Arduino IDE vs B4R
Arduino IDE
arduino.cc
B4R
b4x.comSide by side
| Figure | Arduino IDE | B4R |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Embedded Development IDEs | 9.1 (#2) | 7.6 (#12) |
| Purpose | Arduino provides software for creating projects with electronic devices that interact with the physical world. | B4R is a development tool for building native programs for Arduino, ESP8266 and ESP32. |
| Support | Arduino links to documentation, a Help Center, and a support request channel. | Anywhere Software directs technical questions to its forum and says it answers email inquiries within 24 hours. |
Plans
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.
B4R
B4R is a free Windows development tool for creating native programs for Arduino-compatible boards, ESP8266, and ESP32. Its plan costs nothing and permits commercial use. The product page lists a modern IDE, connectivity options, and an Arduino–Android Bluetooth Low Energy example. Integrated flashing is available, but integrated debugging is not. Setup requires Arduino IDE v2, Arduino CLI, and Java; OpenJDK 14 is listed when Java is not already installed. Users configure paths to arduino-cli.exe and javac, then choose a board type and serial port in the Board Selector. C source code and generated compiled objects appear in the Objects folder. B4R libraries are open source under the MIT license. The product page links learning resources, example projects, tutorials, and a forum. Anywhere Software directs technical questions to its forum and says email inquiries receive answers within 24 hours. The maker identifies Erel Uziel as founder and CEO and says it has specialized in mobile development since 2005.