What is the best python IDE for you? We all know that Python is an interpreted, object-oriented, high-level programming language. We also know that IDEs help us to stay focused on our work and not get distracted by windows, windows and windows of text.
Of course, you don’t need to install an IDE to run and develop your Python code. You can write and debug your program in a simple text editor like IDLE, vi/vim or Atom — just follow along with my tutorial on how to use vi editor.
IDLE
It comes top of the list because its the standard Python Development Environment. IDLE is an acronym for Integrated DeveLopment Environment. It’s a cross-platform application available for both Linux and Windows systems.
It is a simple IDE containing all the features needed to have Python running on your system. It is written in Python using the Tkinter library and highly recommended for Python beginners.
Features:
- Syntax highlighting in your Python code
- Autocomplete feature
- Automatic indentation for your code
- Multi-window text editor support
- An Integrated Python debugger
Eric Python IDE
It is a Python editor that comes integrated with many features. It is written in Python using the QT User Interface (UI) library. It’s an open-source and cross-platform application that supports a variety of languages.
It runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS. It comes with all the necessary tools required for a stable Python development environment.
Features:
- Support for source code editing. Here, we have features like; several code editors, code autocomplete, syntax and error highlighting, brace matching, code folding, customizable window layout, reliable search functionality, and many more.
- It supports GUI design and development. One can integrate the QT designer, which is a graphical front-end builder for the QT library.
- An integrated Python debugger.
- Support for Python Django framework.
- It contains project management and collaboration tools—for example, an automatic updating to-do-list, a chat forum, and a shared code editor.
PyCharm
Pycharm is a free, powerful, cross-platform Python IDE highly customizable. Commonly referred to as “all in one package,” it comes with many inbuilt tools and features necessary for your Python development.
Features:
- Code syntax and error highlighting
- An integrated Python debugger
- Easy and efficient code navigation. One can easily navigate between project files, classes, methods, etc.
- Google App engine python development
- Supports for various Python libraries like matplotlib, NumPy, and scipy
- Supports for the common Python web frameworks; Django, Flask, and web2py
Wing Python IDE
Wing is a Linux Python developed by Wingware. It a powerful and lightweight IDE designed for debugging, testing, and speed up writing of Python code. Wing IDE comes in three versions; Wing 101, Wing Personal, and Wing Pro.
Just like the names suggests, these versions differ in terms of features and support.
- Wing 101 is for Python beginners
- Wing Personal is for students and general Python enthusiasts
- Wing Pro is a commercial package for professional Python programmers
Features:
Note, these features vary from the different Wing packages with Wing pro having the best and most powerful features.
- It comes with intelligence to monitor code syntax, errors, and indentation.
- It is highly customizable, and developers can create shortcut keys and customize the preferences set.
- It comes with a powerful debugger that can be launched within or outside the IDE.
- It contains an extensive collection of various Python libraries and modules like; PyQt, Numpy, Flask, Google App Engine, Django, and many more.
- It supports remote code debugging and excellent code navigation.
PyCharm IDE
Price: $199 per year per developer
Operating Systems Supported: Windows, MacOS and Linux Distros.
Source: Jetbrains
PyCharm, an IDE developed and maintained by JetBrains is one of the most popular Python IDE. In a survey done by JetBrains, more than 20% of developers mentioned Pycharm as their preferred IDE.
As an IDE, PyCharm does much more than just allowing you to import libraries and write code. It is a professional grade IDE that allows Python developers to write production grade and maintainable code.
Features which makes PyCharm the best Python IDE:
- Code completion and automatic error detection
- Smart Code Navigation to help you quickly get to the right class, file, symbols, etc
- Makes refactoring painless with safe Rename and Delete. Easy to push project-wide changes
- Easy to implement unit tests and graphical UI tests with Python profiler
- Automated Deployment CI/CD pipeline integration
- Database integration – Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL and other major databases
- Remote Development – you can write your Python code with PyCharm’s professional Edition.
Pros and Cons of PyCharm IDE
Pros
- Smart features like Autocomplete helping devs write code faster
- PyCharm supports multiple frameworks
- Highly reliable for production grade processes
Cons :
- Costs around $199 per year per user
- PyCharm has certain performance issues on Windows OS
- There’s a learning curve associated with PyCharm
- Requires SSD and considerable memory size
Spyder Python IDE
Price: Free
Operating Systems Supported: Windows, MacOS, Linux
Source: Spyder.com
SPYDER is actually an acronym that stands for Scientific PYthon Development EnviRonment. This IDE is mainly used by the Scientific Python community.
Tools and libraries like Numpy, Scipy, Matplotlib, etc are in-built with this Python IDE. Powerful features specifically built for the scientific programming makes Spyder a preferred IDE. It is also one of the best alternatives for Scientific programmers outside of Matlab.
Features which makes Spyder the best IDE for Scientific programming:
- Integrated Pylint and Pyflakes for analysis
- Syntax colouring, breakpoints
- Code Autocomplete and Variable explorer
- Comes with most of the scientific programming libraries and framework
- iPython notebook integration
Pros and Cons of Spyder IDE:
Pros
- Built to support data analysis and visualisation
- Leverage autocomplete and syntax highlight for efficient programming
- Helps you leverage iPython notebook to perform a more granular analysis of your code
- Real time code analysis and feedback
Cons
- Lack of version control
- Lack of integration of a debugger
PyDev IDE
Price: Free
Operating Systems Supported: Windows, MacOS, Linux
Source: Pydev.org
PyDev started as an IDE that primarily worked with Eclipse, allowing Pythonista’s write code on Eclipse. But, no it has expanded beyond Eclipse and now can also be integrated with Visual Studio Code.
Although free, PyDev integration with VS Code costs $40 after a free trial of 1 month.
Features which makes PyDev best IDE:
- All basic autocomplete features that other Python IDE’s provide
- Code editing directly inside of Eclipse and Visual Studio Code
- Django Integration and ease of unit testing
Pros and Cons of PyDev IDE
Pros
- Open source
- Pylint integration
- Debuggers and real time
Cons
- Limited Support as it crowd funded
- Less features than other enterprise backed IDEs
4. Python IDLE
Price: Free
Operating Systems Supported: Windows, MacOS, Linux
Python IDLE comes by default in the Python Bundle once you download Python. This is a great IDE for entry level Python programmers as it is pretty much hassle free to set up on all OSes.
It is absolutely free to use. But, it isn’t good enough to create advanced level production grade Python code.
Features which makes IDLE the best beginner Python IDE:
- Easy to set up, requires little to no efforts
- IDLE is cross platform which means it can support you on all three operating systems
- Multi-window Code Editor that allows features like smart indentation, autocomplete, etc
Pros and Cons of Python IDLE
Pros:
- Easy to set up Python IDE that’s beginner friendly
- Has low overall IDE size
- Not suitable for doing large projects
Cons:
- Doesn’t has multiple language support
- Error markup feature is missing
- No integrated Debugging for Python code
Wing Python IDE
Price: $45 for Educators, $99 per user for professional license
Operating Systems Supported: Windows, MacOS, Linux
Wing is a faster, stable and extremely light Python IDE, and if often compared a lot with PyCharm. From affordable subscription options to numerous features, this is the IDE which every PyCharm user should check out.
Features which make Wing one of the top Choice for Professional Python developers:
- Typeshed integration and code warnings
- Remote debugging similar to PyCharm
- Split reuse policy
- Pylint integration
- Supports to Type annotation with Python 3
Pros and Cons of Wing Python IDE:
Pros:
- Remote development makes it easy to work using Wing for Python developers
- Numerous integrations for TDD
- Autocomplete, real time error warnings, etc
- Extremely fast, which means it won’t get in the way of a developer’s productivity
Cons:
- Less features than other professional grade Python IDEs like PyCharm
Python Code Editors unlike an IDE are just simply programs that allows you to write code. With these code editors, you can import libraries, frameworks and write code.
Even though we went through those IDEs, Python code editors have their own place. Without Code editors in Python, most developers wouldn’t learn or understand syntax and snippets.
So, let’s see what top Python code editors are.
Sublime Text
Cost: $80
Operating Systems Supported: Windows, Linux and MacOS
Sublime Screenshot
Source: Sublimetext.com
Sublime Text is best in class Code Editor that’s extremely fast and allows developers to write their own plugins. With numerous features like multi-line editing, block editing, regex search, etc – it’s definitely one of the top code editor for Python developers.
Atom Python Code Editor
Cost: Free
Operating Systems Supported: Windows, Linux and MacOS
Atom was one of the earliest code editors that was released. It had it’s traction, but doesn’t holds a significant share amongst other code editors in the Python community anymore. The advantage that most code editors bring over IDEs is that code editors are much faster. But, Atom is much slower than most other code editors.
Vim Python Code Editor
Cost: Free
Operating Systems Supported: Windows, Linux and MacOS
Vim Screenshot
Source: Spacevim.org
Vim for most of the part is a command line interface code editor, but it can also work as a standalone application. Among other things, VIM is fast, cross platform and extremely performant.
While Vim has its upsides on using it as a text editor, it certainly isn’t the first choice for beginners. Learning Vim while learning Python is like learning two things at the same time. If you’re a seasoned developer, you’ll find yourself way more productive with Vim than what an entry level Python developer would.
Visual Studio Code
Cost: Free
Operating Systems Supported: Windows, Linux and MacOS
Visual Studio Screeshot
Source: Visualstudio.com
Visual Studio(VS) Code was developed by Microsoft and released in the year 2015. It is available to download for free.
VS Code editor supports Python snippets, syntax highlighting, brace matching and code folding.
Jupyter Notebook
Cost: Free
Operating Systems Supported: Windows, Linux and MacOS
Jupyter Screenshot
Source: Jupyter.org
Jupyter Notebooks are scientific computing and data professional’s favourite Python editor. Jupyter is best if your work involves data exploration, research and presentation.
You can save your notebooks in JSON format or export your results in PDF and HTML formats.
Conclusion
There are a lot of learning materials for Python. But I don’t think there is any one best place with all the learning materials available in one place. This article will present a collection of links/instructional videos/docs on a bunch of topics starting from Python basics/installation, Pyhon3 vs Pyhon2, Pyhon IDEs, python frameworks, mac/linux specific stuff to full-stack web development with Python.