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Android Studio vs Eclipse vs IntelliJ IDEA: What are the differences?
Introduction
Android Studio, Eclipse, and IntelliJ IDEA are integrated development environments (IDEs) that are commonly used by Android developers to develop, debug, and deploy their Android applications. Each of these IDEs has its own set of features and capabilities. In this Markdown document, we will discuss the key differences between Android Studio, Eclipse, and IntelliJ IDEA.
- Design and User Interface:
Android Studio: Android Studio has a modern and clean user interface (UI) that is specifically designed for Android development. It provides a more intuitive and streamlined experience, making it easier for developers to navigate and work with Android projects.
Eclipse: Eclipse has a more traditional and cluttered UI. While it offers a wide range of customization options, it may be overwhelming for new users and those unfamiliar with the IDE.
IntelliJ IDEA: IntelliJ IDEA also has a modern and clean UI, similar to Android Studio. It provides a wide range of features and tools, making it a popular choice among Android developers.
- Built-in Tools and Features:
Android Studio: Android Studio is developed by Google and is the official IDE for Android development. It comes with a wide range of built-in tools and features specifically designed for Android development, such as the layout editor, code analysis tools, and support for Google Cloud Platform.
Eclipse: Eclipse is a versatile IDE that supports multiple programming languages. While it does offer some Android development tools and plugins, they are not as extensive or integrated as those in Android Studio.
IntelliJ IDEA: IntelliJ IDEA is known for its powerful code analysis and refactoring tools. It offers a comprehensive set of features for Android development, including smart code completion, debugging support, and integration with version control systems.
- Performance:
Android Studio: Android Studio is optimized for Android development and generally provides a smoother and faster experience compared to Eclipse and IntelliJ IDEA. It offers faster build times and improved performance for resource-intensive tasks like compiling and running large projects.
Eclipse: Eclipse can sometimes be slower and less responsive, especially when dealing with large projects or complex codebases. However, it is still a viable choice for smaller projects or when working with other programming languages.
IntelliJ IDEA: IntelliJ IDEA is known for its excellent performance, especially for Java and Kotlin development. It offers fast and efficient code analysis, indexing, and build processes, making it a popular choice among developers.
- Integration with Android Emulator:
Android Studio: Android Studio provides seamless integration with the official Android Emulator. It allows developers to easily create, manage, and test virtual Android devices directly from the IDE. The emulator comes with a range of advanced features like hardware acceleration and various device configurations.
Eclipse: Eclipse does not have built-in support for Android Emulator. Developers using Eclipse need to manually set up and configure the emulator separately.
IntelliJ IDEA: IntelliJ IDEA has built-in support for the Android Emulator, similar to Android Studio. It provides a seamless testing and debugging experience, allowing developers to easily run and interact with virtual devices.
- Plugin Ecosystem:
Android Studio: Android Studio has a rich ecosystem of plugins and extensions that can enhance its functionality. The official Android Studio Plugin Repository offers a wide range of plugins for various purposes, such as code generation, UI design, and performance optimization.
Eclipse: Eclipse also has a large plugin ecosystem, with thousands of plugins developed by the Eclipse community. However, the availability and quality of Android-specific plugins may vary compared to Android Studio.
IntelliJ IDEA: IntelliJ IDEA has a vibrant plugin ecosystem and offers a wide range of plugins for various programming languages and frameworks, including Android development. It also supports the majority of Eclipse plugins through a compatibility layer.
- Community and Support:
Android Studio: Android Studio is supported and maintained by Google, which provides regular updates, bug fixes, and new features. It has a large and active community of developers, with extensive documentation, online forums, and resources available for support.
Eclipse: Eclipse has been around for a long time and has a dedicated community of developers. While it may not receive as frequent updates and support as Android Studio, there are still active discussions and resources available.
IntelliJ IDEA: IntelliJ IDEA is a popular IDE used for various programming languages, including Android development. It has a large community of developers and offers extensive documentation and support resources.
Summary
In summary, Android Studio is the official IDE for Android development, with a modern and intuitive UI, comprehensive built-in tools, and seamless integration with the Android Emulator. Eclipse is a versatile IDE that supports multiple programming languages but may lack some Android-specific features. IntelliJ IDEA is known for its powerful code analysis and refactoring tools, excellent performance, and extensive plugin ecosystem.
UPDATE: Thanks for the great response. I am going to start with VSCode based on the open source and free version that will allow me to grow into other languages, but not cost me a license ..yet.
I have been working with software development for 12 years, but I am just beginning my journey to learn to code. I am starting with Python following the suggestion of some of my coworkers. They are split between Eclipse and IntelliJ IDEA for IDEs that they use and PyCharm is new to me. Which IDE would you suggest for a beginner that will allow expansion to Java, JavaScript, and eventually AngularJS and possibly mobile applications?
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.
I couldn't imagine using a development tool other than the IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate All Products Pack. A single license allows me to work directly on my server running Ubuntu and/or my workstation running Windows 10 Pro simultaneously. My current project uses HTML, W3CSS, JavaScript, Java, Groovy, Grails, C, GO, Python, Flask, and Rust. For me it's worth every penny of the $150 license fee. And you can try it for free.
Hi, I will give my opinion based on my experience. I have used PyCharm, both community and Professional version. The community has limited functions, like you can't use a Jupyter notebook whereas it's available in the Professional version. PyCharm is slower compared to Visual Studio Code. Also Visual Studio Code is an editor which supports various languages. I myself have used both Visual Studio Code and PyCharm. I feel Visual Studio Code would be better choice. You may as well decide based upon your requirements.
I'd personally recommend Visual Studio Code as it gives you the flexibility of working in any language, so long as there are extensions to support it. It gives you the flexibility to learn Python, venture into Java, Javascript, and eventually AngularJS, and potentially mobile applications. It's also free and you can install it on your personal computer. I think Visual Studio Code would serve your intended use case best.
Visual Studio code is easy to use, has a good UI, and a large community. Python works great with it, but unlike some other editors, it works with most languages either by default or by downloading a plugin. VS Code has built in linting, syntax coloring, autocompletes (IntelliSense), and an api for plugins to do there own tooling.
IntelliJ really is the best for Java, I switched from eclipse years ago and never looked back. As for javascript, python and angular either using the standalone products from jetbrains (pycharm for python, webstorm for js) or installing the relevant plugins for InteliJ will be your best bet. Pycharm etc. are really just InteliJ with some additional plugins installed.
If you starting with Python then PyCharm is better. For Java I would suggest to go with IntelliJ IDEA but people also prefer eclipse so I would say try both and then decide. For JS/Angular/React I would suggest go with VSCode. I personally use it and prefer as its light weight and have good integration with chrome for frontend development.
PyCharm, IntelliJ IDEA are both products of JetBrains. They have a free (limited feature) and paid edition. Eclipse is free. VSCode is also free.
This is a very easy to use tool and gives you the opportunity to start coding right after the installation with almost everything setup automatically by the tool.
Pycharm is all you need to get start coding in python or any of its framework. Its an awesome tool you should give it a try :)
Easy to learn and everything you need
All three are great, however, I believe that IntelliJ IDEA's multiple IDE's are slightly more straight-forward and more up-to date than Eclipse. If I had to choose one specifically for Python projects I would go with PyCharm.
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)
First of all - Android Studio and Visual Studio are IDE's. Tools to create code. What you are asking is programming framework. I assume that when you are talking about Android Studio you mean Native Android Development and by Visual Studio you mean Xamarin.
If you want to create crossplatform app then Native Android Development is NOT a way to go. Xamarin might work for you, BUT - you'd rather recommend you to go with Flutter. It's much more performant than Xamarin, programming model is friendlier for developer and technology seems just more refined. It's also officially supported by google, so no worries about support.
Expo was a tool Macombey really wanted to utilize from the beginning. I have been working with React Native since 2016 and originally I had to use simulators in Xcode, install pods on top of node packages, configure certificates, and more abundant objectives that take time away from actual development. As a development studio, we have to move quick and get projects to our clients and partners in a matter of months.
Expo made this easy for us. We now have a mobile app for clients to download and test their project on, there is no need to install pods or configure Xcode, and development is super fast and reliable now.
Since IntelliJ is the de-facto standard for writing Java/Kotlin/Scala application, and in Relay42 we are heavy Java users, every new engineer gets an Ultimate subscription from day1. The gains in productivity, pair programming speed (esp with the Code With Me feature) by using the same and familiar editor are totally worth the cost.
Lightweight and versatile. Huge library of extensions that enable you to integrate a host of services to your development environment. VS Code's biggest strength is its library of extensions which enables it to directly compete with every single major IDE for almost all major programming languages.
I originally chose IntelliJ over Eclipse, as it was close enough to the look and feel of Visual Studio and we do go back and forth between the two. We really begin to love IntelliJ and their suite of IDEs so we are now using AppCode for the IOS development because the workflow is identical with the IntelliJ. IntelliJ is super complex and intimidating at first but it does afford a lot of nice utilities to get us produce clean code.
Pros of Android Studio
- Android studio is a great tool, getting better and bet176
- Google's official android ide103
- Intelligent code editor with lots of auto-completion37
- Its powerful and robust25
- Easy creating android app5
- Amazing Layout Designer3
- Great Code Tips3
- Great tool & very helpful3
- Easy to use2
- Built in Emulator2
- Keyboard Shortcuts are Amazing Out of the box2
Pros of Eclipse
- Does it all131
- Integrates with most of tools76
- Easy to use64
- Java IDE63
- Best Java IDE32
- Open source9
- Hard for newbews3
- Great gdb integration2
- Professional2
- Good Git client allowing direct stage area edit2
- True open source with huge contribution2
- Great code suggestions2
- Extensible2
- Lightweight2
- Works with php0
Pros of IntelliJ IDEA
- Fantastically intelligent301
- Best-in-class ide242
- Many languages support190
- Java158
- Fast121
- Code analysis82
- Reliable79
- Out of the box integration with maven, git, svn76
- Plugin architecture64
- Integrated version control61
- Code refactoring support12
- Best java IDE11
- Local history7
- Code Completion6
- Kotlin6
- Integrated Database Navigator6
- Built-in terminal/run tools6
- All5
- Free for open-source development, students and teacher5
- Base for Android Studio5
- Free If you're a Student5
- ERD Diagrams4
- Free4
- Cross platform4
- IDE4
- Database/Code integration4
- Out Of The Box features3
- Column Selection Mode3
- Server and client-side debugger3
- More than enough languages for any developer3
- Typescript support3
- Multicursor support3
- Reformating Code3
- Intuitive3
- Command-line tools3
- Android Integration3
- Vim support3
- Special icons for most filetypes in project list3
- Supports many frameworks3
- Built-in web server3
- Live Templates3
- Scala support3
- Works fine with mac os catalina2
- A lot of plugin2
- Just works2
- Integrated Ssh/Ftp Managers2
- Full support2
- Task managers2
- Diff tools2
- File Watchers2
- Support for various package managers2
- Integrated Code Linting2
- Clean UI2
- Open source2
- So modernised2
- Efficient, one Stop solution2
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Cons of Android Studio
- Slow emulator4
- Huge memory usage4
- Using Intellij IDEA, while Intellij IDEA have too2
- Complex for begginers2
- No checking incompatibilities2
- Lags behind IntelliJ IDEA1
- Slow release process1
Cons of Eclipse
- 2000 Design14
- Bad performance9
- Hard to use4
Cons of IntelliJ IDEA
- Large footprint required to really enjoy (mem/disc)20
- Very slow16
- Bad for beginners8
- UI is not intuitive7
- Not nearly as many tools to integrate as vs code5
- Constant reindexing5
- Needs a lot of CPU and RAM power4
- Built in terminal is slow3
- Doesn't work that well with windows 10 edu3
- Ruby is a plug in1
- Pesky warnings increase with every release1
- AAD0
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What is Android Studio?
What is Eclipse?
What is IntelliJ IDEA?
Need advice about which tool to choose?Ask the StackShare community!
Why do developers choose IntelliJ IDEA vs Android Studio vs Eclipse?
- IntelliJ IDEA fans call it “fantastically intelligent” and the “best in class IDE.” They appreciate its plugin architecture, integrated version control, and reliability.
- Android Studio is Google's official Android IDE, and fans call it "a great tool that's getting better and better." They also call it powerful, robust, and helpful.
- Eclipse "does it all," according to its fans. It's called easy to use, and the "best Java IDE." Users appreciate that it integrates with many tools.
