Why PyCharm Is the Top Python IDE and How to Pick the Right Version

These past two years, the most common question from Python beginners is which code editor to use.

Honestly, I use Jupyter Notebook the most because I often do data visualization, but for beginners PyCharm remains the unrivaled choice.

Among all mainstream Python IDEs, PyCharm is the most suitable for Python development, especially for newcomers, saving a lot of unnecessary time. At the end of this article, a link to the latest 2022 PyCharm activation tutorial is provided.

I also frequently use PyCharm to write scripts and occasionally develop web applications; its completeness surpasses any other IDE.

Compared with other IDEs, PyCharm has four main advantages:

Simplified code editing environment

Powerful intelligent code assistance (auto‑completion, code inspection, real‑time error highlighting)

Rich built‑in developer tools (VCS, database, remote development, debugging, testing, performance analysis…)

Comprehensive web development and data‑science support (Django, Flask, JS, notebook, pandas…)

PyCharm is a cross‑platform application compatible with Linux, macOS, and Windows.

It is a commercial product from JetBrains, the Czech company behind IntelliJ IDEA and Kotlin.

Users can choose among three versions: Community (free but limited), Professional (paid, $199 for the first year with discounts on renewal), and Educational (free for students and educators with qualification).

Intelligent Code Editor

PyCharm provides an intelligent code editor that helps write high‑quality Python code by coloring keywords, classes, and functions, improving readability.

The editor offers code completion, inspection, real‑time error highlighting, quick fixes, automated refactoring, and rich navigation.

Integrated Tools

PyCharm includes many out‑of‑the‑box tools such as a debugger, test runner, Python analyzer, built‑in terminal, VCS integration, database tools, remote interpreter support, SSH terminal, and integration with Docker and Vagrant.

Key integrated tools include:

Anaconda – free open‑source Python distribution for scientific computing

IPython – powerful interactive shell

Kite – AI‑driven auto‑completion plugin

Pylint – source code, bug and quality checker

pytest – testing framework for Python

WakaTime – developer dashboard with productivity metrics

Data Science and Machine Learning (Professional only)

PyCharm supports scientific libraries such as Matplotlib and SciPy, aiding data‑science and machine‑learning projects.

Google App Engine (Professional only)

Google App Engine is a PaaS cloud platform for developing and hosting web applications, offering automatic scaling; PyCharm Professional supports it.

Comprehensive Debugging and Testing

PyCharm provides an integrated Python debugger and line‑by‑line code coverage with unit testing.

Multi‑Technology Development (Professional only)

Python developers can create web applications with PyCharm, supporting technologies like CoffeeScript, CSS, HTML, JavaScript, TypeScript, as well as Cython and SQL.

It also offers live editing, allowing developers to see changes in the browser instantly, and supports AngularJS or NodeJS.

Project and Code Navigation

Code navigation makes it easy to jump to classes, functions, or files, reducing editing effort and time. Features include file structure view and dedicated project view.

Lens mode enables thorough inspection and debugging of the entire Python source.

Refactoring

Refactoring in PyCharm improves internal code structure without affecting external performance, efficiently handling local and global variable changes.

Remote Development

PyCharm allows running, debugging, testing, and deploying applications on remote hosts or virtual machines, providing integrated SSH terminal, Docker & Vagrant support, and remote interpreters.

Support for Popular Python Web Frameworks (Professional only)

PyCharm supports Django with auto‑completion and debugging, and also supports Flask, Pyramid, and web2py.

Version Control System (VCS) Integration

VCS tracks changes to files and applications. PyCharm offers a unified UI for CVS, Git, Mercurial, Perforce, and Subversion.