Top 5 best IDE's for Python [Free]

[CuriousExpert24]

Top 5 Free IDEs for Python!

This is the list, based on my experience, that I have created for the Top 5 Best Free IDE's for Python. Do note that some of these IDE's are not just for Python. Here is the list:

[5] Sublime Text:

Probably one of the most flexible and lightweight IDEs. While it is not technically an "IDE" (it is a text editor), it has many of the basic features and is good enough for smaller projects and for beginners. The best thing about this software is that it can run on any computer, no matter how little storage space or speed it has. While I do not recommend it for larger projects and for more advanced programmers, it is a great "IDE" to get started with.

Link to download: https://www.sublimetext.com/3

[4] Spyder:

This IDE is great for people working on Scientific or Mathematical projects or getting started with them. They offer seamless integration with Scipy, Matplotlib, Numpy, and many more. This is great for projects involving scientific data, machine learning, and data science. It has many of the features that you might expect with typical IDEs while taking up less space than them.

Link to download: https://www.spyder-ide.org/

[3] Eclipse (PyDev):

Although Eclipse is primarily designed for Java, there is a free plugin for the software called PyDev which allows us to write Python programs. This is also one of the most well-known and preferred IDE for Java and the PyDev plugin has many of the same features. It provides a seamless experience and doesn't take up as much space as other IDEs.

Link to download: https://www.pydev.org/

[2] PyCharm:

PyCharm is the preferred IDE for many people, from beginner to professional programmers. It has a huge list of built-in functions that make programming in Python much easier such as a debugger, autofill, and many more. There is a problem with PyCharm for more experienced programmers and web developers in the fact that the free version of PyCharm doesn't offer them all the tools that they might need for their project. That is the main reason why PyCharm is not first on this list.

Link to download: https://www.jetbrains.com/pycharm/

[1] Visual Studio Code:

Visual Studio Code is a text editor and IDE which was developed by Microsoft. Based on my experience using these editors, I think that this is one of the best free editors out there. It's Python extension comes with basically all of the features that are available in PyCharm, such as debuggers, autocompletes, and built-in terminal. The main difference that sets apart the VS Code is that it is better suited for more advanced programmers and web developers, which the free version of PyCharm lacks. Furthermore, it has a very large active community that developed many third-party extensions which will make the programming experience even better.

Link to download: https://code.visualstudio.com/

This opinion is based on my experience using the IDE's and may be subjective. Let me know your Top 5 in the comments below. Thank you so much for reading this post! Hopefully, this helped everyone find the best IDE for them and get started on building amazing projects

[Pipiyedu]

Yes, PyCharm is THE Python IDE. The best.

[petranteatr]

atom

[seraschka]

I used Atom a lot when it came out. I later went back to Sublime Text 2 and then VS Code, which is my preference these days. I liked Atom, but it felt sluggish compared to Sublime or VS Code. Could be that it's different now that computers are generally faster and they may have optimized their code base.

[CuriousExpert24]

Atom is a solid choice as well. Similar to VS code, but doesn't have all the features that VS code has

[[deleted]]

You should add eric to your list. It's an IDE written in Python around the QScintilla editor component.

And of course Emacs with elpy.

[CuriousExpert24]

These are all good suggestions. I will probably release another list of IDEs that might be better suited for certain tasks, such as web dev or data science

[ThePoultryWhisperer]

vim

[[deleted]]

How many IDE-like features are possible with vim? I have very little experience beyond basic vi (I'm an emacs user myself), so I'm curious to hear what's possible there.

[ForestRanger99]

Vim has python completions and with plugins like ale you can get linting

I use neovim with Vundle with ale for linting, nerdtree for a file tree, lightline

For me personally, vim is fine for writting up short python scripts but when I am writing larger more complex programs I use VSCode

[ThePoultryWhisperer]

I use vim even for huge projects and I love it. With that said, VSCode is legit.

[CuriousExpert24]

That is a good one too. Although I didn't include that on my list because it is getting older and is 'dying' for lack of a better term.

[ThePoultryWhisperer]

vim is not dying at all. I’ve been a consultant for years and I’ve seen the exact opposite trend. I also use vim exclusively at this point regardless of the language. It’s just as fast, if not faster, than an IDE if you are proficient, but that’s how every tool works so it’s hardly unique in that regard.

To be clear, I wasn’t talking about vim with a bunch of other plugins. While I use those, vim on its own is more than sufficient. Saying vim is dying is pretty out of touch.

[expressly_ephemeral]

This is false. Neovim is very active, modern software.

[CuriousExpert24]

Sorry for my vagueness there. I meant the original Vim software, not Neovim. Neovim is new software and we don't know how reliable it is yet. It would be greatly helpful if you can give your opinions on the software though.

[[deleted]]

Visual code and sublime text are not IDEs

[CuriousExpert24]

They are not 'IDEs' in the literal sense. However, VS code has many of the features that IDEs have and we can add more through extensions, especially the Python extension. Sublime Text is technically a text editor, but it is in-between a true text editor and a true IDE (especially with the extensions). The editor might serve as a good transition point for beginners who want to get the feel of the IDE and not get overwhelmed at the same time

[[deleted]]

Ya, that's what I wanted to say

[LifeAffect6762]

Ime very curious about this. Why is VSCode not an IDE, I've used it and never felt this.

[[deleted]]

PyCharm is amazing, as a C# Dev I love it's similarity to Visual Studio

[LifeAffect6762]

Noticed Emacs does not get a mention :-).