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The best apps, researched from official sources

Developer tools

Code editors, terminals, API clients and the tools that help you build and ship software.

Short answer

For developer tools, start with Bruno: open-source, offline-first API client that stores collections as plain files in your Git repo. No account or cloud sync. Hoppscotch and Neovim are the strongest alternatives. This category has 38 apps, and 31 of them have a free plan or are free.

Prices for 6 of these 10 apps checked on against the official pricing pages. Check the others on each app's own site before you pay.

Our three picks

How we pick
1Best overall
BrunoOpen Source $0; Pro $6/user/month billed annually; Ultimate $11/user/month billed annually

Open-source, offline-first API client that stores collections as plain files in your Git repo. No account or cloud sync.

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2Strong alternative
HoppscotchFree $0 forever; Business $6/user/month billed annually

Open-source API client for HTTP, GraphQL, WebSocket and more, in the browser, on desktop, CLI or self-hosted.

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3Also great
NeovimFree and open source

Hyperextensible, Vim-based terminal text editor with Lua plugins, built-in LSP and Tree-sitter.

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The top 10 compared

AppPriceFree planWorks on
BrunoOpen Source $0; Pro $6/user/month billed annually; Ultimate $11/user/month billed annuallyYesMac, Windows, Linux
HoppscotchFree $0 forever; Business $6/user/month billed annuallyYesMac, Windows, Linux, Web
NeovimFree and open sourceFreeMac, Windows, Linux
CursorFree $0/month; Plus $8/month; Premium $30/month; Super $100/month; Ultra $200/monthYesiPhone, Mac, Windows, Linux, Web
Android StudioFree downloadFreeMac, Windows, Linux
BBEditFree Mode after 30-day evaluationYesMac
Beekeeper StudioCommunity free; Indie $9/user/month; Professional $14/user/month; Business $18/user/monthYesMac, Windows, Linux
Claude CodeIncluded in Claude Pro, Max, Ultra, Team Standard and Premium; not on FreeNoiPhone, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, Web
DashPaid; purchase/subscription via kapeli.comNoMac
DBeaverCommunity edition freeYesMac, Windows, Linux

Quick answers

What is the best app for developer tools?

For developer tools, start with Bruno: open-source, offline-first API client that stores collections as plain files in your Git repo. No account or cloud sync. Hoppscotch and Neovim are the strongest alternatives. This category has 38 apps, and 31 of them have a free plan or are free.

What is the best free app for developer tools?

Bruno is our highest-ranked pick that has a free plan: open-source, offline-first API client that stores collections as plain files in your Git repo. No account or cloud sync. Price: Open Source $0; Pro $6/user/month billed annually; Ultimate $11/user/month billed annually.

Which apps for developer tools work on every device?

Claude Code works on iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and the web.

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All 38 developer tools apps

Cursor screenshot from the App Store
CursorFree plan, Mac, Windows, Linux, Web, iPhone
AI coding agent and editor from Anysphere that builds, tests and reviews code, with cloud agents, a CLI and a mobile app.
Android StudioFree, Windows, Mac, Linux
Google's official IDE for Android apps, with Gemini AI, Compose design tools, an emulator and device streaming.
BBEdit screenshot from the Mac App Store
BBEditFree plan, Apple
Long-running Mac text and code editor with powerful grep search, multi-file replace and a free mode with no nags.
Beekeeper StudioFree plan, Mac, Windows, Linux
Modern, easy SQL editor and database manager with a free Community edition and paid Indie, Professional and Business plans.
BrunoFree plan, Mac, Windows, Linux
Open-source, offline-first API client that stores collections as plain files in your Git repo. No account or cloud sync.
Claude CodePaid, Everywhere
Anthropic's agentic coding tool that reads your codebase, edits files and runs commands from the terminal, IDE, desktop, web or phone.
DashPaid, Apple
Offline API documentation browser and snippet manager for Mac with 200+ docsets and MCP access for AI assistants.
DBeaverFree plan, Mac, Windows, Linux
Universal database tool with a free open-source Community edition for SQL and many other databases, plus paid PRO editions.
Docker DesktopFree plan, Mac, Windows, Linux
Desktop app for building and running containers locally, with Docker Engine, CLI, Compose, Kubernetes and extensions.
ForkPay once, Mac, Windows
Fast, friendly Git client for Mac and Windows with interactive rebase, a merge-conflict resolver and side-by-side diffs.
GhosttyFree, Mac, Linux
Fast, GPU-accelerated, open-source terminal emulator with a native UI, zero required config and hundreds of themes.
GitHub CopilotFree plan, Mac, Windows, Linux, Web
GitHub's AI pair programmer and coding agent with completions, chat and agent mode in VS Code, JetBrains, GitHub and more.
GitHub DesktopFree, Mac, Windows
GitHub's free, open-source GUI Git client for committing, branching, cherry-picking and reviewing changes without the command line.
GitKraken DesktopFree plan, Mac, Windows, Linux
Visual Git client with a commit graph, merge conflict tools, AI commit messages and parallel coding-agent sessions.
HoppscotchFree plan, Web, Mac, Windows, Linux
Open-source API client for HTTP, GraphQL, WebSocket and more, in the browser, on desktop, CLI or self-hosted.
InsomniaFree plan, Mac, Windows, Linux
Open-source API client from Kong for REST, GraphQL, gRPC and WebSockets, with design, mocking, testing and an MCP client.
IntelliJ IDEAFree plan, Mac, Windows, Linux
JetBrains' IDE for Java and Kotlin with deep code intelligence, refactoring, debugging, framework support and AI agents.
iTerm2Free, Apple
Free, open-source terminal replacement for macOS with split panes, search, profiles and many power features.
Koder Code Editor screenshot from the App Store
Koder Code EditorFree, Apple
Code editor for iPad and iPhone.
NeovimFree, Mac, Windows, Linux
Hyperextensible, Vim-based terminal text editor with Lua plugins, built-in LSP and Tree-sitter.
NovaPay once, Apple
Panic's native Mac code editor with a clean interface, extensions, Git, terminals and remote servers.
OpenAI CodexFree plan, Web, Mac, Windows, Linux
OpenAI's coding agent that builds features, refactors and opens PRs from ChatGPT, an IDE extension or the Codex CLI.
OrbStackFree plan, Apple
Fast, lightweight Docker Desktop alternative for Mac that runs containers, Kubernetes and full Linux machines.
PostmanFree plan, Mac, Windows, Linux, Web
API platform for designing, testing, mocking, monitoring and documenting APIs, with agent mode, a CLI and an MCP server.
PyCharmFree plan, Mac, Windows, Linux
JetBrains' Python IDE with free core features, Jupyter notebooks, web frameworks, debugging and AI agent support; Pro adds more.
Replit screenshot from the App Store
ReplitFree plan, Web, iPhone
Browser-based AI app builder: its Agent writes and deploys apps from plain-language prompts, with hosting, database and auth.
Sololearn screenshot from the App Store
SololearnFree plan, iPhone, Android
Learn programming with short lessons and practice.
SourcetreeFree, Mac, Windows
Atlassian's free Git client for Mac and Windows with visual branches, line-level staging, interactive rebase and Git-flow.
Sublime TextPay once, Mac, Windows, Linux
Fast, GPU-rendered text editor for code, markup and prose, known for multiple selections and Goto Anything.
TablePlus screenshot from the App Store
TablePlusPay once, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone
Native database GUI for PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, Redis, MongoDB and many more, sold as a perpetual license.
Termius screenshot from the App Store
TermiusFree plan, iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux
Cross-platform SSH client for desktop and mobile with synced hosts, keys and snippets.
TowerPaid, Mac, Windows
Polished Git client for Mac and Windows with visual history, conflict resolution and workflow tools.
Visual Studio CodeFree, Mac, Windows, Linux, Web
Microsoft's free, open-source code editor with AI agents, a huge extension marketplace, built-in Git, terminal and debugger.
WarpFree plan, Mac, Linux, Windows
Modern terminal with built-in coding agents, plus Warp Factories for running fleets of cloud agents.
WebStormFree plan, Mac, Windows, Linux
JetBrains' JavaScript and TypeScript IDE, free for non-commercial use, with refactoring, debugging, database tools and AI agents.
Windsurf (Devin Desktop)Free plan, Apple
Cognition's AI code editor, now renamed Devin Desktop, for running local and cloud coding agents with Tab autocomplete.
Xcode screenshot from the Mac App Store
XcodeFree, Apple
Apple's free IDE for building, testing and shipping apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Watch, TV and Vision Pro.
ZedFree plan, Mac, Linux, Windows
Fast open-source code editor written in Rust, with parallel AI agents, edit prediction, real-time collaboration and Vim mode.

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