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Netbeans VS Pulsar Editor

Compare Netbeans VS Pulsar Editor and see what are their differences

Netbeans logo 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.

Pulsar Editor logo Pulsar Editor

A Community-led Hyper-Hackable Text Editor, built on Electron. and based on everything we love about our favorite editors.
  • Netbeans Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-07-13
  • Pulsar Editor Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-05

Netbeans features and specs

  • Open Source
    NetBeans is an open-source Integrated Development Environment (IDE), which means it is free to use and has a large community for support and contributions.
  • Modular Architecture
    Its modular architecture allows users to add or remove features easily, which provides flexibility to customize the IDE as per the developer's requirements.
  • Multi-Language Support
    NetBeans supports multiple programming languages such as Java, PHP, HTML5, JavaScript, and more, making it a versatile tool for developers working in different technologies.
  • Strong Java Support
    Originally developed for Java, it provides excellent support for Java development, including Maven and Ant integration, robust debugging tools, and pre-configured templates.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The IDE boasts an intuitive and user-friendly interface, which helps improve development speed and reduces the learning curve for new users.
  • Rich Set of Features
    NetBeans offers many built-in features like code templates, project management tools, version control integration, and support for various application servers.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    NetBeans can run on various operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, therefore accommodating a diverse range of development environments.

Possible disadvantages of Netbeans

  • Performance Issues
    Some users experience lagging and slow performance, particularly when dealing with large projects or running on lower-end hardware.
  • Resource Intensive
    NetBeans can be resource-intensive, requiring significant memory and processing power, which may be a limitation for some developers, especially those on older machines.
  • Plugin Ecosystem
    While NetBeans has a good set of built-in features, its plugin ecosystem is not as extensive or actively maintained as some other IDEs like IntelliJ IDEA or Visual Studio Code.
  • Steeper Learning Curve for Non-Java Languages
    Although NetBeans supports multiple languages, the learning curve can be steeper when using it for non-Java languages compared to other IDEs that may offer better out-of-the-box support.
  • Updates and Community
    Since transitioning to Apache, the frequency of updates and the overall maintenance has seen slowdowns, which might affect the availability of the latest features and bug fixes.
  • UI Responsiveness
    Some users have reported that the UI can sometimes become unresponsive, especially during heavy development tasks or when multiple extensions are enabled.

Pulsar Editor features and specs

  • Open Source
    Pulsar Editor is open source, allowing developers to contribute, modify, and customize the editor according to their needs.
  • Extensible
    The editor supports a wide range of plugins and packages, enabling users to extend its functionality to suit various development workflows.
  • Cross-Platform
    Pulsar Editor runs on major operating systems like Windows, macOS, and Linux, providing a consistent experience across different platforms.
  • Community Support
    Pulsar Editor has a growing community that can help with troubleshooting, plugins, and development advice.
  • Familiar Interface
    It offers an interface that is intuitive for users familiar with Atom, making it easy to transition for existing Atom users.

Possible disadvantages of Pulsar Editor

  • Performance Issues
    As an Atom fork, it may still inherit potential performance issues, particularly when handling very large files or projects.
  • Limited Ecosystem
    Compared to more established editors like VS Code, the ecosystem for extensions and plugins might be smaller.
  • Early Development
    Being a relatively new project, it may have fewer features and a less mature development environment.
  • Fewer Integrations
    May offer fewer integrations with third-party tools and services compared to more widely used editors.
  • Resource Heavy
    It may consume more system resources than some lightweight editors, which can be a concern for users with limited resources.

Analysis of Netbeans

Overall verdict

  • NetBeans is a good choice for developers who need a comprehensive and flexible IDE, particularly for Java development. Its open-source nature and active community make it a reliable option for both beginners and experienced developers.

Why this product is good

  • NetBeans is a versatile and robust Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that supports multiple languages such as Java, JavaScript, PHP, and more. It offers a range of features including code editing, debugging, and project management tools. It's open-source, providing flexibility and an active community for support. Additionally, NetBeans integrates seamlessly with other tools and platforms, enhancing its utility for developers.

Recommended for

    Java developers, web developers using HTML5, JavaScript, or PHP, beginner programmers looking for a free and powerful IDE, and developers who prefer an open-source environment.

Netbeans videos

A Review of the NetBeans Project from Geertjan Wielenga

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to Install & Beautify NetBeans IDE for PHP on Windows

Pulsar Editor videos

No Pulsar Editor videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Netbeans and Pulsar Editor)
Text Editors
91 91%
9% 9
IDE
93 93%
7% 7
Software Development
85 85%
15% 15
IDEs And Text Editors
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 Netbeans and Pulsar Editor

Netbeans Reviews

The Best IDEs for Java Development: A Comparative Analysis
User Satisfaction: With a user rating of 4.1 out of 5 and user satisfaction of 82%, NetBeans offers a solid development experience.
Source: dev.to
9 Of The Best Android Studio Alternatives To Try Out
NetBeans IDE helps you build HTML5 applications, web applications, Java desktop applications, and mobile applications. If you are a PHP or C++ developer, it offers you great tools. NetBeans IDE has a large number of developers and users all across the globe.
What's The Best C++ IDE? Our Top C++ IDEs & Editors In 2024
Rounding out my list at number ten is NetBeans, a free and open-source integrated development environment. While often thought of as Java IDE, NetBeans also offers robust support for C++ and is favored by developers seeking a comprehensive toolset for larger and more complex projects.
Source: hackr.io
Top 10 Visual Studio Alternatives
NetBeans is another code editor and an alternative to Visual Studio Microsoft. It is regarded as an integrated development environment for Java. Here, the users can develop applications. The development of the applications is from a set of integrated software components that are named modules. NetBeans are operative on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Solaris.
Best Eclipse Alternatives to Use
NetBeans IDE is a free Java Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that enables developers to create, run, debug, and deploy Java applications on all platforms at no cost. The rest of the code is available under the NetBeans Common Public License.
Source: eclipsewin.com

Pulsar Editor Reviews

We have no reviews of Pulsar Editor yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Netbeans should be more popular than Pulsar Editor. It has been mentiond 17 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.

Netbeans mentions (17)

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Pulsar Editor mentions (10)

  • I still like Sublime Text in 2025
    Nobody mentionned Pulsar (https://pulsar-edit.dev/) which is the community maintained Atom since its sunsetting (Dec 2022). Atom was created by Nathan Sobo, who is now working on Zed (https://zed.dev/). - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Zed on Linux Is Here
    The Atom editor is being maintained as a fork: Pulsar https://pulsar-edit.dev Zed is co-founded by one (or more?) original developer of Atom. So, it's a successor in a sense that it is a new project by the same author. Atom was developed at GitHub, and GitHub Inc remains the owner of the original Atom project. From their perspective the successor of Atom is VSCode - developed by their parent company, - despite the... - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Show HN: Open-source alternatives to tools You pay for
    You may be thinking of Pulsar ()? - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Help: Atom Alternatives/Copy-Pasting Scripts
    Pulsar has a TTS package, for those who were very comfortable in Atom. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Libre-friendly IDEs?
    In addition to the already mentioned Emacs, I would check Pulsar, the Atom successor. Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Netbeans and Pulsar Editor, you can also consider the following products

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

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

IntelliJ IDEA - Capable and Ergonomic IDE for JVM

VSCodium - Binary releases of Visual Sudio Code without Microsoft branding, telemetry and licensing

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.

Zed - Zed is a high-performance, multiplayer code editor from the creators of Atom and Tree-sitter.