Best IDEs for Developers in 2026: VS Code vs JetBrains vs Cursor vs Zed
The most popular IDE is still Visual Studio Code: 75.9% of respondents to the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025 used it regularly, far ahead of Visual Studio (29%) and IntelliJ IDEA (27.1%). For most developers the real choice in 2026 is between four options: VS Code (free, huge extension ecosystem), a JetBrains IDE (deepest language tooling, especially for Java, Kotlin and Python), Cursor (a VS Code fork built around AI agents), and Zed (a fast, open-source native editor). Below is how they compare on price, languages, AI features and platforms, plus the other IDEs worth knowing.
What an IDE is (and the types of IDEs)
An IDE (integrated development environment) puts the tools you need to write software in one app: an editor with code completion, a way to build and run, a debugger, and usually Git and test integration. A plain code editor (Notepad++, Sublime Text, Vim) gives you the editing part; extensions can turn editors like VS Code and Neovim into full IDEs.
The common types of IDEs:
- General-purpose / multi-language: VS Code, Zed, Cursor, Eclipse, Neovim with plugins.
- Language- or ecosystem-specific: IntelliJ IDEA (Java/Kotlin), PyCharm (Python), WebStorm (JavaScript/TypeScript), Visual Studio (.NET/C++ on Windows), RStudio (R).
- Platform-specific (mobile and desktop): Xcode (Apple platforms, macOS only), Android Studio (Android).
- Cloud / browser IDEs: GitHub Codespaces, Replit, and simple online compilers such as OnlineGDB.
- AI-first editors: Cursor, Zed's agent panel, Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf), where an AI agent edits multiple files for you.
IDE vs SDK
An SDK (software development kit) is what you build with: the compiler, libraries, headers and tools for a platform, such as the Java JDK, the .NET SDK, the Android SDK or the iOS SDK. An IDE is the app you write code in. IDEs use SDKs: Android Studio downloads and drives the Android SDK; Xcode bundles the Apple SDKs; VS Code calls whatever SDK you have installed. You can use an SDK without an IDE (from the terminal), but an IDE without the right SDK can't build your app.
The most used IDEs: Stack Overflow 2025 numbers
From the 2025 survey, "development environments and AI-enabled code editing tools" used regularly in the past year:
| IDE / editor | All respondents | Professional developers |
|---|---|---|
| Visual Studio Code | 75.9% | 76.2% |
| Visual Studio | 29.0% | 29.7% |
| Notepad++ | 27.4% | 26.9% |
| IntelliJ IDEA | 27.1% | 28.4% |
| Vim | 24.3% | 24.0% |
| Cursor | 17.9% | 19.3% |
| PyCharm | 15.0% | 14.2% |
| Android Studio | 15.0% | 14.8% |
| Neovim | 14.0% | 13.6% |
| Jupyter Notebook/JupyterLab | 14.1% | 12.0% |
| Sublime Text | 10.5% | 10.5% |
| Xcode | 10.0% | 10.6% |
| Zed | 7.3% | 7.5% |
| Eclipse | 7.1% | 6.7% |
| Windsurf | 4.9% | 5.0% |
Respondents could pick several, so the numbers add up to more than 100%. Treat this as "IDE market share" among developers who answer the survey, not as sales data.
VS Code vs JetBrains vs Cursor vs Zed: comparison table
Prices are list prices for individuals in USD, checked October 2026 on each vendor's pricing page.
| VS Code | JetBrains (IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, etc.) | Cursor | Zed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Core features free; paid subscription for full features (IntelliJ IDEA personal: $199 first year) | Free Hobby plan; Pro $20/mo, Pro Plus $60/mo, Ultra $200/mo | Free Personal plan; Pro $10/mo |
| Languages | Almost any, via extensions | Deepest for each IDE's focus language; IntelliJ IDEA covers JVM languages plus web and SQL | Same as VS Code (it is a VS Code fork) | Many built in (Rust, Go, TypeScript, Python, C/C++ and more) plus extensions |
| AI features | GitHub Copilot built in; Copilot Free gives 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests a month | JetBrains AI (AI Free tier, AI Pro from $10/mo) | Agent, tab completion, cloud agents, Bugbot code review | Edit predictions (2,000 free), agent panel, bring your own API key or external agents such as Claude Agent and Codex CLI |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, browser (vscode.dev) | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux | macOS, Windows, Linux |
| Open source | Source (Code - OSS) is MIT; the VS Code build is under a Microsoft license | Partly (IntelliJ Platform core is open source); the IDEs are commercial | No | Yes |
Visual Studio Code
VS Code is free for private and commercial use. Microsoft's FAQ is precise about licensing: the source code in the Code - OSS repository is MIT, while the VS Code download adds Microsoft-specific parts and ships under a Microsoft product license. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and has the largest extension marketplace of any editor, which is why it is the default for web, Python, Go, Rust and most scripting work.
AI comes through GitHub Copilot. The Copilot plans page lists Copilot Free at $0 with 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests a month; Pro is $10/month, Pro+ $39 and Max $100.
Pick it if you work in several languages, want a free tool, or want the widest choice of extensions.
JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, Rider...)
JetBrains IDEs index your whole project, so refactoring, navigation and inspections are more reliable than in an extension-based editor, especially in large Java, Kotlin, Python and .NET codebases. Since IntelliJ IDEA 2025.3 there is a single unified download: the core features are free for commercial and non-commercial use (replacing the old Community Edition), and an Ultimate subscription unlocks the rest, with a 30-day trial. On the IntelliJ IDEA buy page a personal subscription is $199 for the first year, dropping on renewal; the All Products Pack is $299 for the first year. Ultimate is free for students and teachers.
AI is sold separately as JetBrains AI: AI Free (3 AI credits per 30 days), AI Pro ($10/month for individuals) and AI Ultimate ($30/month). AI Pro is included with the All Products Pack.
Pick it if you write mostly Java or Kotlin (IntelliJ IDEA), Python (PyCharm) or C# (Rider) and value refactoring and inspections over a light, fast editor.
Cursor
Cursor is a fork of VS Code, so your extensions, themes and keybindings carry over. What it adds is AI built into the editor: an agent that edits many files, fast tab completion, cloud agents and AI code review (Bugbot). Its pricing is a free Hobby plan with limited agent requests, Pro at $20/month, Pro Plus at $60/month and Ultra at $200/month; usage of expensive models draws down your included allowance faster. Cursor is closed source.
Pick it if you want an AI agent to do a large share of the editing and you are comfortable with the VS Code layout. DevHunt has a side-by-side page for Cursor vs VS Code.
Zed
Zed is an open-source editor written in Rust with its own GPU-rendered UI. It starts and scrolls noticeably faster than Electron-based editors, and it has built-in real-time collaboration. Its pricing: the Personal plan is free forever with 2,000 accepted edit predictions and unlimited use with your own API keys (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and others) or external agents like Claude Agent and Codex CLI; Pro is $10/month with unlimited edit predictions and $5 of included tokens. Its extension ecosystem is smaller than VS Code's.
Pick it if speed matters to you, you want an open-source editor, or you want to bring your own AI provider instead of paying an editor subscription.
Other IDEs worth knowing (list of IDEs by use case)
- Neovim: free, open source, terminal-based; with LSP plugins it is a full IDE for people who like keyboard-driven editing.
- Visual Studio (Windows): Microsoft's full IDE for .NET and C++; the Community edition is free for individuals.
- Eclipse: free, open source, still common for Java in enterprises.
- Xcode: free, macOS only, required for shipping iOS and macOS apps.
- Android Studio: free, built on IntelliJ, the standard for Android.
- Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf): the AI-first editor formerly called Windsurf; windsurf.com now redirects to Devin.
- Claude Code and other terminal agents: not IDEs, but Claude Code (9.7% in the 2025 survey) runs alongside any editor.
For more editors and AI coding tools, browse DevHunt's IDE category.
How to choose
- Start from your main language. Java/Kotlin: IntelliJ IDEA. Python data work: PyCharm or VS Code with Jupyter. iOS: Xcode. Android: Android Studio. Everything else: VS Code or Zed.
- Decide how much AI you want. Light completions: Copilot Free in VS Code or Zed's free edit predictions. Agent-driven editing: Cursor, Copilot Pro in VS Code, or Zed with your own API key.
- Check cost against usage. A $20/month AI editor is cheap if it saves you an hour a month; if you mostly type code yourself, the free tiers are enough.
- Try two for a week each on a real project. Settings and extensions move easily between VS Code and Cursor, and Zed can use a VS Code-style keymap.
FAQ
What is the most popular IDE in the world?
Visual Studio Code. In the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025, 75.9% of all respondents (76.2% of professional developers) said they used it regularly, and Visual Studio and VS Code have held the top spots for four years running.
What are some examples of IDEs?
Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, Eclipse, Xcode, Android Studio, Cursor, Zed and Neovim (with plugins). Browser-based examples include GitHub Codespaces and Replit.
What is the best free IDE?
For most people, VS Code. Zed is a strong free alternative if you want speed and open source, and the free tier of IntelliJ IDEA (since 2025.3) and PyCharm covers a lot of Java and Python work. Students can also get JetBrains Ultimate free.
Is Cursor better than VS Code?
Cursor is VS Code plus deeper AI agent features, for $20/month and up after the free tier. If you already use Copilot in VS Code and are happy with it, switching gains you less. If you want the agent to plan and edit across many files, Cursor is built for that.
What is the difference between an IDE and an SDK?
An SDK is the set of compilers, libraries and tools for a platform (for example the Android SDK or .NET SDK). An IDE is the application you write and debug code in. The IDE uses the SDK to build and run your program.