
Spring Tools for Eclipse
Spring Tools for Eclipse adds development support for enterprise applications built with Spring Framework and Spring Boot.
What Spring Tools for Eclipse is
Spring Tools for Eclipse adds development support for enterprise applications built with Spring Framework and Spring Boot. Developers can use it as a ready-to-use Eclipse distribution or add extensions to an existing Eclipse installation. Spring Initializr helps create Spring Boot applications, while Spring Guides provides getting-started material. The tools offer Spring source-code overviews, navigation to important application parts, and smart completions for Spring elements. With Spring Boot Actuators, the editor can show runtime details such as bean wiring, conditional reports, and configuration information. Optional Eclipse features add editor support for Cloud Foundry manifests, BOSH configuration files, and Concourse CI configuration files. It also integrates with AI coding assistants, providing extra context, an embedded MCP server, and code actions. Spring Tools is free and open source, with downloads for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Java works out of the box; Kotlin and Groovy projects can be generated, but included tooling support for those languages is not provided.
Good
- Free and open source.
- Available as an Eclipse distribution or extensions.
- Spring Initializr helps create Spring Boot applications.
- Shows runtime details through Spring Boot Actuators.
- Supports Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Watch out
- Kotlin and Groovy tooling support is not included.
- No free trial is offered.
Who it suits
Spring Tools suits developers building enterprise applications with Spring Framework or Spring Boot. It is also an option for Eclipse users who want Spring-specific navigation and code completion.
Verdict
Spring Tools for Eclipse provides Spring-focused creation, navigation, completion, and runtime details at no cost. Java is supported out of the box, while Kotlin and Groovy projects lack included tooling support.
Plans and prices
From Spring Tools for Eclipse's own pricing page, checked 30 Sep 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Spring Tools for Eclipse | Free | Free · Open source |
The facts
Each one read from Spring Tools for Eclipse's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Additional integrations
- Optional Eclipse features provide editor support for Cloud Foundry manifest files, BOSH config files, and Concourse CI config files.checked 30 Sep 2026
- AI support
- Spring Tools integrates with AI coding assistants and provides additional context, an embedded MCP server, and code actions.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Code completion
- Spring Tools provides smart code completions for Spring elements in an app.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Code navigation
- Spring Tools provides an overview of Spring source code and navigation to important parts of Spring apps.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Downloads
- The official page lists Eclipse downloads for Linux x86_64 and ARM_64, macOS x86_64 and ARM_64, and Windows x86_64.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Editors
- Spring Tools for Eclipse is available as a ready-to-use Eclipse distribution or as extensions for an existing Eclipse installation.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Language limitation
- The Getting Started documentation says Java is supported out of the box, while Kotlin and Groovy projects can be generated without included tooling support for those languages.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Project creation
- The Spring Initializr integration helps users create a Spring Boot app, and the Spring Guides integration provides guides to get started.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Purpose
- Spring Tools provides development support for enterprise applications using Spring Framework and Spring Boot.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Runtime details
- Using Spring Boot Actuators, Spring Tools can show runtime details such as bean wiring, conditional reports, and configuration information in the editor.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Security reporting
- The project repository directs users to its security policy for reporting vulnerabilities.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Support channels
- The project directs users to Stack Overflow for questions and GitHub issues for reporting problems.checked 30 Sep 2026
Alternatives to Spring Tools for Eclipse
- 1

IntelliJ IDEA
Free planAPIExtensionLinuxmacOS7.8Free plan - 2

Java-Editor
Free planOpen sourceAndroidLinuxmacOSWindows7.4Free plan - 3

AIDE
Free planAndroid6.8$2.99 one-time - 4

MyEclipse
LinuxmacOSWindows6.6From $37 a year - 5
CS++ Java IDE
Free planiOSWebmacOSWindows6.5Free plan - 6

Apache NetBeans
Free planLinuxmacOSWindows6.4Free plan
