Alternatives to Apache NetBeans

An open-source IDE for Java, PHP, JavaScript, HTML and other languages from Apache. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as Apache NetBeans.

  • IntelliJ IDEA

    Java and Kotlin IDE with deep code analysis and refactoring.

    FreemiumOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    IntelliJ IDEA offers project-wide refactoring and inspections for Java and Kotlin, with a free open-source Community Edition, but framework and database tools need the paid Ultimate edition.

  • Eclipse IDE

    Long-established open-source IDE with a very large plugin marketplace.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    Eclipse IDE stays free and open source under EPL-2.0 with a very large plugin marketplace, though its workspace and perspective model can confuse newcomers and plugin quality varies.

  • Visual Studio Code

    Microsoft's code editor, free to use but shipped under a Microsoft licence rather than an open one.

    FreeProprietaryWindowsmacOSLinux

    Visual Studio Code swaps a full Java IDE for a general editor with extensions for most languages and remote development, but its shipped build is not open source and collects telemetry.

  • PhpStorm

    A commercial JetBrains IDE for PHP, with built-in JavaScript, TypeScript and SQL support.

    PaidProprietaryWindowsmacOSLinux

    PhpStorm gives PHP developers built-in Laravel and Symfony support plus JavaScript, TypeScript and SQL tooling, but it is proprietary and paid after the trial.

  • VSCodium

    Visual Studio Code built from the same source without Microsoft’s branding, telemetry or licence.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    VSCodium provides the VS Code editor under the MIT licence with telemetry disabled, using Open VSX extensions instead of a dedicated Java and PHP IDE.

  • Theia IDE

    An open-source IDE for desktop and browser from the Eclipse Foundation that runs VS Code extensions.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxWeb

    Theia IDE is an open-source Eclipse Foundation IDE for desktop and browser that runs VS Code extensions from Open VSX, with a smaller community than VS Code.

Also worth comparing

These listings name Apache NetBeans as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.

  • Android Studio

    Google's official IDE for building Android apps, based on IntelliJ.

    FreeProprietaryWindowsmacOS

    Apache NetBeans is a free Apache-licensed Java and PHP IDE for Windows, macOS and Linux, without Android-specific layout previews, Device Streaming or Gemini assistance.

  • KDevelop

    A cross-platform open-source IDE from KDE for C, C++, Python, QML/JavaScript and PHP.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    Apache NetBeans is an Apache-licensed IDE that runs anywhere Java runs, stronger for Java and PHP than for C and C++ work.

  • Visual Studio

    Microsoft's integrated development environment for .NET, C++ and Windows development, with a free Community edition.

    FreemiumProprietaryWindows

    Apache NetBeans is free and open source under Apache-2.0 and cross-platform, but focuses on Java and PHP rather than .NET and C++.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.