Arduino IDE vs Arm Keil MDK
Arduino IDE
arduino.cc
Arm Keil MDK
keil.arm.comSide by side
| Figure | Arduino IDE | Arm Keil MDK |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $99/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 8 |
| Spec score · IDE Software | 9.1 (#3) | 9.4 (#1) |
| Spec score · Embedded Development IDEs | 9.1 (#2) | 9.5 (#1) |
| Spec score · IoT Development Tools | 9.1 (#2) | 9.4 (#1) |
| 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. | MDK components are governed by Arm end-user license agreements rather than an open-source license. |
| Purpose | Arduino provides software for creating projects with electronic devices that interact with the physical world. | Keil MDK simplifies embedded software development for Cortex-M and Ethos-U processors through CLI, IDE, or continuous integration workflows. |
| Support | Arduino links to documentation, a Help Center, and a support request channel. | Keil MDK support offers support cases, a community forum, documentation, and learning videos. |
| System requirements | IDE 2 requires 64-bit Windows 10 or newer, 64-bit macOS 10.15 Catalina or newer, or a 64-bit Linux system. | Minimum requirements are a 1 GHz 64-bit x86 or AArch64 CPU, 1 GB RAM and 2 GB free disk; recommended is 2 GHz, 4 GB RAM and 5 GB disk. |
| What it does | Arduino IDE is a desktop environment for writing, compiling, debugging and uploading sketches to Arduino-compatible boards. | Keil MDK is Arm’s toolchain for creating, building and debugging software for Cortex-M and Ethos-U microcontrollers and processors. |
Plans
Arm Keil MDK
- EssentialPriced on request
- ProfessionalPriced on request
- ProfessionalPriced on request
- CommunityFree
- Keil MDK v6 Essential82.39 CHF a month
- Keil MDK v6 Essential$99 a month
- Keil MDK v6 Professional165.60 CHF a month
- Keil MDK v6 Professional$199 a month
In their own words
Arduino IDE
Arduino IDE is a free desktop environment for building projects with electronic devices that interact with the physical world. The software page lists version 2.3.10, with downloads for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Its editor provides autocompletion, code navigation, and a live debugger; documentation also covers debugging, the Serial Monitor, and the Serial Plotter. Arduino CLI offers a text-based environment to build, compile, and upload sketches, and manage libraries and boards. Documentation describes synchronizing sketches between IDE 2 and Arduino Cloud through a Remote Sketchbook. Arduino IDE 2.0 is open source, with source code hosted on GitHub. Listed targets include Arduino AVR, megaAVR, SAMD, SAM, Mbed OS Nano, and Mbed OS Portenta. Nightly builds preview incoming releases with updated features and bug fixes. Arduino describes its ecosystem as serving students, makers, and professional developers. The software page states that downloads are provided as is and disclaims express and implied warranties.
Arm Keil MDK
Arm Keil MDK is a toolchain for embedded software targeting Cortex-M and Ethos-U processors. MDK v6 supports command-line, IDE, and continuous-integration workflows across major operating systems. It includes Keil Studio extensions for Visual Studio Code, Keil μVision, Arm Compiler for Embedded, and Arm Fixed Virtual Platform models. Software packs add device and board support, middleware, components, code templates, and example projects independently of the toolchain. Keil Studio supports CMSIS workflows with an integrated debugger and extensions for creating, building, and testing embedded applications. Listed integrations include CMSIS-FreeRTOS, Keil RTX5, MDK-Middleware, IoT clients, CMSIS-DAP, ULink, and third-party debug adapters. Community is for non-commercial use. The listed MDK v6 Essential plan costs $99 a month per license; Professional costs $199 a month per license and adds Arm Virtual Hardware, functional-safety compiler tools, and legacy tools including Arm Compiler 5. Keil μVision is available only for Windows hosts.