Best C++ IDEs & Text Editors

Nowadays, C++ is one of the most popular programming languages due to its cross-platform capabilities and high performance. Businesses often choose this language to develop system software, computer games and engines for them, as well as for scientific research. But in spite of this, a significant reason why many programmers switch to another language is because of the complexity of the C++ syntax and consequently, the complexity of coding. This requires additional control over memory allocation and release, monitoring of data types etc.

To increase the productivity of C++ specialists there are special services that allow developers to create software for business more efficiently and conveniently. In this article, we will consider what integrated development environments (IDEs) are, how they operate, and highlight some of the best text editors whose functionality and superiority has been confirmed by many developers and entrepreneurs.

Check out our previous articles, in wich we discussed the best IDEs and text editors for React and for Golang.

An integrated development environment is a software application that combines the capabilities of performing different developer tasks within a single program and helps specialists to write code faster and more efficiently.

This software package provides developers with such capabilities as creating, editing, and testing of the code, which significantly optimizes their productivity.

Modern IDEs include:

• text editor,
• compiler (or interpreter),
• debugger,
• version control system, and some other tools.

The text editor essentially is a program that allows a developer to interact with code primarily as text. In a text editor the specialist enters symbols and words, forming a certain computer understandable algorithm, and then sends the written code to a compiler.

In its turn, an integrated development environment is more than a code editor. It is a set of tools useful for developers. Most of the experienced ones use IDEs in their work, because this software application carries out many functions and incorporates the functionality of text editors.

The capabilities of integrated development environments and text editors can be extended with the help of plug-ins. Using them, the functionality of text editors can be extended even to simple IDE versions.

However, there are situations where text editors will be sufficient for developers to successfully complete their projects. The examples of these cases are:

• when it is necessary to practice code writing, without testing and debugging,
• when the complexity of the project does not oblige the developer to use an IDE,
• when there is not enough memory on the computer or the version of the device used by the developer is old enough for the IDE to be installed and work correctly.

In all other conditions IDE is a universal tool for complex and efficient performance of developers, especially the ones specializing in such a complicated programming language as C++.

Let’s list the main criteria that influence the choice of IDEs by business people for their development team:

• Programming Language. There are specialized IDEs with certain automation functions for the syntax of specific languages, as well as multi-language IDEs that support different languages.
• Operating system. Most IDEs have multiple versions for different operating systems, but there are some development environments that work better on Linux and are slower or more buggy on other operating systems.
• Feature set. The main features that all integrated development environments include are a code editor, a build automaton, and a debugger. Additional features vary from one to another case. An IDE may also include:

1. enhancements to the code editor user interface,
2. automated feature testing,
3. support for code deployment through plugin integration,
4. refactoring support for code,
5. application packaging support.

If the choice of IDE for a particular type of business seems difficult or there is a question of finding a customer to fulfill a C++ development project, we recommend contacting OrbitSoft. We are engaged in web development, mobile development and programming of desktop solutions, implement advertising management systems and algorithms for Big Data processing, create websites and complex analytical systems. Switch to our website and get acquainted with the projects on topics of interest.

Let’s consider what integrated development environments are recognized as the best in 2024 for C++ and what functionality they include. We have compiled a list of such IDEs based on data from companies offering expert operating system development and support services, such as Standard C++ Foundation, JetBrains, G2 Crowd, and others.

Visual Studio is a widely recognized integrated development environment from Microsoft that supports the development of applications for Windows, web, cloud, and Android.

Visual Studio allows developers to code efficiently, reorganize work structure, analyze and fix code related issues. This IDE features IntelliSense, which predicts APIs as they are implemented and performs automatic code completion to speed up and improve development efficiency.

Visual Studio also has its own compiler and a lot of options to customize work. Nevertheless, referring to the disadvantages, experts note the weight of the program, high price (however, Visual Studio has free Community and Express versions for individual developers and small teams) and incompatibility with Linux (without the use of additional tools (e.g. Wine).

Visual Studio is great for beginners to learn C++ syntax features and ease the development process.

CLion is a powerful and cross-platform IDE for C and C++ from JetBrains, suitable for C++ coding. This IDE allows to simplify routine aspects of developers' work and focus only on the most important tasks. CLion is compatible with Linux, Windows, macOS operating systems. The main advantages of this IDE include:

• refactoring, which allows developers to rename symbols, rank elements, change function signature, etc.,
• search and fix bugs in a threaded mode,
• design visual interfaces to improve the user experience,
• debug applications with easy-to-use tools.

The functionality of this IDE can be extended with plug-ins, both off-the-shelf and developer-created ones.

VIM is a free text editor that helps to simplify the work with text. It cannot be called a development environment in its entirety. But VIM’s capabilities are extended with various plug-ins, making its functionality in many ways superior to that of a conventional editor.

VIM is available for many systems and has three modes of operation:

• command mode,
• editing mode,
• visual mode.

It was voted the most popular editor among Linux Journal readers in 2018 and one of the best highly specialized development environments in 2019.

The interface of the editor is not simple enough, so the developer needs to spend some time learning commands, hotkeys, etc. to effectively work with it.

The editor has a modification for use in a graphical window interface — GVim.

Visual Studio Code is a widely used text-based source code editor developed by Microsoft and suitable for all operating systems: Windows, Linux and macOS.

Visual Studio Сode editor, like Visual Studio, makes it possible to work with IntelliSense. This is a tool that automatically terminates functions when the first letters are typed. It also provides:

● Debugging — search for and eliminate errors in written code.

● Write code conveniently — automatically fill in the necessary information, highlight syntax elements depending on the selected language, set the necessary indentation.

● Control code versions.

● Improve code readability and performance through refactoring.

What is the difference between Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code?

Visual Studio is a powerful integrated development environment. It is equipped with extensive capabilities for developing and debugging complex applications. In contrast, Visual Studio Code is a lightweight code editor suitable for simple and medium complexity projects that require fast work.

Qt Creator is a powerful and fast integrated C++ development environment that offers great features for developers. It includes a state-of-the-art C++ code editor, a built-in user-friendly and intuitive GUI, form designer, navigation tools and much more. Developers highlight Qt Creator’s APIs and libraries as advantages because of their detailed, user-friendly, and well-documented nature.

Qt Creator comes with a complete set of developer tools designed for creating applications and user interfaces simultaneously and for further deployment to various mobile OS and desktop PCs. It includes a convenient code editor with syntax highlighting and autocomplete capabilities, the ability to create a user interface, a visual debugging tool and other features.

Looking at the topic of the best IDEs for C++ in detail today, we can summarize that there are plenty of integrated development environments for this programming language. Choosing a specific IDE for C++ development, like any other developer tool, requires an individual approach.

Based on the specific tasks, focus and areas of specific business, as well as the underlying OS, additional requirements, team composition and other individual development factors, the choice of the best C++ programming environment would be different.

We recommend choosing a development environment from our TOP-10. Let us assure that if the business' issue is C++ development, the choice of the main tool for the team is most likely not final. Try different IDEs for C++, follow the updates and choose the best development environment for business.