8 Best IDE for C++ Programming

C++ is a very powerful, excellent, and flexible object-oriented programming language that offers generic and modern programming features that allow a programmer develop large-scale applications such as search engines, video games, and others. When working on a big project as a C++ programmer, it becomes inevitable that you work with an efficient IDE that will make your job easier and faster because writing codes on the CUI editor seems cumbersome. Sometimes, you may find it difficult to pick the best IDE out of the tons of IDEs available in the programming world. In this blog post, I am going to talk about a few good IDEs for C++ but let me first tell you what actually an IDE is?

What is an IDE?

IDE stands for Integrated Development Environment. IDE is actually a software application that gives programmers a better development environment that allows writing, compiling, debugging, and executing the codes.

Here we are talking about C++ which default code writing editor is a CUI in which you have to write everything, but when you use an IDE, you might see suggestions for functions while typing codes that make your work faster as many times you just select from the suggestions. Moreover, they don’t suggest you logic; they just suggest some inbuilt functions from C++ libraries which you are typing. It understands and shows suggestions so that you can select the one that you wanted to type.

8 Best IDE for C++

1. Netbeans

Netbeans is one of the most popular and powerful IDE for C++ programmer. It is an open-source and free cross-platform IDE for C++ and a wide range of other programming languages. Netbeans is extensible with the integration of powerful plugins that offer additional features that will enhance the built-in features of one of the best IDE for C++.

Some of the outstanding features of Netbeans are:

• It is integrated with GNU GDB debugger tool.
• It has a huge support for code assistance.
• File navigation is also possible on this IDE.
• Qt toolkit support is another important feature of the IDE.
• You can work on an array of compilers such as Clang/LLVM, GNU, Oracle Solaris Studio, Cygwin, and MinGW.
• You can also work on the IDE remotely.

2. Visual Studio

This is the best C++ IDE for Windows. This IDE is a Microsoft product, the tech giant company known for its penchant for creating powerful platforms for programmers and other computer users. The Visual Studio is a cross-platform and fully integrated development environment for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. it is also considered by many as the best C++ IDE for Windows.

If you work as an independent programmer, the Express edition of this IDE is okay for you. It is simple and free. On the other hand, if you are a member of a team of programmers, you need the Pro version. Of course, the Pro version is not free.

Visual Studio offers these amazing features:

• It is an open source IDE for C++ developers.
• It is a multiplatform IDE and you can use it on Android, Windows, the web, and iOS.
• It offers full features that support application lifecycle management, application development, and other integrated features.

You can also check the IDE out whenever you need the best C++ IDE for MAC too.

3. Eclipse CDT

The list of the best IDE for C++ will be incomplete without the mention of Eclipse CDT. Eclipse is a cross-platform and open-source IDE for C++ programmers. It boasts a great GUI that supports full drag & drop functionality. The goal is to make it easy for a programmer to arrange the interface elements without issues.

Eclipse CDT is based on the Eclipse platform and offers a full C++ IDE with these features:

• Source navigation.
• Project creation is supported.
• Hyperlink navigation and folding are also supported.
• Syntax highlighting is another important feature of the IDE.
• Both code generation and source code refactoring are possible.

4. Geany

If you need a fast, free, cross-platform, and lightweight IDE, Geany IDE is the best choice. While working with Geany IDE, you can work independently of KDE and GNOME that are usually used when working on Linux desktops. This IDE is free and lightweight. Its amazing features book a place for it among the best IDE for C++ developers.

The feature list includes:

• Easy code navigation.
• Code folding.
• Integration of plugins for extending its features.
• Syntax lighting is possible.
• Offers project management capability.
• It is also one of the best ++ IDE for Linux.

5. JetBrains CLion

CLion is one of the most powerful IDEs for experienced programmers. It is also cross-platform and deserves a place among the best IDE for C++ programming. Although it is not a free IDE, it is worth every penny spent on it. It comes with an embedded terminal window to make programming fun for programmers.

CLion has some impressive features that are designed to offer programmers an ideal platform that will assist them to be at their best while handling programming projects.

You can look out for the features when using CLion IDE:

• It supports multiple languages.
• Code refactoring and generation is supported.
• It has an integrated code debugger.
• Customizing the editor is also supported.
• It supports Subversion, Git, CVS, Mercurial, TFS, and Perforce. Perforce is supported via a plugin.
• It integrates seamlessly with Google test frameworks.
• It works well with Vim text editor with the assistance of the Vim-emulation plugin.

CLion is said to be one of the best C++ IDE for Mac as well.

6. Sublime Text Editor

This is another multiplatform IDE that is well-refined for C++ code. It offers an impressive user interface for easy coding. As a multiplatform IDE, the Sublime Text Editor can also be used by experienced C programmer. In addition to its use for coding, it can also be used for prose and markup. If you need the best IDE for C++, check this editor out.

To its credit, this IDE’s features include:

• Command Palette.
• Split editing.
• Customizable IDE
• Multiple selections.
• Project switching can be done

7. Bluefish Editor

Bluefish has some features that distinguish it from the normal editors and give it a place among the best IDE for C++. The features allow it to offer programmers some features such as scripts writing, website development, and software coding. This IDE can be used on Mac OSX, Linux, Solaris, FreeBSD, Windows, and OpenBSD. It is one of the best C++ IDE for Linux.

Its other features include:

• Snippet sidebar.
• Site downloader and uploader.
• Full-screen editing is supported.
• It also supports multiple encoding.
• Its search and replace feature is outstanding and powerful

8. CodeLite IDE

If you need the best IDE for C++, check out this IDE. The CodeLite IDE is specifically built for C++, PHP programming, C, JavaScrip (Node.js). It was designed as an open-source, free, and cross-platform IDE for programmers in these scripting and coding languages

As a powerful IDE for programmers, CodeLite’s main features are:

• Source control plugins.
• It has full support for GDB and LLDB next generation debugger.
• Refactoring is also supported.
• Code navigation is incorporated.
• It can be used on several compilers such as clang/VC++ and GCC.
• Errors are displayed as code glossary for easy debugging.

As a C++ programmer, this is a good list of the best IDE for C++ out of which you can choose the one which fits your requirement. Each of them has unique features that will support your efforts and give you a memorable programming experience and outstanding result.