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Eclipse IDE

The long-running open-source IDE for Java and plugin-based tooling, from the Eclipse Foundation.

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About Eclipse IDE

Eclipse IDE is one of the oldest open-source IDEs, maintained by the Eclipse Foundation and a community of companies and individual contributors. It is best known for Java, with mature tooling that tracks new Java releases, incremental compilation, refactoring and a capable debugger, and it ships in packages for Java, Jakarta EE, C/C++, PHP and embedded work. Its plugin architecture is the real story: many commercial tools, from embedded chip vendors' IDEs to modelling and testing products, are built on the Eclipse Platform, and the Marketplace offers thousands of plugins. New releases arrive four times a year. It is free under the Eclipse Public License 2.0 and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Eclipse is still common in enterprise and embedded shops, but its interface feels dated next to IntelliJ IDEA or VS Code, and getting a good setup can take time. Newcomers usually choose other tools unless their team or toolchain requires it.

Best for: Java and embedded teams whose toolchains or plugins are built on Eclipse.

Pros and cons

What works

  • Free and open source under EPL 2.0
  • Mature Java tooling that tracks new Java releases
  • Huge plugin ecosystem and many vendor IDEs built on it

Why people leave

  • Interface feels dated
  • Setting up plugins and workspaces takes effort
  • Can feel slow with many plugins installed

Top Eclipse IDE alternatives

See all 4
  1. 1IntelliJ IDEA logo
    IntelliJ IDEA

    Stronger code analysis and a more modern interface, with a free core.

    81.5
  2. 2Eclipse Theia logo
    Eclipse Theia

    The Eclipse Foundation's modern, VS Code-compatible IDE and tool platform.

    72.2
  3. 3Apache NetBeans logo
    Apache NetBeans

    Another free open-source Java IDE that works well out of the box.

    62.6
  4. 4Visual Studio Code logo
    Visual Studio Code

    Lighter and free, with Java extensions built on Eclipse's own language server.

    61.8

Why people left Eclipse IDE

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

No switching stories yet. If you moved away from Eclipse IDE, review the app you switched to and tell us why.

Reviews

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Eclipse IDE: common questions

Is Eclipse IDE free?

Yes. Eclipse IDE is free, open-source software.

Is Eclipse IDE open source?

Yes.

What platforms does Eclipse IDE run on?

Eclipse IDE is available for Windows, macOS and Linux.

What are the best alternatives to Eclipse IDE?

The highest-ranked Eclipse IDE alternatives right now are IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse Theia and Apache NetBeans. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 4 Eclipse IDE alternatives