Best PHP IDEs in 2026
Updated
In short: PaizaCloud Cloud IDE is ranked #1 of 23 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Zed and ICEcoder. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Zed. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Nova at $4.08/mo.
PHP development can involve editing alongside refactoring, testing, debugging, and database work. Compared on PHP refactoring, unit testing tools, and Xdebug debugging, these IDEs also show database tools, Docker support, and remote development. Supported platforms help you assess fit with your setup, while free-plan availability and paid-from pricing give cost context. PaizaCloud Cloud IDE, Zed, and Visual Studio Code are among the entries to consider. Think about which parts of your development workflow you want the IDE to support, then compare the listed capabilities and platform details against your project needs.
23 PHP IDEs ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
23ranked
12free plans on this page
$4.08/molowest paid tier
4 Oct 2026last checked
Input list PHP IDEs 23 channels on this page · 50 of 184 spec lines stated by the makers
Ch Tool Free planPaid fromPHP refactoringXdebug debuggingUnit testing toolsDatabase toolsDocker supportRemote development Spec sheet Score
01 PaizaCloud Cloud IDE Free planNoPaid fromnot statedPHP refactoringnot statedXdebug debuggingnot statedUnit testing toolsnot statedDatabase toolsnot statedDocker supportnot statedRemote developmentnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 7.8
02 Zed Free planYesPaid from10/user/moPHP refactoringnot statedXdebug debuggingnot statedUnit testing toolsnot statedDatabase toolsnot statedDocker supportnot statedRemote developmentnot stated 2/8spec lines stated 7.7
03 ICEcoder Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPHP refactoringnot statedXdebug debuggingnot statedUnit testing toolsnot statedDatabase toolsnot statedDocker supportnot statedRemote developmentYes 2/8spec lines stated 7.6
04 Visual Studio Code Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPHP refactoringnot statedXdebug debuggingnot statedUnit testing toolsnot statedDatabase toolsnot statedDocker supportnot statedRemote developmentnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 7.5
05 IntelliJ IDEA Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPHP refactoringnot statedXdebug debuggingnot statedUnit testing toolsnot statedDatabase toolsnot statedDocker supportnot statedRemote developmentnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 7.4
06 OpenIDE Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPHP refactoringYesXdebug debuggingYesUnit testing toolsYesDatabase toolsYesDocker supportYesRemote developmentYes 7/8spec lines stated 7.3
07 Eclipse PHP Development Tools Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPHP refactoringYesXdebug debuggingYesUnit testing toolsYesDatabase toolsnot statedDocker supportnot statedRemote developmentYes 5/8spec lines stated 7.2
08 Scriptcase Free planNoPaid fromnot statedPHP refactoringnot statedXdebug debuggingnot statedUnit testing toolsnot statedDatabase toolsYesDocker supportnot statedRemote developmentYes 3/8spec lines stated 7.2
09 Kate Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPHP refactoringnot statedXdebug debuggingnot statedUnit testing toolsnot statedDatabase toolsnot statedDocker supportnot statedRemote developmentnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 7.1
10 Apache NetBeans Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPHP refactoringnot statedXdebug debuggingnot statedUnit testing toolsnot statedDatabase toolsnot statedDocker supportnot statedRemote developmentnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 7.0
11 CodeLite Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPHP refactoringnot statedXdebug debuggingnot statedUnit testing toolsnot statedDatabase toolsnot statedDocker supportnot statedRemote developmentnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 7.0
12 NuSphere PhpED Free planNoPaid fromnot statedPHP refactoringYesXdebug debuggingnot statedUnit testing toolsYesDatabase toolsYesDocker supportnot statedRemote developmentYes 5/8spec lines stated 7.0
13 SlickEdit Free planNoPaid fromnot statedPHP refactoringnot statedXdebug debuggingnot statedUnit testing toolsnot statedDatabase toolsnot statedDocker supportnot statedRemote developmentYes 2/8spec lines stated 7.0
14 Bluefish Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPHP refactoringnot statedXdebug debuggingnot statedUnit testing toolsnot statedDatabase toolsnot statedDocker supportnot statedRemote developmentYes 2/8spec lines stated 6.9
15 Rapid PHP Editor Free planNoPaid fromnot statedPHP refactoringnot statedXdebug debuggingYesUnit testing toolsnot statedDatabase toolsYesDocker supportnot statedRemote developmentYes 4/8spec lines stated 6.3
16 Geany Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPHP refactoringnot statedXdebug debuggingnot statedUnit testing toolsnot statedDatabase toolsnot statedDocker supportnot statedRemote developmentnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 6.2
17 PHP Studio Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPHP refactoringnot statedXdebug debuggingnot statedUnit testing toolsnot statedDatabase toolsnot statedDocker supportnot statedRemote developmentnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 6.2
18 Nova Free planNoPaid fromnot statedPHP refactoringnot statedXdebug debuggingnot statedUnit testing toolsnot statedDatabase toolsnot statedDocker supportnot statedRemote developmentnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 5.9
19 UltraCompare Free planNoPaid fromnot statedPHP refactoringnot statedXdebug debuggingYesUnit testing toolsnot statedDatabase toolsnot statedDocker supportnot statedRemote developmentYes 3/8spec lines stated 5.8
20 PhpStorm Free planNoPaid fromnot statedPHP refactoringnot statedXdebug debuggingnot statedUnit testing toolsnot statedDatabase toolsnot statedDocker supportnot statedRemote developmentnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 5.7
21 phpDesigner Free planNoPaid fromnot statedPHP refactoringnot statedXdebug debuggingnot statedUnit testing toolsnot statedDatabase toolsnot statedDocker supportnot statedRemote developmentYes 2/8spec lines stated 5.5
22 WeBuilder Free planNoPaid fromnot statedPHP refactoringnot statedXdebug debuggingnot statedUnit testing toolsnot statedDatabase toolsYesDocker supportnot statedRemote developmentnot stated 2/8spec lines stated 5.4
23 PHP Expert Editor Free planNoPaid fromnot statedPHP refactoringnot statedXdebug debuggingnot statedUnit testing toolsnot statedDatabase toolsnot statedDocker supportnot statedRemote developmentnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 5.2
Compare all 23 in a table
| # | Tool | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | PHP refactoring | Xdebug debugging |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PaizaCloud Cloud IDE | 7.8 | Free plan | $9.80/mo | No | — | — | — |
| 2 | Zed | 7.7 | Free plan | $10/mo | Yes | 10 /user/mo | — | — |
| 3 | ICEcoder | 7.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 4 | Visual Studio Code | 7.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 5 | IntelliJ IDEA | 7.4 | Free plan | $8.33/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 6 | OpenIDE | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 7 | Eclipse PHP Development Tools | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 8 | Scriptcase | 7.2 | No | $33.27/mo | No | — | — | — |
| 9 | Kate | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 10 | Apache NetBeans | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 11 | CodeLite | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 12 | NuSphere PhpED | 7.0 | No | — | No | — | Yes | — |
| 13 | SlickEdit | 7.0 | No | $125/mo | No | — | — | — |
| 14 | Bluefish | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 15 | Rapid PHP Editor | 6.3 | No | — | No | — | — | Yes |
| 16 | Geany | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 17 | PHP Studio | 6.2 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 18 | Nova | 5.9 | No | $4.08/mo | No | — | — | — |
| 19 | UltraCompare | 5.8 | No | — | No | — | — | Yes |
| 20 | PhpStorm | 5.7 | No | — | No | — | — | — |
| 21 | phpDesigner | 5.5 | No | — | No | — | — | — |
| 22 | WeBuilder | 5.4 | No | — | No | — | — | — |
| 23 | PHP Expert Editor | 5.2 | No | — | No | — | — | — |
Is your tool on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which PHP IDE is ranked first on Specifiction?
PaizaCloud Cloud IDE is ranked #1 of 23 with a score of 7.8. Zed is second and ICEcoder third.
How many of these have a free plan?
12 of the 23 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Nova has the lowest first paid tier we found: $4.08/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, the fullest spec sheet first: how deeply the product is documented, the platforms it runs on, a free tier or trial to test it, and its standing. Paid placements never change a rank.
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