Uncovering the Best Microsoft WebMatrix Alternatives for Web Development
Microsoft WebMatrix, once a streamlined solution for building websites with IIS Express, ASP.NET, and SQL Server Compact, offered an easy entry point for web development. While it simplified the process of creating and managing web projects, many developers are now seeking more robust, feature-rich, or updated alternatives. If you're looking to transition from WebMatrix to a different environment that better suits modern web development needs, you're in the right place.
Top Microsoft WebMatrix Alternatives
Whether you're a seasoned developer or just starting, finding the right tool can significantly impact your productivity and the quality of your web projects. Here are some of the best alternatives to Microsoft WebMatrix, offering diverse features and platforms to meet various demands.
Microsoft Visual Studio
Microsoft Visual Studio is a powerful integrated development environment (IDE) that serves as an excellent upgrade from WebMatrix. Available as Free Personal, Mac, Windows, and Web versions, it's a comprehensive tool for developing a wide range of applications, including web projects. It offers robust features like code completion, an embedded debugger, Intellisense, .NET support, C# scripting, and seamless Azure integration, making it ideal for professional web development that requires more advanced capabilities than WebMatrix.
Adobe Dreamweaver
Adobe Dreamweaver is a commercial tool for building websites and applications, particularly favored by web designers and visual designers. Available for Mac and Windows, it stands out with its WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) support, HTML/CSS/JS rendering, and visual design capabilities. For those who appreciated WebMatrix's ease of use for starting web projects, Dreamweaver offers a similar visual approach combined with robust features like Bootstrap support, drag-and-drop functionality, and FTP/SFTP support for seamless deployment.
Pinegrow Web Editor
Pinegrow Web Editor is a commercial, cross-platform solution (Mac, Windows, Linux) that allows for building responsive websites efficiently. It excels with live multi-page editing, CSS & SASS styling, and a CSS Grid editor. For users looking beyond WebMatrix for modern web development, Pinegrow offers excellent support for frameworks like Bootstrap and Foundation, along with reusable content blocks and strong WordPress integration, making it a versatile website builder.
Cevelop
Cevelop is a free, open-source C++ IDE available for Mac, Windows, and Linux. While Microsoft WebMatrix focused on ASP.NET, Cevelop is a specialized alternative for professional developers working with C++. It provides core IDE features such as coding assistance, developer tools, refactoring, and unit testing, making it a strong choice for those whose web projects might involve C++ backend development or cross-platform desktop applications.
Microsoft Small Basic
Microsoft Small Basic is a free, Windows-based programming language designed to make programming accessible and fun for beginners, including kids and adults. While not a direct web development IDE like WebMatrix, it serves as an excellent starting point for learning programming concepts that can later be applied to web development. It focuses on simplicity and ease of mastery, making it a good foundational tool before moving to more complex web development environments.
Denwer
Denwer is a free personal, self-hosted collection of web servers for web programmers, specifically designed for debugging websites under Win32. Similar to how WebMatrix included IIS Express, Denwer provides a local development environment with Apache, PHP, and MySQL. Its portability and inclusion of PhpMyAdmin make it a valuable alternative for developers who need a quick and easy-to-set-up local web server for PHP and MySQL-based projects, especially those focused on backend development.
Portable Webserver
Portable Webserver is a free, self-hosted server manager for Windows, designed for easy portability and quick setup on any computer. Much like WebMatrix simplified the local development environment, Portable Webserver offers a lightweight solution for running web applications from a USB drive. It includes PHP and PhpMyAdmin, making it an excellent alternative for developers who need a highly mobile and configurable web development environment for PHP-based projects.
UEStudio
UEStudio is a commercial IDE for Windows that extends the functionality of UltraEdit, a popular text editor. While WebMatrix focused on a complete web stack, UEStudio provides an integrated development environment with features specifically for web and application development, including PHP support. It's a robust choice for developers who require an advanced text editor combined with IDE features for coding, building, and maintaining applications, offering more control and flexibility than WebMatrix for diverse projects.
The landscape of web development tools has evolved significantly since Microsoft WebMatrix was introduced. Whether you prioritize a full-fledged IDE like Visual Studio, a visual design tool like Dreamweaver, a portable server solution like Denwer, or a highly customizable editor like UEStudio, there's a perfect alternative out there. Explore these options to find the best fit for your current and future web development endeavors.