Arduino IDE vs nRF Connect for VS Code

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.

nRF Connect for VS Code is a free extension for developing, building, and debugging applications based on the nRF Connect SDK. It supports nRF91, nRF70, nRF53, and nRF52 Series devices, with interfaces to the compiler and linker and an RTOS-aware debugger. Configuration tools include a DeviceTree Visual Editor and a Create New Board wizard. The environment includes a built-in terminal and both command-line and graphical interfaces, with integrated flashing listed. The product consists of four Nordic extensions: nRF Connect for VS Code, nRF DeviceTree, nRF Kconfig, and nRF Terminal. Nordic says all four must be installed and used together for the product to work correctly with supported SDKs and provide all features. The main extension is available through the Visual Studio Code Marketplace; Nordic documentation also lists the extensions in the Open VSX Registry for VSIX-compatible editors. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Nordic identifies nRF Connect for Desktop and nRF Command Line Tools as additional desktop tools, and recommends its nRF Connect SDK Fundamentals course for getting started. Nordic Semiconductor is headquartered in Trondheim, Norway, and was established in 1983.