Ask HN: I just abandoned my PyCharm subscription, what should I use now?

14 jmward01 6 8/25/2025, 3:38:38 AM

I was just using PyCharm, which I have paid for and used for many years now, and and an ad for their 'Cadence' product came up in the IDE as a notification. I have now canceled my subscription and am looking for a good alternative. The majority of work I do is with python and I'm looking for solid step trace debugging and something that integrates reasonably well with Claude Code and other tools like it. Above all else though I am looking for something that won't advertise to me. I am willing to pay, I like supporting software I use, so what should I be looking for in the age of Claude code, Windsurf and the like?

Comments (6)

f311a · 54m ago

VS Code has the second best lsp for Python (it’s proprietary), there is open source version of it as well with less features.

The problem with other editors is the lack of good and fast lsp. Pycharm’s lsp is so head of everyone.

In VS Code and other editors the lsp for Python is written in JavaScript which is hilarious.

lordkrandel · 3h ago

Neovim, simple answer. No subscriptions, no ads, fast, free forever. Have a look at the integrations.

brettkromkamp · 3h ago

Agree! Bit of a steep learning curve in the beginning but once you get over that, it is a very productive coding environment. Check out the Neovim distros (e.g., LazyVim, NvChad) to get up and running quickly.

wismwasm · 1h ago

I'm happy with VS Code.

2rsf · 1h ago

Me too, including integration with GitHub Copilot

caterama · 2h ago

https://zed.dev/