Arduino IDE
8.0#1 in embedded development idesFree planFree planAndroidiOSWebAPI
VisitArduino IDE vs ESP-IDF Extension for VS Code
ESP-IDF Extension for VS Code
6.3#10 in embedded development idesFree planFree planExtensionLinuxmacOSWindows
VisitWhat both publish
| Fact | Arduino IDE | ESP-IDF Extension for VS Code |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Arduino's privacy policy gives its registered office as Via Andrea Appiani 25, Monza, Italy. | Shanghai, China |
| License | Arduino IDE 2 source code and executable distributions are licensed under GNU AGPLv3; bundled third-party components use compatible GPLv2, MIT and BSD-3 licenses. | The marketplace listing says the extension is licensed under Apache License 2.0. |
| Purpose | Arduino provides software for creating projects with electronic devices that interact with the physical world. | The extension lets developers develop, build, flash, monitor, debug, and manage ESP-IDF projects targeting Espressif chips within Visual Studio Code. |
Arduino IDE plans
- Arduino IDE 2Free
ESP-IDF Extension for VS Code plans
- FreeFree
Pick Arduino IDE if…
It suits students, makers, and professional developers creating projects with physical electronic devices. The editor and CLI support both graphical and text-based workflows.
Pick ESP-IDF Extension for VS Code if…
It suits developers building for supported ESP32-family targets who want project, build, flashing, monitoring, and debugging tools in Visual Studio Code. It requires Visual Studio Code, and macOS and Linux users should consult the linked system prerequisites.