25 BEST Software Development & Programming Tools in 2023

There are a variety of programming tools available for the software development process. Choosing the best could be difficult.

We have researched 89+ tools, and the following is a handpicked list of the best tools for a developer using any programming language of his/her choice. This list contains both open-source as well as paid tools

Recommended Software Developer Tools

Collaborator is a peer code and document review tool for development teams that take quality seriously.

• Comprehensive Review Capabilities – Review source code, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Visio Diagrams, Adobe PDF, Images and Simulink models all in one tool.
• Enhances the code review process for GitHub, GitLab, BitBucket, and Azure DevOps
• Supports 11 version control tools including Git, SVN, TFS, Perforce, CVS, ClearCase, RTC and more.
• Proof of Review – Ensure proof of review with electronic signatures & detailed reports to meet auditing and regulatory compliance standards (ISO26262, 21 CFR Part 11, DO-178C, AS9100, OWASP).

Visit Collaborator >>

Studio 3T for MongoDB helps you to build queries fast, generate instant code, import/export in multiple formats, and much more.

• Query MongoDB faster with our Visual Query Builder, IntelliShell, or SQL Query tool.
• Our Data Masking tool enables data compliance and bolsters security with powerful field-level data obfuscation.
• Import to MongoDB from JSON, CSV, BSON/mongodump, and SQL, and get a preview of your output documents as you make changes.
• Migration from MongoDB to SQL (or vice versa) has never been easier with our Migration tools.

Visit Studio 3T >>

Linx is a low-code IDE and server. IT pros use Linx to quickly create custom automated business processes, integrate applications, expose web services and to efficiently handle high workloads.

• Easy-to-use, drag-and-drop interface
• Over 100 pre-built functions and services for rapid development
• One-click deployment to any local or remote Linx Server directly from the IDE
• Input and outputs include nearly any SQL & NoSQL databases, numerous file formats (text and binary) or REST and SOAP Web services
• Live debugging with step-through logic
• Automate backend processes via a timer, directory events, or message queue or expose web services, and call APIs via HTTP requests

Visit Linx >>

SQL Sentry is database performance monitoring for the Data Platform, with fast root cause analysis and visibility across the Microsoft data estate. It helps you to manger scheduled events and identifies resource contention in an Outlook-style calendar.

Features:

• At-a-glance view of database environment health
• Proactive alerting and response system
• It allows you to find and fix high-impact queries
• Storage forecasting powered by predictive analytics
• It helps you to identify contributing problems in the OS and virtual environment.

Visit SQL Sentry >>

DbSchema is a visual database designer & manager for any SQL, NoSQL, or Cloud database. The tool enables you to visually design & interact with the database schema, design the schema in a team and deploy it on multiple databases, generate HTML5 diagram documentation, visually explore the data and build queries, and so much more.

Features:

• Design schema in the team and deploy on multiple databases
• Compare different versions of the schema, generate migration scripts
• HTML5 Documentation, Interactive Diagrams, Relational Data Explorer & Visual Query Builder
• Schema Synchronization, Random Data Generator, Data Loader, Database Reports
• SQL Editor with auto-completion

Visit DbSchema >>

IDE (Integrated Development Environment)

Dreamweaver is a popular Software Development Tool. This tool helps you to create, publish, and manage websites. A website created with DreamWeaver can be uploaded to any web server.

Features:

• Dynamic websites can be quickly developed using Dreamweaver.
• You can create a website that fits any screen size.
• This tool helps you to customize workspace the way you like.
• It has an inbuilt HTML validator to validate your code.
• Provides Real-time collaboration, Live Preview, Drag-and-drop Editor, Multilingual, Syntax Highlighting, and Dual View
• Supports compliance standard such as GDPR
• Provides numerous plugins like Code View
• Seamlessly integrates with Fireworks and Flash
• Offers ready-made templates for blogs, ecommerce, newsletters and portfolios
• Provides programming languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
• Offers flexible coding, Seamless Live View editing, Multi-monitor, and Redesigned
• It provides customer support via Phone and Chat
• Supported Platforms: Windows, Android and iOS
• Price: Plans start at $20.99 a month.
• Free Trial: 7 Days Free Trial

Visit Dreamweaver >>

7) Apache NetBeans

Apache NetBeans is a popular, Free, open-source IDE. It is one of the best application development tools that allows developing desktop, mobile, and web applications.

Features:

• Support for fast & smart code editing
• Easy & Efficient Project Management process
• Rapid User Interface Development
• Helps to write bug-free code
• NetBeans IDE offers superior support for C/C++ and PHP developers
• It can be installed on any OS which supports Java, from Windows to Linux to Mac OS X systems

Download link: https://netbeans.apache.org/download/index.html

8) AWS Cloud9

AWS Cloud9 IDE is an online integrated software development environment. It is one of the best software design tools that supports many programming languages like C, C++, PHP, Ruby, Perl, Python, JavaScript, and Node.js.

Features:

• Allows to clone the entire development environment
• Built-In Terminal for command-line wizard
• Code Completion suggestions help software developers code faster and avoid typos
• The Debugger helps developers to set breakpoints and inspect variables of any JS/Node.js app
• Simply drag any file or Terminal to create multiple split views
• Developers can select an extensive set of default Runners to execute apps, such as Ruby, Python, PHP/Apache

Download link: https://aws.amazon.com/cloud9/

9) Zend Studio

Zend Studio allows software developers to code faster, and debug more easily. It is a next-generation PHP IDE designed to create apps to boost developers’ productivity. It is one of the best developer tools which scales according to the DPI settings of the underlying operating system.

Features:

• Code faster with performance improvements in indexing, validation, and searching for PHP code
• Offering debugging capabilities with Xdebug, Zend Debugger, and Z-Ray integration
• Extensive plugin provided by the large Eclipse eco-system
• It is one of the best programming tools that support development tools, including Docker and Git Flow
• Deploy PHP applications on any server for Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure

Download link: https://www.zend.com/downloads

10) Atom

Atom is a solid all-around text-editor. It is fully free and open source. This software development tool can be customized to do anything but without a need to modify the config file.

Features:

• Atom works across many popular operating systems like OS X, Windows, or Linux
• It helps developers to write code faster with a smart, flexible autocomplete
• Easily browse and open whole project or multiple projects in one window
• It is possible to split the Atom interface into multiple panes to compare and edit code across files
• Find, preview, and replace text type in a file or across the entire project

Download link: https://atom.io/

Codelobster streamlines and simplifies PHP software development. process. It supports CMS like WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, and Magento.

Features:

• PHP, HTML, JavaScript, CSS code highlighting
• Autocomplete of tags, attributes for a current tag, closing tags.
• Inspector makes it simple to find HTML elements and their styles buried deep in the page
• Autocomplete of style property names and values
• It allows autocompleting of keywords, DOM elements, and their properties
• It offers PHP Advanced autocomplete

Visit CodeLobster >>

CodeCharge Studio offers the fastest way to build applications. This tool helps to develop data-driven Web sites or enterprise Internet and Intranet systems.

Features:

• Avoid costly errors and misspellings by generating consistent, well-structured code
• Eliminate time-consuming programming tasks and build scalable, robust Web Applications
• Helps to convert any database into a web application in a very less amount of time
• Analyze and modify generated code to learn web technologies and take on programming projects in any environment

Visit CodeCharge >>

Best Software Development Frameworks

13) Bootstrap

Bootstrap is a responsive framework for developing with HTML, CSS, and JS. It is one of the best software programming tools that have many in-builds components, which you can easily drag and drop to assemble responsive web pages.

Feature:

• Bootstrap enables the utilization of ready- made blocks of code
• It ensures consistency irrespective of who’s working on the project
• It offers an extensive list of components
• Base Styling for most HTML Elements
• Bootstrap can be customized according to the specific need of the project

Download link: http://getbootstrap.com/docs/4.0/getting-started/download/

14) HTML5 Builder

HTML5 Builder is a software solution for building web and mobile apps. It can develop an app using a single HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and PHP codebase. It helps to target multiple mobile operating systems, devices, and Web browsers.

Features:

• It is the fastest way to develop cross-platform Apps with flexible Cloud services.
• Increased speed of development with a single visual framework
• It is one of the best tools in the software that brings Designers and Developers into a Collaborative Workflow
• Create Enterprise or ISV web and mobile apps
• Create location-based browser and mobile applications using geolocation components in HTML5 Builder

Download link: https://www.embarcadero.com/products/rad-studio/start-for-free

15) Visual Online

Visual Studio Online is a collection of services. It is fast and easy to plan, build and ship software across a variety of platforms. It is one of the best tools for software developers that allows organizations to create the perfect development environment.

Features:

• Track and manage all ideas on kanban or scrum boards with agile tools
• Improve code quality and catch issues early
• Build, manage, secure and share software components
• Automate and simplify Azure deployments
• Tools for manual, performance, and automated testing
• It offers a centralized version control system with free private repositories.

Download link: https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads/

Cloud Tools for Software Development

Microsoft Azure is widely used by developers to build, deploy and manage web applications.

Features:

• It supports a wide range of operating systems, programming languages, frameworks, and devices
• Allows to build apps quickly and easily
• It easily detects and mitigates threats
• Rely on the most trusted cloud
• Allows to manage app proactively
• Helps to deliver mobile apps seamlessly

Visit Azure >>

17) Kwatee

Kwatee Agile Deployment is a software development tool. It is one of the best software developer tools that automate applications or microservices to any number of servers. It fully automates deployments of text and binary files from any number of target servers.

Features:

• It allows managing environment-specific configuration parameters for your application
• It allows generating command-line installers to be used for deployments in environments
• This software development tool eliminates the need for installation & configuration. It also takes out many operational risks in the software development process
• It is a friendly web interface lets configure deployments efficiently and painlessly
• It supports a broad range of operating systems, including Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, Solaris, etc.

Download link: https://github.com/kwatee/agiledeployment

Data Science Tools

18) Data studio

Dataiku DSS is a collaborative data science software platform. It is used by data scientists, data analysts, and engineers to explore, prototype, build and deliver their data products.

Features:

• Profile the data visually at every stage of the analysis
• Prepare, enrich, blend, and clean data using more than 80+ built-in functions
• Bundle whole workflow as a single deployable package for real-time predictions
• Build & optimize models in Python or R and integrate any external ML library through code APIs

Download link: https://www.dataiku.com/product/get-started/

Source Control Tools

19) Github

GitHub allows developers to review code, manage projects, and build software. It offers the right tool for different development jobs.

Features:

• Coordinate easily, stay aligned, and get done with GitHub’s project management tools
• Easy documentation alongside quality coding
• It is one of the best software dev tools that allows all code in a single place
• Developers can host their documentation directly from repositories

Download link: https://github.com/

20) BitBucket

Bitbucket is a version control tool. It facilitates easy collaboration amongst the software development team. It integrates very well with JIRA, a famous project and issue-managing app.

Features:

• Branch permissions access to ensure that the only right people can make changes to the code
• It is one of the best software tools examples that helps development team to focus on a goal, product or process by organizing repositories into projects
• It can display build results from CI system
• Integrate into existing workflow to streamline software development process

Download link: https://bitbucket.org/

Prototyping Tools

21) Axure

Axure provides the capability to produce wireframes, and prototypes, and create documentation. This tool is used by business analysts, product managers, and IT consultants around the world.

Features:

• Axure RP generates prototype in HTML and provides link for sharing
• It is one of the best dev programs which allows multiple people to work on the same file at the same time
• It can runs on Microsoft IIS with a MySQL or Microsoft SQL Server database
• It helps to create and maintain widget libraries

Download link: https://www.axure.com/

DevOps Tools 

22) Red Hat CodeReady Workspaces

Red Hat CodeReady Workspaces automates applications or micro services to any number of servers. It is one of the best software developing tools which fully automates deployments of text and binary files from any number of target servers.

Features:

• It allows managing environment-specific configuration parameters for your application
• It allows generating command-line installers to be used for deployments on any environment
• This software development tool eliminates the need for installation & configuration.
• It takes out many operational risks in the software development process
• The friendly web interface lets configure deployments efficiently and painlessly
• It supports a broad range operating systems including Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, Solaris, etc.

Download link: https://developers.redhat.com/products/codeready-workspaces/overview

Notifications Programs

23) SendBird

Sendbird is used as a messaging and Chat API for Mobile Apps and Websites. It offers scalability for a massive audience. It also prevents spam flooding of chat rooms.

Features:

• Read and track the status of the messages sent to users
• Integrate bots to assist with customer support and product recommendations
• Offers Push Notifications & Callbacks
• Read Receipt & Delivery Status
• Automatically split or merge chat rooms on the audience volume to offer continues engagement

Download link: https://sendbird.com/

UML Tools

24) Enterprise Architect

Enterprise Architect is a requirement management tool. It integrates seamlessly with other development tools by creating requirements in the model.

Features:

• Allows to build robust and maintainable systems
• It loads extremely large models in seconds
• Collaborate effectively globally
• Offers complete traceability
• Improve business outcomes
• Model and manage complex Data Effectively
• Supports Single click HTML and document generation
• Code execution to visual diagrams

Download link: http://www.sparxsystems.com/products/ea/

Best Software Development Tools

FAQs

❓ What is Software Development?

Software Development is a step-by-step structured process of creating, designing, building, deploying, and maintaining a software application or product. In Software development, several other components like frameworks, documentation, testing, and bug fixing are also involved.

✔️ Which are the best Software Development Tools?

⚡ What is Software Development Tool?

A Software Development Tool is an application or program which helps developers to create, maintain, test, build, debug, fix and support a software application or product. Software development tools also allow users to streamline and automate different software development tasks in order to improve efficiency and performance.

🏅 Types of Software Development Tools

Software Development Tools can be categorized into the following types:

• IDE (Integrated Development Environment) – Helps to edit, debug and run the source code
• Frameworks – Provides a platform to develop software applications
• Cloud Tools – Offers various software development services to build software applications quickly and easily
• Data Science Tools – Provides detailed analytics to improve software application product
• Source Control Tools – Offers easy management of source code for software development projects
• Prototyping Tools – Allows creating software prototypes
• DevOps Tools – Helps to manage and automate the software deployment process
• UML Tools – Helps in software documentation