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Geany

Lightweight, free GTK editor and IDE for Linux, Windows and macOS.

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About Geany

Geany calls itself the flyweight IDE: a small, fast programmer's editor with just enough IDE features to compile and run code without the weight of a full IDE. It uses GTK, starts almost instantly, and offers syntax highlighting, code folding, symbol lists, auto-completion of symbols, simple project management and build commands for compiling and running code from a toolbar, with an embedded terminal and support for more than 50 programming languages. Plugins add Git and other version control, spell checking, a project organiser, debugger integration and more. Geany is free software under the GPL v2, maintained by volunteers, translated into over 40 languages and available for Linux, Windows and macOS, though the project has been looking for a new maintainer for its Windows builds. It is popular in teaching, on Raspberry Pi and older hardware, and with developers who want a simple editor. It lacks language server support out of the box and has no AI features.

Best for: Students and developers on modest hardware who want a fast, simple IDE.

Pros and cons

What works

  • Very light and quick to start
  • Build and run commands built in
  • Free software under GPL v2

Why people leave

  • No language server support out of the box
  • Dated GTK interface
  • Windows builds currently need a maintainer

Top Geany alternatives

See all 4
  1. 1Kate logo
    Kate

    Similar footprint with language server support and a more modern feel.

    66.5
  2. 2Code::Blocks logo
    Code::Blocks

    A free, light C and C++ IDE with a fuller debugger.

    62.6
  3. 3Notepad++ logo
    Notepad++

    A light, free editor if you only work on Windows.

    59.6
  4. 4Visual Studio Code logo
    Visual Studio Code

    More features and extensions, if your machine can handle it.

    59.4

Why people left Geany

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 Geany, review the app you switched to and tell us why.

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Geany: common questions

Is Geany free?

Yes. Geany is free, open-source software.

Is Geany open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at geany/geany.

What platforms does Geany run on?

Geany is available for Windows, macOS and Linux.

What are the best alternatives to Geany?

The highest-ranked Geany alternatives right now are Kate, Code::Blocks and Notepad++. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 4 Geany alternatives