JetBrains Rider

Cross-platform .NET and game development IDE, free for non-commercial use.

Visit JetBrains Rider See 4 alternatives

Verified facts: 4 of 4
Alternatives ranked: 4
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About JetBrains Rider

Rider is JetBrains' IDE for .NET, combining the ReSharper code analysis engine with the IntelliJ Platform. It handles C#, F#, ASP.NET Core, Blazor, MAUI and Entity Framework projects, and it has become popular with game developers thanks to dedicated support for Unity, Unreal Engine (C++ and Blueprints) and Godot. A debugger, profiler integration, test runners, database tools and front-end support for frameworks like React and Angular are built in. Its big draw over Visual Studio is that the same IDE runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Rider is free for individual, non-commercial use, including learning, hobby projects and open-source work; commercial use needs a subscription, available on its own or bundled in dotUltimate, after a 30-day trial. AI features and coding agents can be connected. It is a strong pick for .NET developers on a Mac or Linux and for game developers, though Windows desktop teams with deep Visual Studio workflows may find some designers missing.

Best for: .NET and game developers who want one IDE on Windows, macOS and Linux.

What works

Runs the same on Windows, macOS and Linux
Excellent Unity, Unreal and Godot support
Free for non-commercial use

Why people leave

Commercial use requires a subscription
Fewer visual designers than Visual Studio for Windows desktop apps
Heavy memory use on big solutions

Top JetBrains Rider alternatives

See all 4

1
Visual Studio Code
Free and light, with the C# Dev Kit for .NET work on any OS.
79.8
2
Visual Studio
Microsoft's own .NET IDE, with a free Community edition and the deepest Windows tooling.
66.5
3
Cursor
AI-first VS Code fork for .NET developers who want agents to do more of the work.
66.3
4
CLion
JetBrains' C and C++ IDE, for engine work outside Unreal projects.
57.2

Why people left JetBrains Rider

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

Reviews

No approved reviews yet. How we verify reviewers

Write a review of JetBrains Rider

Your rating of JetBrains Rider

Name

Never shown publicly. A work email helps us verify you.

Title

Your review

What did you use it for, and what was good or bad? At least 40 characters.

Did you switch from another app?

Why did you leave it?

How can we verify you use it? (optional)

A GitHub username, your company domain, or say you can send a screenshot. Verified reviews count more.

I received money, credit or a gift for writing this review. (Incentivized reviews are shown but don't count toward rankings.)

By submitting, you confirm you're at least 16 and agree to our terms. Your name, rating, review and the date are published; your email isn't. See our privacy policy.

JetBrains Rider: common questions

Is JetBrains Rider free?

JetBrains Rider has a free plan and paid plans.

Is JetBrains Rider open source?

No, JetBrains Rider is not open source. Open-source alternatives include Visual Studio Code.

What platforms does JetBrains Rider run on?

JetBrains Rider is available for Windows, macOS and Linux.

What are the best alternatives to JetBrains Rider?

The highest-ranked JetBrains Rider alternatives right now are Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio and Cursor. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 4 JetBrains Rider alternatives

JetBrains Rider facts

4 of 4 verified

Non-commercial use: Free; Checked Oct 25, 2026jetbrains.com(opens source in a new tab); “Rider is free for individual, non-commercial use”
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux; Checked Oct 25, 2026jetbrains.com(opens source in a new tab); “The best experience for your stack Use the same IDE on Windows, macOS, and Linux.”
Game engines: Unity, Unreal Engine, Godot; Checked Oct 25, 2026jetbrains.com(opens source in a new tab); “Get ultimate professional support for Unity, Unreal Engine, Godot, and custom engines.”
Free trial: 30 days; Checked Oct 25, 2026jetbrains.com(opens source in a new tab); “You can purchase Rider individually or as part of dotUltimate, or start with a free 30-day trial.”