Best C++ IDEs in 2026
20 c++ ides ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
| # | Platform | Score | Why | From | Free plan | Paid from | Supported platforms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arm Keil MDK | 7.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $99/mo | Yes | — | — | View |
| 2 | CLion | 7.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $10.90/mo | Yes | — | — | View |
| 3 | Visual Studio | 7.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $8.33/mo | Yes | 45 /user/mo | — | View |
| 4 |  Qt Creator | 7.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 5 | PlatformIO IDE | 7.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $20.75/mo | Yes | — | — | View |
| 6 |  MPLAB X IDE | 6.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 7 | Code::Blocks | 6.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 8 | KDevelop | 6.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 9 |  C++Builder | 6.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | — | View |
| 10 |  SlickEdit | 6.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $125/mo | No | — | Windows, macOS, Linux, Raspberry Pi | View |
| 11 | Infineon ModusToolbox | 6.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Linux | View |
| 12 | CodeLite | 6.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 13 |  Avidemux | 6.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 14 | Dev-C++ | 5.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 | View |
| 15 | Eclipse IDE | 5.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 16 |  CS+ | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 17 |  Geany | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Linux | View |
| 18 | IAR Embedded Workbench | 5.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | — | View |
| 19 |  Green Hills MULTI IDE | 5.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | — | View |
| 20 |  SEGGER Ozone | 4.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | — | View |
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which c++ ide is ranked first on Inferse?
Arm Keil MDK is ranked #1 of 20 with a score of 7.7. CLion is second and Visual Studio third.
How many of these have a free plan?
15 of the 20 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Visual Studio has the lowest first paid tier we found: $8.33/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it. Paid placements never change a rank.