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  1. Stackups
  2. DevOps
  3. Build Automation
  4. IDE
  5. Android Studio vs CLion

Android Studio vs CLion

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

CLion
CLion
Stacks372
Followers596
Votes224
Android Studio
Android Studio
Stacks25.5K
Followers20.3K
Votes361

Android Studio vs CLion: What are the differences?

Introduction

When choosing a development environment for Android or C++ projects, developers often consider Android Studio and CLion due to their popularity and feature sets. However, there are key differences between these two IDEs that can impact a developer's workflow and productivity.

  1. Target Platform: Android Studio is specifically tailored for Android app development while CLion is more suited for C++ development. While Android Studio provides tools for building Android apps, testing on emulators, and handling Android-specific features, CLion focuses on providing advanced C++ support, debugging capabilities, and integration with CMake, Gradle, and other build systems commonly used in C++ development.

  2. User Interface Approach: Android Studio has a user interface optimized for designing Android user interfaces with drag-and-drop features and templates. In contrast, CLion offers a more traditional code-centric interface tailored for C++ developers with features like code analysis, refactoring tools, and VCS integration. The UI approach in each IDE reflects their target audience and the specific needs of Android and C++ developers.

  3. Language Support: Android Studio primarily supports Java and Kotlin for Android app development, with limited support for C++ through the Android NDK. On the other hand, CLion is designed for C++ development and provides comprehensive support for C and C++ with advanced language features, refactorings, and code completion tools specifically tailored for the C++ language.

  4. Plugins and Extensibility: Android Studio has a robust plugin ecosystem that allows developers to extend the IDE's functionality with additional tools, templates, and integrations. In comparison, CLion also supports plugins but focuses more on providing built-in features for C++ development, such as integration with popular C++ libraries, code linters, and debugging tools.

  5. Build and Compilation Process: Android Studio automates many aspects of the Android app build process, including compiling Java/Kotlin code, resource management, and packaging the app for distribution. Conversely, CLion relies on external build systems like CMake to manage the build and compilation process, giving developers more control over their build configurations and dependencies.

Summary

In Summary, Android Studio is specialized for Android app development with support for Java and Kotlin, while CLion is tailored for C++ development with advanced language features and a code-centric interface.

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Advice on CLion, Android Studio

Jana
Jana

Oct 8, 2021

Needs adviceonJavaJava

Hey, So I'm new to coding in Java and I'm planning to code an app, for both iOS and Android, and I'm not sure what IDE should I use. I want something that is free, easy to use, and beginner-friendly, but at the same time, I want all the features to be available in it since I want to try and code a social media app. Any help is appreciated!

141k views141k
Comments
William
William

Sep 10, 2019

Needs advice

The problem I have is whether to choose Android Studio or Visual Studio? I have to develop a simple app for a school project that can work on both iPhone and Android.

The most important factors for me are Android and iOS compatibility. Although note that i would like to become a Software Engineer when i finish my course. (I'd like to work for Apple, just saying!)

After that id like easy integration for Google Ads and such if i do develop another app that people actually use to support development. (I'd also like to stick with one easy programming language that's compatible with a wide variety of platforms since i'm a beginner and have only ever used Pascal)

565k views565k
Comments

Detailed Comparison

CLion
CLion
Android Studio
Android Studio

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.

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.

Smart Editor;Code Generation;CMake; Debugger;Universal Environment;Git, Mercurial, and Perforce support
Flexible Gradle-based build system.;Build variants and multiple APK generation.;Expanded template support for Google Services and various device types.;Rich layout editor with support for theme editing.;Lint tools to catch performance, usability, version compatibility, and other problems.;ProGuard and app-signing capabilities.;Built-in support for Google Cloud Platform, making it easy to integrate Google Cloud Messaging and App Engine.
Statistics
Stacks
372
Stacks
25.5K
Followers
596
Followers
20.3K
Votes
224
Votes
361
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 31
    Good editor
  • 30
    Easy setup
  • 24
    Powerful refactoring, extremely smart IDE
  • 24
    Already one of the best C/C++ IDEs, even before launch
  • 21
    Cross-platform build
Cons
  • 2
    No good support for Makefiles
  • 2
    Not free, unless you are a student
Pros
  • 176
    Android studio is a great tool, getting better and bet
  • 103
    Google's official android ide
  • 37
    Intelligent code editor with lots of auto-completion
  • 25
    Its powerful and robust
  • 5
    Easy creating android app
Cons
  • 4
    Huge memory usage
  • 4
    Slow emulator
  • 2
    Using Intellij IDEA, while Intellij IDEA have too
  • 2
    Complex for begginers
  • 2
    No checking incompatibilities
Integrations
No integrations available
Android SDK
Android SDK

What are some alternatives to CLion, Android Studio?

PhpStorm

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.

IntelliJ IDEA

IntelliJ IDEA

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.

Visual Studio

Visual Studio

Visual Studio is a suite of component-based software development tools and other technologies for building powerful, high-performance applications.

WebStorm

WebStorm

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

NetBeans IDE

NetBeans IDE

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

PyCharm

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

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.

RubyMine

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.

Xcode

Xcode

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.

Pharo

Pharo

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

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