NetBeans Alternatives for Java Development

Apache NetBeans is still maintained and free. Version 31 was released on August 10, 2026, and the NetBeans download page says the project releases four times a year, so the next version should land before the end of 2026. Nothing about NetBeans forces a move.

People leave it for other reasons. Some want smarter refactoring and framework support, some want the editor their team already uses, and some teachers want a simpler tool for first-year students. The picks below cover those cases in order: two full Java IDEs, two ways to write Java in VS Code, a Spring add-on that works in several editors, and a teaching IDE.

Prices below are as of November 6, 2026. Our method is on How we review tools.

Quick comparison

IntelliJ IDEA

JetBrains changed how IntelliJ IDEA is sold, and older comparisons get it wrong. Since version 2025.3 there is a single IntelliJ IDEA download. Without paying you get the core IDE, which the JetBrains help page says has more than the old Community Edition did, including Java and Kotlin support, basic database tools and Kubernetes integration. Advanced tooling needs an Ultimate subscription, and every new install starts with a 30-day Ultimate trial.

IntelliJ's draw is code analysis. Refactorings across a large Maven or Gradle project, inspections that flag bugs as you type, and quick fixes are its core strengths. Community Edition 2025.2 and earlier still run, but only the unified IDE gets updates.

Best for: Professional Java and Kotlin developers who spend all day in large codebases.

Pricing:

• Core IntelliJ IDEA: free
• Ultimate, individual: $199 the first year, $159 the second, $119 from the third, billed yearly
• All Products Pack, individual: $299 the first year, billed yearly
• 30-day Ultimate trial on new installs

Watch out for:

• JetBrains does not publish a full list of what moved behind Ultimate, only that advanced tooling needs the subscription. Check your frameworks during the trial before you count on the free core.
• If an Ultimate subscription lapses you fall back to the free core features, not to a perpetual copy of Ultimate.

Official site: IntelliJ IDEA.

Eclipse IDE

Eclipse is the other long-running free Java IDE and the closest to NetBeans in spirit: open source, run by a foundation, and extended with plugins. It also ships on a quarterly schedule, with the 2026-09 release current and a 2026-12 milestone already out. Packages exist for plain Java, enterprise Java and web, C and C++, and PHP, so NetBeans users who used its PHP or C++ modules have a match.

The Eclipse packages page lists builds for Windows, macOS and Linux on both x86_64 and AArch64, plus Linux on RISC-V. The installer bundles a Java runtime, so you do not need to set up a JDK just to start the IDE.

Best for: Teams that want a free, foundation-run IDE with plugins for Java, C++ and PHP.

Pricing:

• Free and open source

Watch out for:

• Capterra reviewers keep raising the same complaints: slow startup, heavy memory use once plugins are added, and a cluttered, dated interface.
• Plugins come from many vendors and quality varies; one Capterra reviewer says plugins make errors easy to run into.

Official site: Eclipse IDE.

VS Code with Extension Pack for Java

Microsoft's Extension Pack for Java turns VS Code into a workable Java editor in one install. The pack bundles Red Hat's Java language support, a debugger, a test runner for JUnit and TestNG, Maven and Gradle support, and a project manager. It has more than 47 million installs on the VS Code Marketplace.

The appeal is one editor for Java, front-end code, scripts and config files. VS Code itself is free, updates almost weekly (1.145 shipped on November 4, 2026) and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Remote development over SSH or in containers works the same way it does for any other language.

Best for: Developers who touch Java alongside other languages and want one editor for all of it.

Pricing:

• VS Code: free for private and commercial use
• Extension Pack for Java: free

Watch out for:

• Spring support is not in the pack. The listing points to a separate Spring Boot Extension Pack.
• Each extension in the pack is its own open-source project, so a bug report can bounce between repositories before it lands with the right team.

Official site: VS Code with Extension Pack for Java.

Oracle Java Platform Extension

Oracle publishes its own Java extension for VS Code, and it has a NetBeans connection. Its GitHub repository includes Apache NetBeans as a submodule, and settings such as Nbjavac come straight from the NetBeans Java compiler. It offers the full edit, compile, debug and test cycle for Maven and Gradle projects.

The extension is free under the Apache 2.0 licence and has about 6.6 million installs, far fewer than Microsoft's pack. Projects can target JDK 8 and up, so older codebases still work.

Best for: NetBeans users who want to move to VS Code but keep NetBeans' Java engine underneath.

Pricing:

• Free, Apache 2.0 licence

Watch out for:

• The extension itself needs JDK 21 or newer to run, even when your project targets an older Java.
• With about 6.6 million installs against more than 47 million for Microsoft's pack, fewer tutorials and forum answers assume you use it.

Official site: Oracle Java Platform Extension.

Spring Tools

Spring Tools is not a full IDE on its own but a Spring Boot layer that runs in several editors. It comes in versions for Eclipse, VS Code, Cursor, Theia and Claude Code. Spring Tools for Eclipse 5.4.0 is a complete download built on Eclipse, for Windows, macOS and Linux.

It knows Spring: completion and navigation for beans and request mappings, Spring Initializr built in, and live data from Spring Boot Actuator, such as bean wiring and configuration, shown in the editor. It also ships an embedded MCP server to give AI assistants project context. NetBeans has no comparable Spring Boot support.

Best for: Spring Boot developers who want a free alternative to IntelliJ's paid Spring features.

Pricing:

• Free and open source for Eclipse, VS Code, Cursor, Theia and Claude Code

Watch out for:

• It only helps with Spring. Plain Java, Jakarta EE or desktop work still depends on the editor underneath.

Official site: Spring Tools.

BlueJ

BlueJ was built for one job: teaching object-oriented programming in Java. It shows classes as a diagram, lets students create objects and call methods with a click before they write a main method, and pairs with the textbook Objects First with Java. Teachers get resources through the Blueroom community.

Version 6.0.1 came out on September 4, 2026. The BlueJ site lists installers for 64-bit Windows 8 and later, macOS 11 and later on Apple silicon or Intel, and Debian or Ubuntu, including an ARM64 build that runs on a Raspberry Pi. It is free under the GPL version 2 with the Classpath Exception.

Best for: Teachers and first-year students who found NetBeans too busy.

Pricing:

• Free, GPLv2 with Classpath Exception

Watch out for:

• It is not meant for production projects. BlueJ has no Maven or Gradle support, so students move to a full IDE later.
• 32-bit systems need the old BlueJ 4.1.4.

Official site: BlueJ.

How to choose

When to stay with NetBeans

Stay with NetBeans if your projects are plain Maven or Ant Java, Swing desktop apps, or PHP, and it already works for you. It is free under the Apache Foundation, needs no account, and ships four times a year. Its Swing GUI builder works out of the box, while Eclipse needs the WindowBuilder plugin and the VS Code options have nothing similar.

Frequently asked questions