Compare PHP IDEs & editors
Select 2–4 products. Cells use structured feature data (✓ / △ / ✕ / ?). Verified 2026-08-09.
Feature matrix
| Feature | PhpStorm | Visual Studio Code | Eclipse PDT | Apache NetBeans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| basics | ||||
| PHP syntax highlighting | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Supported | Eclipse PDT: Supported | Apache NetBeans: Supported |
| Integrated terminal | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Supported | Eclipse PDT: Supported | Apache NetBeans: Supported |
| Beginner friendly | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Supported | Eclipse PDT: Partial / plugin-dependent | Apache NetBeans: Supported |
| containers | ||||
| Docker | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Partial / plugin-dependent | Apache NetBeans: Partial / plugin-dependent |
| Dev Containers | PhpStorm: Partial / plugin-dependent | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Not supported | Apache NetBeans: Not supported |
| WSL | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Partial / plugin-dependent | Apache NetBeans: Partial / plugin-dependent |
| database | ||||
| Database connections | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Partial / plugin-dependent | Apache NetBeans: Supported |
| SQL tools | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Partial / plugin-dependent | Apache NetBeans: Supported |
| debugging | ||||
| Xdebug | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Supported | Apache NetBeans: Supported |
| extensibility | ||||
| Plugin ecosystem | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Supported | Eclipse PDT: Supported | Apache NetBeans: Supported |
| AI-assisted tooling | PhpStorm: Partial / plugin-dependent | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Not supported | Apache NetBeans: Not supported |
| frameworks | ||||
| Laravel | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Partial / plugin-dependent | Apache NetBeans: Partial / plugin-dependent |
| Symfony | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Partial / plugin-dependent | Apache NetBeans: Partial / plugin-dependent |
| WordPress | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Partial / plugin-dependent | Apache NetBeans: Partial / plugin-dependent |
| Drupal | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Partial / plugin-dependent | Apache NetBeans: Partial / plugin-dependent |
| Magento / Adobe Commerce | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Partial / plugin-dependent | Apache NetBeans: Partial / plugin-dependent |
| Laminas / Zend Framework | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Partial / plugin-dependent | Apache NetBeans: Partial / plugin-dependent |
| php | ||||
| PHP support | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Supported | Apache NetBeans: Supported |
| Code completion | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Supported | Apache NetBeans: Supported |
| Inspections and diagnostics | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Supported | Apache NetBeans: Supported |
| Automated refactoring | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Partial / plugin-dependent | Apache NetBeans: Partial / plugin-dependent |
| PHPUnit | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Partial / plugin-dependent | Apache NetBeans: Supported |
| Composer | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Supported | Apache NetBeans: Supported |
| PHPStan | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Partial / plugin-dependent | Apache NetBeans: Partial / plugin-dependent |
| Psalm | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Partial / plugin-dependent | Apache NetBeans: Partial / plugin-dependent |
| PHP CS Fixer | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Partial / plugin-dependent | Apache NetBeans: Partial / plugin-dependent |
| PHP_CodeSniffer | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Partial / plugin-dependent | Apache NetBeans: Partial / plugin-dependent |
| platforms | ||||
| Windows | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Supported | Eclipse PDT: Supported | Apache NetBeans: Supported |
| macOS | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Supported | Eclipse PDT: Supported | Apache NetBeans: Supported |
| Linux | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Supported | Eclipse PDT: Supported | Apache NetBeans: Supported |
| Browser based | PhpStorm: Not supported | Visual Studio Code: Not supported | Eclipse PDT: Not supported | Apache NetBeans: Not supported |
| pricing | ||||
| Free to use | PhpStorm: Not supported | Visual Studio Code: Supported | Eclipse PDT: Supported | Apache NetBeans: Supported |
| Commercial option acceptable | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Supported | Eclipse PDT: Supported | Apache NetBeans: Supported |
| remote | ||||
| SSH workflows | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Partial / plugin-dependent | Apache NetBeans: Partial / plugin-dependent |
| SFTP | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Partial / plugin-dependent | Apache NetBeans: Supported |
| FTP | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Partial / plugin-dependent | Apache NetBeans: Supported |
| Remote development | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Partial / plugin-dependent | Apache NetBeans: Partial / plugin-dependent |
| resources | ||||
| Low memory use | PhpStorm: Not supported | Visual Studio Code: Not verified | Eclipse PDT: Not supported | Apache NetBeans: Not supported |
| Large projects | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Supported | Apache NetBeans: Partial / plugin-dependent |
| vcs | ||||
| Git | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Supported | Eclipse PDT: Supported | Apache NetBeans: Supported |
| GitHub | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Partial / plugin-dependent | Apache NetBeans: Partial / plugin-dependent |
| GitLab | PhpStorm: Supported | Visual Studio Code: Partial / plugin-dependent | Eclipse PDT: Partial / plugin-dependent | Apache NetBeans: Partial / plugin-dependent |
Legend: ✓ supported · △ partial/plugin-dependent · ✕ not supported · — not applicable · ? not verified. A checkmark is not awarded merely because an extension might exist.
Editorial comparisons
- Eclipse PDT vs Apache NetBeans Compare the two major open-source Java-based PHP IDE options.
- PhpStorm vs Apache NetBeans Compare the deepest commercial PHP IDE with a free Apache-licensed bundled IDE.
- PhpStorm vs Cursor for PHP Compare integrated PHP semantics with an agent-centered VS Code-derived editor.
- PhpStorm vs Eclipse PDT Commercial PHP polish versus an open-source Eclipse-based PHP IDE.
- PhpStorm vs VS Code for PHP Compare a commercial PHP-first IDE with a free editor assembled through extensions.
- VS Code vs Apache NetBeans A configurable editor versus a bundled free PHP IDE.
- VS Code vs Cursor for PHP Compare Microsoft’s extensible editor with an AI-first product based on the VS Code codebase.
- VS Code vs Eclipse PDT A modular general editor compared with an open-source PHP IDE on Eclipse.
- Zend Studio vs PhpStorm A discontinued historical IDE compared with a maintained commercial PHP IDE.
- Zend Studio vs VS Code Move from a discontinued bundled IDE to a maintained extension-based editor.