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Geany VS KDevelop

Compare Geany VS KDevelop and see what are their differences

Geany logo Geany

Lightweight IDE for Linux and Windows

KDevelop logo KDevelop

KDevelop is a free, open source IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for Linux, Solaris, FreeBSD, Mac OS X and other Unix flavors.
  • Geany Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-14
  • KDevelop Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-21

Geany features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Geany is designed to be a small and fast IDE, making it ideal for users who prefer a quick and responsive environment without the bulk of larger IDEs.
  • Cross-Platform
    Geany is available on multiple operating systems including Windows, Linux, and macOS, allowing for consistent development experience across different platforms.
  • Extensible
    Geany supports a wide variety of plugins that can expand its functionality, allowing users to tailor the editor to their specific needs.
  • Supports Multiple Languages
    Geany provides support for several programming languages out of the box, making it a versatile choice for developers working in different languages.
  • Fast Load Time
    Due to its minimalist design, Geany has a very fast load time compared to more complex IDEs, which can enhance productivity.
  • Integrated Build System
    Geany includes a basic integrated build system, which allows you to compile and run code directly from the editor.

Possible disadvantages of Geany

  • Limited Features Compared to Full-Fledged IDEs
    While Geany is lightweight and fast, it may lack some of the advanced features offered by more comprehensive IDEs like IntelliJ IDEA or Visual Studio.
  • Basic Debugging Tools
    Geany's built-in debugging tools are quite rudimentary, which might not meet the needs of developers working on complex projects that require advanced debugging features.
  • User Interface
    The user interface of Geany, while functional, can feel outdated compared to more modern editors and might not have the same level of polish or aesthetic appeal.
  • Plugin Ecosystem
    Geany has fewer plugins available compared to more popular IDEs like Visual Studio Code, which can limit its extendability and customization options.
  • Community and Support
    Being a smaller project, Geany may not have as large a community or as comprehensive support resources as larger IDEs, which can be a disadvantage for troubleshooting and learning.

KDevelop features and specs

  • Comprehensive IDE
    KDevelop offers a full-featured integrated development environment with support for multiple languages such as C, C++, Python, and PHP. It includes advanced code editing features, debugging tools, and project management capabilities.
  • Free and Open Source
    KDevelop is free to use and is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL), making it open to community contributions and suitable for developers who prefer open-source software.
  • Customizability
    Users can customize the IDE extensively to fit their workflow. This includes configuring key bindings, interface layouts, and adding plugins to extend functionality.
  • Powerful Code Analysis
    KDevelop provides powerful code analysis tools, such as static code analysis, to help identify potential issues in your code early in the development process.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    KDevelop runs on various operating systems, including Linux, macOS, and Windows, providing flexibility for developers working in different environments.

Possible disadvantages of KDevelop

  • Learning Curve
    Due to its comprehensive feature set and extensive customizability, new users might find KDevelop overwhelming at first and require time to get fully accustomed to the IDE.
  • Resource Intensive
    Being a full-featured IDE, KDevelop can be resource-intensive, especially on older or less powerful hardware, potentially leading to slower performance.
  • Limited Community Support
    While KDevelop has an active set of developers, its user community is smaller compared to more widely-used IDEs like Visual Studio Code or IntelliJ IDEA, which can make finding solutions to specific issues more challenging.
  • Lacks Some Popular Features
    Compared to other popular IDEs, KDevelop might lack certain trendy features and integrations, particularly those related to web development toolchains, which are present in more modern editors.
  • Dependency on KDE
    KDevelop is tightly integrated with the KDE ecosystem. While it can run outside of KDE, certain features and aesthetic elements might not function as well on other desktop environments.

Analysis of Geany

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Geany is considered a good tool, especially for those seeking a balance between a minimalist text editor and a more feature-rich integrated development environment (IDE).

Why this product is good

  • Geany is a lightweight, fast, and flexible text editor that is particularly favored for programming and development. It supports a wide array of languages and provides features like syntax highlighting, code folding, and a plugin system to enhance its functionality. Its simple user interface makes it easy to navigate for both beginners and seasoned developers.

Recommended for

    Geany is recommended for programmers and developers who need a lightweight, efficient tool for coding in multiple languages. It is particularly suitable for those looking for an editor that offers more than a basic text editor but does not require the heavy resources of a full IDE. It is also a good fit for educational environments and for users on older systems.

Analysis of KDevelop

Overall verdict

  • KDevelop is generally considered a robust and feature-rich IDE that can compete with other popular development environments. Its comprehensive toolset and open-source nature make it a strong choice for developers, particularly those working within the KDE or Qt ecosystems.

Why this product is good

  • KDevelop is an integrated development environment (IDE) well-regarded for its versatility and its ability to support a wide range of programming languages, including C++, Python, PHP, and many others. It offers features such as syntax highlighting, code completion, and project management tools. Its integration with KDE technologies makes it a particularly good choice for KDE or Qt development. KDevelop is also open-source and has a supportive community, providing the ability to customize and extend the IDE according to user needs.

Recommended for

  • Developers working with C++, Python, or PHP
  • Users involved in KDE or Qt projects
  • Those looking for an open-source and customizable IDE
  • Developers who appreciate a strong plugin architecture and community support

Geany videos

Geany 1.32 Lightweight IDE - Linux Mint Installation, Features, Plugins and Themes

More videos:

  • Review - Geany for C and Python Programming
  • Review - LinuxDays 2015 - Geany - a lightwight IDE - Frank Lanitz

KDevelop videos

Hello World KDevelop

More videos:

  • Tutorial - KDevelop Tutorial #1 - Creating CMake-based C/C++ Project from Template

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Geany and KDevelop)
Text Editors
82 82%
18% 18
IDE
75 75%
25% 25
Software Development
78 78%
22% 22
Productivity
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Geany and KDevelop

Geany Reviews

10 Best Notepad++ Alternatives in 2020
Geany is a text editor which uses GTK+ toolkit. It also has certain basic features of an integrated development environment. The tool supports many filetypes and has some nice features.
Source: www.guru99.com
10 Best Sublime Text Alternatives in 2019
Geany is a text editor which uses GTK+ toolkit. It also has certain basic features of an integrated development environment. The tool supports many filetypes and has some nice features.
Source: www.guru99.com

KDevelop Reviews

We have no reviews of KDevelop yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Geany should be more popular than KDevelop. It has been mentiond 6 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Geany mentions (6)

  • Zed on Linux Is Here
    If you want a fast C++ editor with no spurious network connectivity and a conventional desktop UI, check out Geany: https://geany.org/. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Finding the Last Editor
    > One that isn't tied to a specific platform, or preferably even a specific company, and that I trust will still be around until I'm done programming. That is Geany[0]: no opinions, no company affiliations, no editor wars. It has been around forever, works on everything, and is open-source. [0] https://geany.org/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Best lua ide?
    I just use Geany for everything, it has a long history and has proven itself to be reliable. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Geany is a fantastic, fast, powerful GUI text editor for many purposes & has a low barrier to entry
    After trying a bunch of GUI text editors in Linux and on the Mac I gotta say that to me, Geany is the best. Source: over 3 years ago
  • I know, not exactly Linux.
    Have you tried Geany? It's based on Scintilla, just like Notepad++ is (although that's an implementation detail that you don't really need to know to use either of them), which helps it to feel very similar. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

KDevelop mentions (2)

  • Is there no good free c++ ide for linux? ๐Ÿค”
    Never tried it: https://kdevelop.org/. Source: over 2 years ago
  • How to start learning C++? What tools will I need?
    Since you want to become a KDE developer I suggest you use KDevelop as your IDE. Source: over 2 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Geany and KDevelop, you can also consider the following products

VS Code - Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

Netbeans - NetBeans IDE 7.0. Develop desktop, mobile and web applications with Java, PHP, C/C++ and more. Runs on Windows, Linux, Mac OS X and Solaris. NetBeans IDE is open-source and free.

Notepad++ - A free source code editor which supports several programming languages running under the MS Windows environment.

Microsoft Visual Studio - Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) from Microsoft.

Sublime Text - Sublime Text is a sophisticated text editor for code, html and prose - any kind of text file. You'll love the slick user interface and extraordinary features. Fully customizable with macros, and syntax highlighting for most major languages.

Qt Creator - Qt Creator is a cross-platform C++, JavaScript and QML integrated development environment. It is the fastest, easiest and most fun experience a C++ developer could wish for.