MPLAB X IDE vs PlatformIO IDE
MPLAB X IDE
microchip.com
PlatformIO IDE
platformio.orgSide by side
| Figure | MPLAB X IDE | PlatformIO IDE |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $249/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 4 |
| Spec score · IoT Development Tools | 7.8 (#7) | 8.0 (#5) |
| Spec score · Embedded Development IDEs | 7.6 (#13) | 7.8 (#9) |
| Spec score · Embedded Systems Toolchains | 7.8 (#14) | 8.1 (#9) |
| Spec score · C++ IDEs | 7.6 (#19) | 7.9 (#12) |
| Debugging | Its features include I/O View for viewing and manipulating target device registers during debugging. | The IDE page says its unified debugger supports more than 250 embedded boards with zero configuration. |
| Purpose | MPLAB X IDE provides tools to discover, configure, develop, debug and qualify embedded designs for most Microchip microcontrollers and digital signal controllers. | PlatformIO is a cross-platform, cross-architecture tool for embedded systems engineers and software developers building applications for embedded products. |
| Support | Microchip offers design assistance through its Client Success Team and provides forums, technical support and design help. | The free Community support option includes round-the-clock access to community forums and documentation; paid Business support lists online ticket submission and a response time under 24 business hours. |
Plans
PlatformIO IDE
- CommunityFree
- PlatformIO IDEFree
- Business$249 a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
MPLAB X IDE
MPLAB X IDE is a free desktop environment for discovering, configuring, developing, debugging, and qualifying embedded designs for most Microchip microcontrollers and digital signal controllers. It runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS, supporting 64-bit Intel or AMD computers and Arm-based Apple silicon. During debugging, I/O View can display and manipulate target registers. A single action can build a project, connect to a hardware tool, program the target, and begin debugging or execution. Data Visualizer displays real-time streaming data, and MPLAB Integrated Programming Environment supports production-level programming. The IDE supports open-source AVR and SAM MCU GCC and can work with MPLAB XC compilers. Projects and tools such as Code Configurator and Data Visualizer are also supported in Microsoft Visual Studio Code. Source control configuration options and a plug-in manager, including support for NetBeans plugins, extend the environment. The listed 6.35 release supports Windows, Linux, and macOS. Version 6.20 was the last release supporting PICkit 3, MPLAB ICD 3, and MPLAB REAL ICE. Supported targets include PIC, dsPIC, AVR, SAM, PIC32, and other Microchip MCU, DSC, and MPU families.
PlatformIO IDE
PlatformIO IDE has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.