Alternatives to GNOME Builder
An IDE for building GNOME and other Linux applications, with debugging, profiling and Flatpak support. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
GNOME Builder
An IDE for building GNOME and other Linux applications, with debugging, profiling and Flatpak support.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as GNOME Builder.
KDevelop
A cross-platform open-source IDE from KDE for C, C++, Python, QML/JavaScript and PHP.
KDevelop is KDE's open-source IDE for C, C++, Python and PHP on Windows, macOS and Linux, focused on Qt and CMake projects rather than GTK and Flatpak.
Qt Creator
A cross-platform IDE for building C++ and Qt applications, maintained by the Qt project.
Qt Creator is a cross-platform open-source C++ IDE built for Qt and QML applications, replacing Builder's GTK and GLib focus with Qt tooling.
Visual Studio Code
Microsoft's code editor, free to use but shipped under a Microsoft licence rather than an open one.
Visual Studio Code is a general-purpose editor for Windows, macOS and Linux with extensions, debugger and remote development, but it is not open source and lacks Builder's GNOME-specific tooling.
CodeLite
A free, open-source cross-platform IDE for C, C++, Rust, Python, PHP and Node.js.
CodeLite is a free GPL IDE for C, C++, Rust, Python, PHP and Node.js on Windows, macOS, Linux and FreeBSD, without Builder's Flatpak and GNOME API support.
Geany
A small, fast IDE built on GTK that starts instantly and does not depend on a heavy desktop environment.
Geany is a lighter GTK IDE that starts almost instantly, but offers no language server support in the core and only basic debugging through a plugin.
Eclipse IDE
Long-established open-source IDE with a very large plugin marketplace.
Eclipse IDE is an EPL-2.0 cross-platform IDE with a very large plugin marketplace, though its workspace model feels dated and it lacks built-in GNOME tooling.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
GNOME Text Editor
A simple text editor for the GNOME desktop focused on a pleasing default experience.
gedit
A general-purpose text editor for Linux that is easy to learn and integrates with GNOME.
Code::Blocks
A free, plugin-based IDE for C, C++ and Fortran with a consistent interface across platforms.
CLion
C and C++ IDE with CMake integration and deep static analysis.
