Best PHP IDE is hard to find these days. There are too many factors one look in a PHP editor and that’s why it become a tough decision for many of the PHP Developers. On the other hand, development is a complete process and without tools in our hands, the process can become more cumbersome and time-consuming.

With the help of the PHP editor, one can easily configure the environment to his/her needs and look to gain productivity from the IDE. There are other factors that one should look into before choosing the best PHP IDE/Editor for his/her development work.

The factors can vary from simple FTP supports to more advanced shell scripting support. A list below tries to gauge the vast majority of features one can look for while choosing the PHP editor for his web development work.

FTP Support: So, that the programmer can load his updated work to the server directly.

Code Highlight: Programmers love to pinpoint important sections of the program and stay focused.

SVN Support: Version management is an integral part of anyone looking to build a great development environment.

Other Languages support. No one wants to get stuck with just one language per one IDE/Editor.

Workflow tools: The Workflow tools can enhance the overall idea of increasing productivity and tuning the IDE according to your needs.

Does the Editor or IDE is light weight? Will it slow my system down decreasing the productivity of the programmer.

Does the IDE supports plugin? Many programmers love this idea as this can add more customization options to the IDE being used.

Is the UI good? An important factor for many programmers out there.

And many more.

Are you in the same boat I was while choosing the best PHP IDE for your project? To solve your problem, I will list 7 Top PHP IDE for Developers.

Recently, I have listed the Top 11 Programming languages that you should learn in 2015 and 5 Best Text Editors for the programmers. And today, I am going to list 7 Best PHP IDE for developers and programmers.

7 Best PHP IDE for Developers and Programmers

1. PhpStorm

PhpStorm is the most famous PHP Ide used by the programmers. It’s sleek, fast and downright the best PHP IDE. The IDE out of the box supports lots of features including Intelligent Code Editor, Code Completion, PHP refactoring, Code Rearranger and more.

The only downside of PhpStorm is that it is paid and you can use it for 30 days free trial, after that you need to pay for using the software.

It also supports various PHP frameworks and as a developer you can easily shift from one framework to another without any issues.

It also supports all version of PHP including the recent PHP release, 5.6.

Features of PhpStorm:

Language Feature Support

PHPDoc Support

Code Compilation and Code Formatting

Code Rearranger

Framework Support

PHPRefactoring

Other Stats:

Available for Windows, Linux, Mac

Price: 30 days trial/Paid

Download: PhpStorm

2. Sublime Text

I have already discussed Sublime Text in the article, 5 Top Text Editors and it proves to be another game changer in the PHP department. The IDE is sleek and is full of features. Sublime Text deserves the second place in 7 best PHP IDE list.

The good thing about using Sublime Text is that it is free(the same way WinRar is free) and you can use it until you feel that it’s time to pay something to the developers for this amazing tool.

Features of Sublime Text

Supports multiple selections

GoTo

Command Palette for easy navigation

Distraction free mode for maximum concentration

Split Editing

Instant Project Switch and more.

Other Stats:

Available for: Windows, Linux, Mac

Price: Free

Download: Sublime Text

3. NetBeans

NetBeans PHP Ide is a complete package for all the PHP developers, who are looking for something stable before starting the project. The idea behind NetBeans to provide you all the necessary tools to become the best web ninja out there. A complete package and also the best PHP IDE for many PHP developers out there.

The IDE supports HTML5 , CSS3 and JavaScript.

Features of NetBeans:

Adheres to Web Standards

Great Code Editor

PHP 5.4 Support

Supports major PHP frameworks such as Zend, Symfony.

Supports Version Control and PHP Unit for testing

Creates structure PHP projects

Supports Debugger

Other Stats:

Available: Windows, Linux, Mac, OS independent

Price: Free

Download: Netbeans IDE

4. Zend Studio 12

ZendStudio is one of the leading PHP development IDE that supports project development, integration, and testing environment. It offers tons of features and creates the right environment for creating API and other kinds of PHP project.

Debugging is fun and powerful in Zend Studio 12.

Features of ZendStudio 12

Manages JavaScript Library

Can be used to create modules

Supports PHP 5.6

Can be used to create mobile application over PHP application

Powerful Code Editor

Supports REST services

Supports Angular.js

Can be used to create Android, iOS projects

Supports mobile emulators

Other Stats:

5. Notepad++

The simplest and most powerful IDE. Well, I might be wrong in identifying it as IDE, but it solves the problem of many PHP programmers out there. The simplicity is the most crucial aspect of Notepad++ and it also stood 1st in our Top 5 Text Editors for the programmers.

Other Stats

Available: Windows

Price: Free

Download: Notepad ++

6. Aptana

Aptana is a universal IDE that supports multiple languages including PHP, Ruby on Rails, Python and more.

When I used Aptana, the only thing that nagged me is the slow execution of the IDE compared to other IDE’s.

Features of Aptana:

Supports HTML5 , CSS3, JavaScript.

Supports FTP, SFTP and more.

Integrated Debugger for faster development.

Git Support

Terminal for fast program execution

IDE customization

and many more.

Other Stats

Available: Windows, Mac OS X and Linux

Price: Free

Download: Aptana

7. PHP Designer

The most under-rated yet the most power IDE is PHP Designer. Like other IDE’s phpDesigner supports HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript out of the box.

The interface is simple and powerful.

Features of PHP Designer:

Supports PHP frameworks

Code Insights

Fast and easy to use

Supports Git and other SVN

Provides Great debugger.

Supports FTP/SFTP.

Other Stats

Available: Windows, Mac OS X and Linux

Price: Free

Download: PHP Designer

Wrap Up

IDE is an important tool for any programmer out there. Today, I tried to list the 7 best PHP IDE for the programmers. The list is in no way complete and there can be many preferences for choosing the best PHP IDE.

Do you think that I missed an awesome best PHP IDE? Comment below and share it with TA community.