Need advice about which tool to choose?Ask the StackShare community!

CLion

354
563
+ 1
210
Xcode

17.5K
13.2K
+ 1
213
Add tool

CLion vs Xcode: What are the differences?

Developers describe CLion as "A cross-platform IDE for C and C++". 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. On the other hand, Xcode is detailed as "The complete toolset for building great apps". 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.

CLion and Xcode belong to "Integrated Development Environment" category of the tech stack.

Some of the features offered by CLion are:

  • Smart Editor
  • Code Generation
  • CMake

On the other hand, Xcode provides the following key features:

  • Source Editor
  • Assistant Editor
  • Asset Catalog

"Good editor" is the primary reason why developers consider CLion over the competitors, whereas "IOS Development" was stated as the key factor in picking Xcode.

According to the StackShare community, Xcode has a broader approval, being mentioned in 1051 company stacks & 603 developers stacks; compared to CLion, which is listed in 9 company stacks and 8 developer stacks.

Decisions about CLion and Xcode
Lucas Litton
Founder & CEO at Macombey · | 7 upvotes · 141.8K views

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.

See more
Get Advice from developers at your company using StackShare Enterprise. Sign up for StackShare Enterprise.
Learn More
Pros of CLion
Pros of Xcode
  • 29
    Good editor
  • 28
    Easy setup
  • 22
    Already one of the best C/C++ IDEs, even before launch
  • 22
    Powerful refactoring, extremely smart IDE
  • 20
    Cross-platform build
  • 18
    Clean, Sleek User Interface
  • 17
    Much faster and smarter than Intellisense
  • 13
    Vertically/Horizontally split windows
  • 12
    Great navigation, error messages and auto completion
  • 9
    Vim plugin
  • 8
    Not a 20gb installation
  • 5
    It is best IDE
  • 3
    Like this one because of - not a 20GB installation
  • 2
    Free Flowing C++ IDE
  • 1
    Very good Git plugin
  • 1
    IDE supports Python with all features of PyCharm CE
  • 130
    IOS Development
  • 33
    Personal assistant on steroids
  • 29
    Easy setup
  • 17
    Excellent integration with Clang
  • 3
    Beautiful
  • 1
    Built-in everything

Sign up to add or upvote prosMake informed product decisions

Cons of CLion
Cons of Xcode
  • 2
    No good support for Makefiles
  • 2
    Not free, unless you are a student
  • 6
    Massively bloated and complicated for smaller projects
  • 3
    Horrible auto completiting and text editing
  • 1
    Slow startup
  • 1
    Very slow emulator

Sign up to add or upvote consMake informed product decisions

What is CLion?

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.

What is 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.

Need advice about which tool to choose?Ask the StackShare community!

Jobs that mention CLion and Xcode as a desired skillset
What companies use CLion?
What companies use Xcode?
See which teams inside your own company are using CLion or Xcode.
Sign up for StackShare EnterpriseLearn More

Sign up to get full access to all the companiesMake informed product decisions

What tools integrate with CLion?
What tools integrate with Xcode?

Sign up to get full access to all the tool integrationsMake informed product decisions

What are some alternatives to CLion and Xcode?
Visual Studio
Visual Studio is a suite of component-based software development tools and other technologies for building powerful, high-performance applications.
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.
NetBeans IDE
NetBeans IDE is FREE, open source, and has a worldwide community of users and developers.
ReSharper
It is a popular developer productivity extension for Microsoft Visual Studio. It automates most of what can be automated in your coding routines. It finds compiler errors, runtime errors, redundancies, and code smells right as you type, suggesting intelligent corrections for them.
AppCode
It is an integrated development environment for Swift, Objective-C, C, C++, and JavaScript development built on JetBrains’ IntelliJ IDEA platform. It takes care of your routine tasks and saves you from extra typing.
See all alternatives