12 Best PHP Development Tools & Software in 2025

A language that has given a complete makeover to the programming industry is PHP which was considered as the dead language before. But in today's evolved technological world, PHP powers almost 87 million sites with the help of its exceptional tools and App Development Company development services. 

This programming language rules the development and even scripting of websites or web applications. Are you wondering why this programming language is popular and what services it offers? It has become famous for multiple goodies, which include, open-source and handy tools, comprehensive documentation, strong community support, and most of all, well-supported frameworks.

Choosing the right PHP development tool and software makes it easy to customize websites or web applications for the developers of the top Application Development Company. Are you a developer and looking for a PHP development tool? Here are some of the 12 best PHP development tools and software for the 2025 development strategy are mentioned below;

• PhpStorm
• ScriptCase
• Eclipse
• PHPStan
• Zend Studio
• Aptana Studio
• Codeium
• Netbeans
• DataGrip
• Cloud 9
• New Relic
• Code Lobster

Lets dive deep in every single development tool or software so you get the knowledge of every single one and makes it easier for you to choose the best one among these in 2025. 

1. PhpStorm – Paid PHP IDE for web development 

PhpStorm is a full-stack PHP IDE that is perfect for web development since it provides framework support, intelligent code assistance, and debugging and testing capabilities. The PhpStore code aid tool has helped more than 600,000 developers. Because you as a developer don't need to install or setup plugins, writing code is made simple with IDE. Everything a PHP developer needs is available in the Integrated Development Environment (IDE). Even JavaScript and TypeScript developers are pleased with this IDE because it is regarded as the most language-savvy code helper.  If you wish to modify your PHP apps either website or web apps, worry no more, PhpStorm has a wealth of plugin resources.

Cost

For organizations, PHP Storm costs US $249 in the first year, US $199 in the second, and US $149 from the third year. PHPStorm and Laravel Idea is US $298.50, US $248.50, and US $208, respectively. The All Products Pack costs US $779, US $623, and US $467.

For individuals, PHPStorm costs US $99 in the first year, US $79 in the second, and US $59 from the third year. PHPStorm and Laravel Idea is US $123.50, US $103.50, and US $88. The All Products Pack is US $289, US $231, and US $173.

2. Eclipse -  Free PHP IDE for Web development 

Eclipse is a flexible development environment that supports PHP and other programming languages as well which connects with a wide range of tools, and provides a robust ecosystem of plugins for customization.

A popular integrated development environment (IDE) for Java and PHP applications, Eclipse is free and open-source. This all-purpose development tool makes it easier to create complex programs and has a large collection of plugins that enable the addition of new features easier than ever while supporting a variety of programming languages and allow the IDE to be customized to meet all the requirements.

Cost – Free and Open Source

3. Zend Studio -  Paid PHP IDE for Web development  

With tools including code editing, debugging, version control, and cloud deployment, Zend Studio is a feature-rich PHP integrated development environment. Additionally, it supports a number of PHP frameworks and versions.

Zend Studio, created especially for PHP developers, provides long-term support for PHP versions 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, and 8.0 in addition to solving all of your PHP issues. This implies that you as a developer can easily support legacy PHP projects. Additionally, the Zend Studio IDE is well-liked for its speed and superior debugging capabilities. Multiple servers, including the cloud, can host applications created with Zend Studio.

Cost 

• If you are going for the personal license, it will approximately cost you around $89.

• Moreover, basic license is also available and it will cost you around $189

• You can also try the tool by downloading the free trial version. All you have to do is download it, and you're good to go. 

4. Aptana Studio – Free PHP IDE for Web Development 

Aptana Studio is a free and open-source integrated development environment (IDE) that provides full web development tools, PHP support, code help, debugging, Git version control and more.   

Aptana Studio, an open-source, free IDE for creating web pages and apps, is situated in California. With a clean UI that supports PHP, Python, CSS3, HTML5, Ruby on Rails, Ajax, and other technologies, it is based on Eclipse, another well-known IDE. A command-line interface, debugging, code auto-completion, and Git integration are just a few of its amazing features.

Cost – Free and Open-source 

5. Netbeans – Free PHP IDE for Web Development 

A cross-platform, free IDE with a plethora of tools to enhance web development is called NetBeans. Code editing, debugging, version control integration, and plugin extensibility are all features that the IDE offers for PHP development. A well-liked cross-platform IDE for developing desktop, mobile, corporate, and web applications is Netbeans. It is known as one of the best IDEs and supports with the huge collection of languages, including PHP, HTML5, Java, C, and C++.

If you are planning on creating massive web applications then NetBeans can definetly be your preferred develoment environment according to your company's agenda. Plugins can be used to modify the IDE to meet the needs of certain clients. Additionally, the tool works well with PHP frameworks like Zend, Symfony 2, CakePHP, FuelPHP, Smarty, and WordPress CMS, and it supports international languages like Brazilian, Portuguese, Chinese, Russian, and Japanese.

Cost – Free and Open-Source

6. ScriptCase - Paid RWAD Tool

Web application creation is made simple for developers of all skill levels by the ScriptCase drag and drop interface.

A drag-and-drop web application builder called ScriptCase was created to make the development process easier. Users may spend more time creating various business application functionality like Grids, Forms, Charts, and BI reports and less time coding thanks to its drag-and-drop features.

Cost

• The package of this tool for beginners or at the very starting level costs $399.20

• If you are a professional, this package suitable accordingly costs $439.20

• And the package for the enterprise level costs $615.20

7. PHPStan - Free Code Reviewer Tool

PHPStan is a static analyzer that tracks problems and makes recommendations for enhancements in PHP applications, either websites or web apps, by improving the quality of code. It is designed to examine your entire codebase in order to identify both straightforward and complex mistakes. By assisting you in identifying problems in the early phase of development, the tool helps you avoid bugs and improve the quality of your code.

Cost – Open-source and Free

8. Codeium – Both Free and Paid AI-Driven Code Completion Tools

To speed up PHP development and promising code quality, Codeium, an AI code assistant, provides real-time code suggestions, mistake detection, and code generation. Get your hands on Codeium if you're searching for extremely sophisticated AI coding assistance. This AI code completion tool, which is based in the US, has been trained on more than 40 editors and 70 programming languages to provide real-time, context-aware code suggestions that speed up your coding activities.  

Other positive aspects of the program include its ease of integration into current development environments, its error-free nature, and—above all—its ability to guarantee that your code complies with industry standards. Additionally, the vast code repositories of this AI code generator guarantee that the code is up to date with the latest requirements.

Cost 

• Since this tool is available for free as well, it costs $0 for a package for an individual. 

• The pro version of this tool which is for the team costs $10

• And for the enterprise-level version, you will have to take a quote from the sales team. 

9. DataGrip - Paid Database Tool

DataGrip is a powerful tool and software for database development that integrates with well-known databases. It provides data exploration, schema management, SQL editing capabilities, PHP IDE integration and whatnot which helps to increase developer productivity. 

DataGrip, like the majority of the IDEs discussed here, is not just made for PHP programming. Nevertheless, this tool is a huge help to PHP developers who work with databases because it allows them to query their databases, modify SQL scripts, traverse data sets, and much more. Code completion, refactoring, and on-the-fly analysis are just a few of the tool's strong features that make database management simple and increase developer productivity.

Cost

For organizations, "Many Databases, One Tool" costs US $229 in the first year, US $183 in the second, and US $137 from the third year. The All Products Pack (18 tools) for an organization costs US $779 in the first year, US $623 in the second, and US $467 from the third year.

For individuals, "Many Databases, One Tool" costs US $99 in the first year, US $79 in the second, and US $59 from the third year. The All Products Pack for an individual costs US $289 in the first year, US $231 in the second, and US $173 from the third year.

10. New Relic - Free & Paid Application Tracking Performance Tool

You can immediately address problems and keep an eye on the performance of your web, mobile, and infrastructure apps using New Relic. A cloud-based observability platform called New Relic assists you in keeping an eye on the functionality of your application. More significantly, it is compatible with popular languages like PHP, Ruby, Java, .NET and more. Whether for online or mobile apps, it provides infrastructure monitoring and 360-degree visibility into your app's performance.

Cost 

This tool provide plans for your ease, the free plan is available with no cost. The Standard plan for Core Users is priced at $49 per user. For Full Platform Users, it costs $10 for the first user and $99 for each additional user, with a maximum number of users which is 5. The Pro plan has the same pricing structure as the Standard plan, with $49 per user for Core Users and $10 for the first Full Platform user, followed by $99 for each additional user (maximum of 5). The Enterprise plan is priced at $49 per user, and for more details, users are advised to contact sales.

11. Cloud 9 -  Free PHP IDE for Web development

For people who like pre-configured workspaces and mutual communication over the cloud, the Cloud9 development environment is perfect for them. For people working on remote teams on projects that rely on AWS services, it is also essential. Cloud9 is not an average development environment, it is cloud-based, open-source, and provides a high-performance development environment for many programming languages, beside PHP, such as C, C++, JavaScript, and Python. With the tool, developers may start writing code right away and create feature-rich web apps. 

Cost– Free and Open-source

12. CodeLobster

One of the most popular PHP development tools is Codelobster, which is produced by Codeobster businesses. PHP frameworks like CakePHP, Joomla, Drupal, Laravel, and Symfony are well-known to all developers. All of this is supported by the Code Lobster, which also helps explain its widespread appeal. Because Codelobster has autocomplete tools that will apply all of these for HTML, PHP, CSS, and JavaScript, you don't need to remember a function's name, tags, or properties.

Cost

The package comes for professionals and its version cost around $79.95. Not only this, but this also allows you to activate the paid version of the code lobster in 3 different devices along with the +1 year of free update. For the future, this IDE costs approximately $19.95 per year.

In summary;

PHP remains a leading choice for web development of the Mobile App Development Company in USA supported by a variety of powerful tools in 2025. It doesn’t really matter what development tool you choose free options like Eclipse, NetBeans, and Aptana Studio or paid tools like PhpStorm, Zend Studio and others. With a mix of free and paid solutions, PHP developers have the resources needed to create efficient and scalable web applications.