Top 6 Python IDE You Can Use on Raspberry Pi 3 & 4

One of the most demanding and popular languages among users is Python as it is easy to grasp in a few weeks to months. With this, you cannot only improvise your skills in coding but also design your own applications too, create automation and build stunning scripts.

Now, you are probably wondering if there are any Python IDEs for Raspberry Pi 3 or 4 out there, right? Hence why you landed here. Well, this is why we did the research and listed the 6 best IDEs for the Pi 3 and 4 you can install for free (of course).

Now, if you are into programming and wish to learn new things every day then you need to try and code in Python language. For this, you need to have Python IDE on raspberry pi. If you are already a user of raspberry pi then you don’t need to waste your time installing Python IDE as it is its official language it is present in the OS already.

Why Raspberry Pi 4 is great as a Programming Desktop

Raspberry Pi which is an unassuming credit-sized development board carries more processing power as compared to its tiny footprint lets on. Since its small structure remained the same, version 4 brings a major overhaul. Changes include the following:

  1. Fast RAM with different choices of 2GB, 4GB and 8 GB.
  2. It comes with a new system-on-a-chip (SoC) in its Broadcom BCM2711 quad-core Cortex-A72 ARM v8 64-bit SoC clocked at 1.5GHz.
  3. Dual micro-HDMI outputs are capable of outputting 4K resolution.
  4. Dual-band 2.4 GHz/5.0GHZ IEEE 802.11ac wifi.
  5. A handful of USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports for your peripherals.
  6. Bluetooth 5.0 support.
  7. Ethernet port with Gigabit support.

To put the long story short it has all the trappings of a competent desktop system.

It is great due to the following 5 reasons:

  1. Many IDEs are available.
  2. Great price-to-perform ratio.
  3. Small footprint.
  4. Easy on the pocket.
  5. Many compatible Linux distros.

How To Configure Raspberry Pi for Writing Code

You need to have the Raspberry Pi operating system as you need to write code in Python language. You can also refer to our Python IDE setup guide to understand why having the proper setup is important.

After this, you need to set up a keyboard setting so it does not create any disturbance while writing code. We suggest that you select the US keyboard layout or whichever country you are where from. Simply go to the Raspberry Pi configuration option and select it from there, then hit “OK”.

Configuring Raspberry Pi computer

The settings have been configured. Now you can begin writing your very first code in Python. Today you can find many IDEs on the internet which programmers can use to write code in Python. Get any one you prefer but if you are new to this start writing code in Raspberry Pi pre-installed Python IDE which is called Thonny Python IDE.

Thonny Python is an IDE which is a fast yet light in weight programming tool through which you can write code in Python language. Now why select others when you have this? You can find this in the “programming” option of Raspberry Pi.

Built-in Code Editor

Top 6 Best Raspberry Pi Python IDEs

Thonny – Comes Pre-Installed and available separately

This is a comprehensive IDE that is user-friendly for all beginners. Although python experts use this still it is a great IDE for newcomers. Once you are onboard you shall find expressions evaluation broken down step by step, call stack visualization and many other options to help beginners not only to improvise their programming.

Thonny features:

  1. It highlights syntax errors.
  2. An easy-to-use debugger.
  3. Provides support to python.
  4. The beginner is friendly.
  5. It explains references for code understanding.
  6. Evaluation of expression.
  7. Line numbers.
  8. Statement stepping without breakpoints.
  9. Line variables during debugging.
  10. Comes with separate windows to execute function calls.

Download Thonny IDE

Geany – Bringing you autocomplete

Geany for Raspberry Pi

This is another IDE that employs GTK+ and Scintilla for a great GUI development environment. It is light in weight and functional in nature. It is versatile and supports different programming languages such as PHP, Java, Perl, Ruby, C++, C and C#.

If you are after a Raspberry Pi Python ide that includes the autocomplete function this is your choice to make! It also includes syntax highlighting, code folding and much more. It is a top Raspberry Pi integrated development environment and has some system resources and can handle many different languages.

Geany features:

  1. It is light in weight.
  2. Code folding.
  3. Syntax highlighting.
  4. Auto functions complete.
  5. Provide support to many different languages.
  6. Symbol list.
  7. Autocompletion of symbols or words.
  8. Auto-closing XML and HTML tags.
  9. Construct completion or snippets.

Download Geany IDE

ALSO SEE: 7 Best Python IDEs for Ubuntu Linux (Free and Paid Choices).

Lazarus – Professional grade IDE

This is a solid IDE that has compatibility with Raspberry pi. It comes free and is cross-platform. It uses the Free Pascal compiler and is great for quick development. The compilation is quick, it handles cross-compilation, speed of code execution is fast.

It supports performance testing and you shall find many in-built components and optional components present as Lazarus package files. It comes in free, is well-documented, and can tackle various programming languages.

Lazarus features:

  1. It uses Free Pascal.
  2. It is user-friendly.
  3. Code compilation and execution are fast.
  4. Support multi-languages.
  5. Powerful and fast, which is perfect for low-resource systems.

Download Lazarus IDE

Ninja-IDE for Python

This is an integrated development environment based on Python which runs great. It is light in weight and an excellent code editor for languages including Python. It has many features in which the code locator is very handy. From the keyboard press CTRL + K to bring a robust search function.

Ninja-IDE for Raspberry Pi

It has many other inclusions which make it a good choice for programming. It has many features including automatic indentation, handling of files, PEP8 error highlighting, and many others. Moreover, it has features of project management and touts compatibility with many plug-ins.

It has the following exclusive features:

  • It is light in weight.
  • Tons of compatible plug-ins.
  • Project management features.
  • Powerful code locator.
  • Highlights errors.
  • Auto indentation.
  • Handles sessions.
  • Web inspector.
  • User interface is customizable.
  • Navigates code.

Download Ninja-IDE

BlueJ – Multilingual support

If you are a developer of Java then this is a great choice. It has a clean yet uncluttered interface and is a portable application. It is indeed a perfect choice for object-oriented development. It is also able to execute programming other than writing codes.

Now, for those who do not know it was created as an educational tool, there is suitable for seasoned Java programmers and new devs. It can show programming concepts like objects, classes, and function calling through interaction-centric design. It provides access to attached hardware.

BlueJ features:

  1. It is perfect for object-oriented programming.
  2. Provides support to books, documents, tech support and much more.
  3. It is a portal of teaching resources.
  4. Scope coloring.
  5. It is designed to teach.
  6. Runs of different platforms.
  7. It runs without any USB stick installation.

Download BlueJ

Adafruit WebIDE – Powered in the cloud and your browser

This is another option on the list which is able to compile source code from different programming languages including Ruby, Python, JavaScript and many others. Now because this is based on a browser does not mean it does not have capabilities. With this, you can upload code to the GIT repository to have access through GitHub. Moreover, it comes with an in-built debugger and visualizer for simple code navigation.

Adafruit IDE Features:

  1. It is based on the browser.
  2. Comes pre-build as a debugger and visualizer.
  3. Simple code compilation and running.
  4. It is able to upload code to Git repos.

Download Adafruit IDE

Other IDEs you may like for different platforms:

Conclusion

As you can see there are quite a lot of Python IDEs available for Raspberry Pi computers. The main reason behind this is that it is running a Linux operating system in the core. Even though the specifications don’t look powerful on paper the new Pi 4 with 8GB Ram is very quick and can handle moderate programming tasks with ease.

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Paul Carruthers
Paul is an avid programmer who specializes in Python and Java with over 16 years of experience in the field. He loves automating complex tasks and creating useful scripts to streamline work and make life easier. He is also a massive fan of Linux and currently uses it as his main desktop OS. When he is not staring at code, he loves hiking and swimming in different parts of the world.

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