Overview

PaizaCloud Cloud IDE is a browser-based development workspace built around Linux servers, with tools for editing code and running web projects. It suits learners, educators and developers who want a ready-to-use environment without configuring one on their own computer. Its free tier is useful for short sessions, but publishing a public application requires the more expensive BASIC plan.

Key features

The workspace brings together file management, a code editor, terminal, web server and database server in a browser interface. An in-browser browser lets users view web applications from the same workspace, while the ability to install or create additional apps offers room to adapt it to a project. PaizaCloud says a new Linux development server starts in about three seconds, a practical advantage when getting a lesson or coding session underway.

Listed environments cover LAMP, PHP, Ruby on Rails, JSP, Django, Node.js, Laravel, Go, Express and MEAN stack, alongside tools such as Jupyter Notebook and Git. This breadth makes the service relevant to varied web-development curricula and projects, though the environment itself is specified as Linux (Ubuntu 18.04). Users can share a server workspace with others and connect to it over SSH, useful for collaboration and command-line access.

Pricing

FREE is free and provides one server, up to 24 hours of server lifetime, up to four hours of continuous running while the browser is open, and 1 GB of disk. Application publishing is unavailable. The caps make it a sensible way to learn or try a short-lived project, not a persistent workspace.

LITE costs 9.80 USD per month, billed monthly. It raises the allowance to three servers, unlimited server lifetime and 2 GB of disk, but still limits continuous running to four hours while the browser is open and does not allow application publishing. It fits users who need longer-lived development servers but can work within those session and publishing limits.

BASIC costs 19.80 USD per month, billed monthly. It includes one always-on server plus three limited-running servers, unlimited server lifetime, 4 GB of disk and public web application publishing. Additional always-on servers cost $19.80 per month each. This is the clear choice for a project that must remain online publicly; the single included always-on server may be restrictive for users who need several.

Platforms

PaizaCloud runs in a browser and supports client systems including Windows 8.1 or later, Mac OS X 10.13 or later, iOS 12 or later and Android 8 or later. The service also lists Linux, macOS, Windows, Android and iOS among its supported platforms. Its cloud development environment runs Linux (Ubuntu 18.04), separating the server environment from the client device.

Who it's for

Beginners can use PaizaCloud to start coding without setting up a local development environment, while teachers, instructors, schools and bootcamps can use shared workspaces for instruction. Developers who want browser access to a Linux server and common web stacks may also find it a good fit. It is less suitable for anyone who needs public application publishing on a free or lower-cost plan, or who needs continuous browser-open sessions longer than four hours.

Pros and cons

Pro: Editor, terminal, web server and database server share one browser workspace, reducing the setup needed to begin a web project.
Pro: A broad selection of listed stacks and tools, plus SSH and workspace sharing, serves both individual learning and collaborative instruction.
Con: FREE and LITE do not support public application publishing, so publishing requires a $19.80-per-month BASIC subscription.
Con: FREE and LITE cap continuous running at four hours while the browser is open; BASIC includes only one always-on server before paid add-ons.
Con: Disk space ranges from 1 GB on FREE to 4 GB on BASIC, which may constrain larger projects.

Alternatives

For a PHP-focused comparison, browse PHP IDEs; for other hosted workspaces, see Cloud Development Environments or Coding Playgrounds.

ICEcoder is a free browser-based code editor with an MIT-licensed IDE framework, making it worth considering for readers who want an editor rather than PaizaCloud's server-and-services workspace. Visual Studio Code is a free alternative for readers looking at a different editor. Zed offers a free Personal plan with 2,000 accepted edit predictions and external-agent or API-key support, for readers seeking those editor capabilities.

OpenIDE is another freemium alternative. Apache NetBeans is free for commercial and non-commercial use under Apache License 2.0. Eclipse PHP Development Tools is a free, open-source PHP IDE framework for Eclipse. IntelliJ IDEA has a free core plan for Java and Kotlin, while Geany is a free alternative.

Verdict

PaizaCloud is a strong fit for learners and educators who want a browser-accessible Linux workspace with web-development services ready to use. Its integrated tools, stack selection and workspace sharing are the main reasons to choose it. Look elsewhere if you need public publishing without BASIC, more than one included always-on server, or a free local editor rather than a hosted development environment.

	NuSphere PhpED	PaizaCloud Cloud IDE
Free plan	No	Yes
Free trial	Yes
Paid from		$9.80/mo
Platforms	Linux, macOS, Windows	Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Web, Windows
Free plan	No	No
PHP refactoring	Yes
Unit testing tools	Yes
Database tools	Yes
Remote development	Yes
Supported platforms	multi-platform
Paid from		$9.80/mo

NuSphere PhpED vs PaizaCloud Cloud IDE

NuSphere PhpED

PaizaCloud Cloud IDE