Popular IDEs and editors for .NET
The most popular tools for .NET development are Visual Studio, JetBrains Rider, and Visual Studio Code. They can all support normal C# and ASP.NET Core development, but they offer different levels of integration and work best in different environments.
| Feature | Visual Studio | JetBrains Rider | Visual Studio Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Full IDE | Full IDE | Extensible code editor |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| .NET setup | Integrated .NET tooling | Integrated .NET tooling | .NET SDK plus extensions |
| C# code assistance and refactoring | Advanced | Advanced, ReSharper-based | Available through C# tooling and extensions |
| Debugging and testing | Integrated | Integrated | Available through extensions |
| NuGet management | Integrated GUI and CLI | Integrated GUI and CLI | Primarily extensions and CLI |
| Windows-specific .NET development | Extensive support | Supported | More limited |
| Multi-language development | Supported | Supported | Highly extensible |
| Resource footprint | Full IDE, heavier | Full IDE, heavier | Generally lighter |
| Best fit | Windows-centric .NET development and Microsoft tooling | Cross-platform professional .NET development and advanced code analysis | Lightweight, CLI-oriented and multi-language development |