We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. It never changes a score or a ranking. How we make money
Most buyers should pick Apache NetBeans.
Choose Apache NetBeans if you want a clearly documented IDE with editors, refactoring, wizards and templates for Java, PHP and other languages, plus installation on Windows, Linux, Mac OS X and BSD. Choose Eclipse IDE if its language support and workflow fit your codebase, after checking the IDE-specific documentation: eclipse.org’s homepage describes the Eclipse Foundation, not the IDE. Both are listed as free and open source, with no published per-seat price.
01Side by side
| Eclipse IDE | Apache NetBeans | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free to download and use; no monthly or annual billing | Free software; no monthly or annual billing |
| Free tier | Free IDE; no user or seat limits published | Free Apache NetBeans software |
| Open source and licence | Open source; Eclipse Public License 2.0 | Open source; Apache License 2.0 |
| API and SDKs | Eclipse.org describes the Foundation, not an IDE API | IDE and tooling platform; no hosted API presented |
| CLI and docs | Foundation resources include documentation and downloads | Tutorials, editors, wizards and templates |
| Deployment model | Review describes a free desktop IDE | Install on operating systems that support Java |
| Platforms | Foundation facts list Web; review calls IDE desktop | Windows, Linux, Mac OS X and BSD |
| Limits and scaling | No user or seat limits published | Free software; no usage-based price listed |
Eclipse IDE Choose Eclipse IDE if
- Choose Eclipse IDE if its language support fits your codebase.
- Choose Eclipse IDE if you need a free desktop IDE.
- Choose Eclipse IDE if you are comfortable checking IDE-specific documentation.
Apache NetBeans Choose Apache NetBeans if
- Choose Apache NetBeans for Java, PHP, JavaScript, HTML5 or CSS editing.
- Choose Apache NetBeans if you want refactoring, wizards and templates.
- Choose Apache NetBeans for documented Windows, Linux, Mac OS X and BSD support.
02Pricing at real usage
Both products are listed as free. The Eclipse IDE pricing entry says it is free to download and use, with the Eclipse Public License 2.0; it also says no user or seat limits are published. Apache NetBeans is listed as free and open source under the Apache License 2.0. Neither pricing entry lists monthly or annual billing, a paid tier, or a free-trial period.
There is no published per-seat or usage-based bill to project from these prices. The Eclipse entry lists third-party terms for extensions and plug-ins obtained through the Eclipse Marketplace, so those providers may have separate costs. The NetBeans pricing entry lists no add-ons. At larger team sizes, the listed IDE prices do not increase with seats, but the vendors do not publish a total cost for support, deployment or other team requirements. Confirm plug-in terms before budgeting.
03API, SDKs and integration
Neither product is presented in these pages as a hosted API. Apache NetBeans describes itself as a development environment, tooling platform and application framework. Its homepage lists editors, wizards and templates for Java, JavaScript, PHP, HTML5, CSS and other languages, and describes syntactic and semantic highlighting and refactoring. It also links to tutorials, participation channels and plugins. The homepage does not name a CLI or SDK.
The Eclipse.org homepage describes the Eclipse Foundation and its open-source projects, collaborations, resources and services—not the Eclipse IDE’s API, SDKs, language tooling or command-line interface. It links to documentation, downloads and marketplaces at the Foundation level. A review describes Eclipse IDE as a free desktop IDE, but teams should verify IDE-specific language support and workflow fit against product documentation before adoption. Neither homepage names software integrations. Treat plug-in compatibility and any required integrations as items to confirm for the versions and languages in your stack.
04Open source, self-hosting and lock-in
Both are identified as open-source software. The Eclipse IDE pricing entry names the Eclipse Public License 2.0; Apache NetBeans names the Apache License 2.0. Teams should review the applicable licence terms for their distribution and contribution model rather than infer them from a zero price.
Apache NetBeans is installed on operating systems that support Java, including Windows, Linux, Mac OS X and BSD. A review describes Eclipse IDE as a desktop IDE. Neither is presented as a hosted service that you provision on your own servers, and the vendors do not publish self-hosting or data-export instructions in these pages. The licences indicate an open-source project, but they do not establish how a particular workspace, settings file or project configuration migrates. Check project formats, plug-in dependencies and any IDE-specific settings before switching; those details determine practical migration effort.
Questions people ask
Is Eclipse IDE any good?
It may fit if its language support and workflow match your codebase. The published review calls it a free desktop IDE, but eclipse.org’s homepage describes the Eclipse Foundation rather than the IDE. Check IDE-specific documentation and plug-in compatibility before standardizing on it.
Which is better, NetBeans or IntelliJ?
This comparison does not include IntelliJ’s features or pricing, so it cannot establish a winner. Apache NetBeans is listed as free and open source, with editors, refactoring, wizards and templates. Compare the IDE versions, language support, plug-ins and team costs you plan to use.
Which IDE is best for Java coding?
Apache NetBeans explicitly lists Java editors, wizards and templates, and says it runs on operating systems that support Java. Eclipse IDE may also fit, but verify its language support and workflow in IDE-specific documentation. The published Eclipse Foundation homepage does not describe those IDE features.
Is Eclipse IDE still used?
The published sources do not establish current adoption or usage levels. They identify Eclipse IDE as a free desktop IDE, while the Eclipse Foundation homepage describes a broader open-source community. For a production decision, check the project’s current release and plug-in compatibility, then confirm fit with your team’s codebase.