under the Windsurf name. It suits developers who want to supervise several agents, less so those who mainly write code by hand.

   Strengths

   • +Free plan includes unlimited Tab completions
   • +Built to coordinate many agents at once
   • +Pro includes Devin cloud agents

   Limitations

   • −Small share in the 2026 survey
   • −Product renamed and repositioned, so older docs refer to Windsurf
   • −Team plan adds an $80 base fee plus $40 per seat

   SummaryDevin Desktop is a capable agent command center with a useful free tier and Devin cloud agents on Pro. Its small user base and recent rename keep it behind Cursor and VS Code.

9. 9

   Sublime Text

   A fast, paid text editor with GPU rendering, multiple selections and a large package ecosystem.

   7.3overall

   A fast, paid text editor with GPU rendering, multiple selections and a large package ecosystem.

   Best forDevelopers who want a fast, distraction-free editor and prefer a one-time license to subscriptions.

   Adoption data

   9.8%In the 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, 9.8% of the 13,193 respondents to the development environments question said they used Sublime Text regularly.

   Stack Overflow, Dev IDEs, Technology data 2026, Stack Overflow Developer Survey (2026): “Sublime Text 1,290 9.8%”

   Sublime Text is a text editor rather than a full IDE, but it still earns a place because many developers use it as their main tool: 9.8% of respondents in the 2026 Stack Overflow survey use it regularly. Sublime Text 4 adds GPU rendering, tab multi-select for splitting the interface across several files, and side-by-side views for Goto Definition, Goto Reference and Goto Symbol in Project. Its multiple selections remain the fastest way to rename or edit many occurrences at once. Pricing is unusual in this category. Sublime HQ lets you download and evaluate the editor for free, but a license must be purchased for continued use, and a personal license costs $99. Business licenses are sold as an annual subscription starting at $65 per seat per year. It lacks a built-in debugger and an AI agent, so developers who want those features will find more in VS Code, Zed or Cursor at a lower cost.

   Strengths

   • +GPU rendering and multiple selections for fast editing
   • +One-time personal license instead of a subscription
   • +Used by 9.8% of surveyed developers

   Limitations

   • −A license is required for continued use
   • −No built-in debugger or AI agent
   • −Fewer IDE features than the other tools here

   SummarySublime Text is the fastest pure text editor here and a good fit if you dislike subscriptions. It ranks low because it offers fewer IDE and AI features than free alternatives.

10. 10

    Kiro

    An agentic development environment with an IDE, CLI, web and mobile access, built around agents that plan, build, review and verify work.

    7.2overall

    An agentic development environment with an IDE, CLI, web and mobile access, built around agents that plan, build, review and verify work.

    Best forTeams that want agents to follow a structured plan with approval steps before code is merged.

    Adoption data

    2.8%In the 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, 2.8% of the 13,193 respondents to the development environments question said they used Kiro regularly.

    Stack Overflow, Dev IDEs, Technology data 2026, Stack Overflow Developer Survey (2026): “Kiro 365 2.8%”

    Kiro takes a more structured approach to AI-native development than Cursor or Zed. Its homepage describes agents that plan, build, review and verify real engineering work on your machine or in the cloud, with sub-agents that split a request into research, build and review steps and wait for your approval before merging. It is available as an IDE, a CLI, a web app and on mobile. Pricing is credit based. The free plan includes 50 credits per month with access to open weight models and Claude Sonnet 4.5, Pro is $20 per user per month for 1,000 credits, and higher tiers run to $40, $100 and $200 per user per month, with add-on credits at $0.04 each. New Pro users get the rest of the month free plus 500 trial credits. Adoption is still modest at 2.8% of respondents in the 2026 Stack Overflow survey, and credit billing makes monthly cost harder to predict than a flat seat price.

    Strengths

    • +Free plan with 50 credits and Claude Sonnet 4.5 access
    • +Structured agent workflows with approvals
    • +Trial credits when you first upgrade to Pro

    Limitations

    • −Smallest survey share on this list
    • −Credit-based billing is harder to predict
    • −Higher tiers reach $200 per user per month

    SummaryKiro is a good choice for teams that want agent work broken into reviewed steps. Its small user base and credit pricing place it last among these ten.

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