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PhpStorm

PhpStorm

Overview

What is PhpStorm?

JetBrains supports PhpStorm, an integrated development environment (IDE).

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

PhpStorm is highly regarded by developers and architects for its flexibility and solid integration with various tools. Many users have …
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Pricing

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For Individuals

$99

Cloud
per year per user

For Organizations

$249

Cloud
per year per user

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee
For the latest information on pricing, visithttps://www.jetbrains.com/store/#person…

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services

Starting price (does not include set up fee)

  • $9.90 per month per user
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Product Details

What is PhpStorm?

A professional PHP IDE with users at Symfony, Laravel, Drupal, WordPress, and other major PHP communities. PhpStorm provides code completion, refactoring, code analysis, navigation, debugger, and unit testing support.

PhpStorm Video

Introduction to PhpStorm

PhpStorm Technical Details

Deployment TypesSoftware as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based
Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

JetBrains supports PhpStorm, an integrated development environment (IDE).

PhpStorm starts at $9.9.

Reviewers rate Support Rating highest, with a score of 9.4.

The most common users of PhpStorm are from Small Businesses (1-50 employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(88)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

PhpStorm is highly regarded by developers and architects for its flexibility and solid integration with various tools. Many users have chosen PhpStorm as their go-to software for PHP development. Its seamless integration with tools like Vagrant, XDebug, and source control systems provides a smooth and efficient workflow. The ability to scan a codebase and build an autocomplete tooltip database based on PHPDoc comments is invaluable for working on large projects. This feature brings the experience of working on a PHP codebase closer to that of popular IDEs like Visual Studio. Additionally, PhpStorm's file scanning and indexing capabilities make it effortless to find files in projects with hundreds of files, ensuring a well-organized coding structure.

PhpStorm is particularly popular among developers working with WordPress plugins, themes, and websites as it offers essential features out-of-the-box, requiring minimal configuration. It eliminates the need for additional apps by providing first-party support for tasks such as debugging, profiling, running SQL queries, database management, and function autocompletion. Furthermore, PhpStorm serves as a comprehensive IDE for PHP applications of any size, enabling developers to create stable and secure applications more efficiently. With its robust code indexing feature and wide range of features like color coding formatting options, linting code sniffing, macros, and source code search, PhpStorm proves to be an indispensable tool for PHP development that enhances speed and productivity.

In addition to its PHP-focused features, PhpStorm also excels in debugging PHP web-applications. Through compilation, syntax highlighting and other code inspecting features, it helps pinpoint errors in the code. Furthermore, it enables users to connect to remote hosts and edit files directly on the server, simplifying the troubleshooting process. For those who work with JavaScript alongside PHP development, PhpStorm offers powerful tools like a JS debugger and code completion with inline documentation that enhance the overall development experience.

Overall, PhpStorm stands out as an IDE that streamlines PHP development by offering a rich selection of features that solve the problem of requiring multiple tools to complete various tasks. It has earned its reputation as a powerful and robust IDE for PHP web development, helping developers create stable and efficient applications in less time.

Intuitive User Interface: Several reviewers have praised the intuitive and user-friendly interface of PhpStorm, stating that it allows for efficient completion of tasks. Users found it easy to navigate and appreciated features such as running SQL commands directly from the software, eliminating the need for additional clients.

Shortcut Keys Enhance Productivity: Many users have highlighted the availability of shortcut keys in PhpStorm, mentioning how they greatly assisted in the coding process and enhanced productivity. This feature allows developers to quickly execute commands and perform actions without relying solely on the mouse.

Assistive Features Improve Coding Experience: Numerous reviewers have expressed their appreciation for the auto-generation of assistive features in PhpStorm, such as autocomplete and tooltips from PHPDoc comments. These features not only make coding faster but also reduce errors by providing helpful suggestions and reminders.

Slow Performance: Some users have reported that PhpStorm can be slow during initialization and certain operations, especially after some version updates. The sluggish loading time of large codebases and the heavy performance on older machines running a modified JVM have also been mentioned.

Complex Configuration: Several users have found the configuration of PhpStorm to be complex, making it difficult to find options or make changes. This complexity may lead to frustration and inefficiency for users who are not familiar with the IDE.

Steep Learning Curve: Users have expressed that PhpStorm has a steep learning curve, which requires time and training for developers to fully utilize its capabilities. Coming from lighter IDEs like Sublime Text 3 or Atom may pose challenges in adapting to PhpStorm's heavier nature and extensive features.

Users and reviewers offer several recommendations for PhpStorm:

First, they recommend trying out the free 30-day trial of PhpStorm before making a purchase. By using the trial version, users can determine if PhpStorm is needed for their specific requirements.

Secondly, users suggest taking advantage of the trial period to explore all the features and tools that PhpStorm has to offer. They also recommend watching YouTube videos with tips and tricks to familiarize oneself with the software before buying a license.

Another recommendation is to spend time learning the shortcuts and customizing the editor in PhpStorm. Users find that this enhances their experience and increases productivity.

Many users highly recommend PhpStorm as the best IDE for PHP development. They suggest starting with one project to get a feel for the tools and features in PhpStorm.

When making a decision, it is advised to evaluate all other competitors in the market. However, many users find that no other product compares to PhpStorm.

In terms of support, features, and ease of use, users consider PhpStorm to be a standout choice. They encourage trying out the free trial and subscribing afterwards.

Even if PHP is not used all the time, users recommend trying out PhpStorm for web application development. Learning all the shortcuts in PhpStorm is also recommended for a better experience.

If given a choice between PhpStorm and Eclipse, users suggest choosing PhpStorm. They believe it ticks most feature boxes and stands out among IDEs for PHP development.

Despite acknowledging that the price may be steep, users believe that the features and saved development time make it worth it. They recommend trying out PhpStorm and taking the time to properly set it up for projects.

Overall, users recommend evaluating individual needs and trying out PhpStorm to see if it meets those needs. They emphasize that after years of using other IDEs, they are happy with PhpStorm and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good PHP IDE.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-13 of 13)
Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Finally they get the ide right, after many years of broken stuff, at last its not a total pos, now if it will just learn to not keep overwriting my settings and forcing updates.
  • git tool is great
  • no more community plugins
  • plugins created by the comunity are stipid
  • no one makes plugins that dont break
  • vet your community devs, they make you look bad
PhpStorm will eat your HDD, this is # 3 I've replaced since 2016. you will need a ssd and at least 16gb of ram.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
The University's development team used PhpStorm.
  • Version Control: Git, Subversion, and Others.
  • Alerts about code being developed, alerts like errors, discontinuation of some function, suggestions for improvements.
  • Application database access can run SQL commands directly from PhpStorm without having to have any other clients open.
  • Shortcut keys that assist in the coding process.
  • After some version updates, the application started to slow down to initialize or perform some operations.
  • The process for initializing the source code debugging is a bit obscure, so I had to resort to videos teaching how to execute.
  • It is ideal for backend or even frontend developers. With versioning facilities and access to different databases, all in one application.
  • Not interesting when you need to make minor adjustments/maintenance to third party codes, punctual things since it takes a long time to initialize.
Jeff Eaton | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We're a mid-sized web agency that plans and builds large-scale CMS implementations for our clients. Often, we use Drupal - and that means working with a righteous heap of PHP. Developers and architects have the flexibility to choose their own tools, but quite a few of us have settled on PHPStorm due to its solid integration with tools like Vagrant, XDebug, and assorted source control systems. Its ability to scan a codebase and build an autocomplete/tooltip database out of the code's PHPDoc comments is invaluable, and it brings work on a large PHP codebase a bit closer to the luxurious Visual Studio experience.
  • Auto-generation of assistive features like autocomplete and tooltips from a project's own PHPDoc comments.
  • Simple configuration of popular PHP debugging tools that work even when they're running inside a virtual machine.
  • Simple plugin and template formats that make customizing the environment easy for centrally managed teams.
  • PHPStorm can be sluggish loading large codebases, especially if it hasn't had time to parse and cache all of the metadata yet.
For small codebases, PHPStorm might be overkill — simpler editors are probably good enough. But if you're wrangling large projects with a complex tree of composer dependencies, complex coding standards, deep class hierarchies, and wacky custom plugin architectures, PHPStorm will save your bacon.
Ray Flores | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
PhpStorm is being used by the technical department. Having hundreds of files per project, PhpStorm makes it easy to find such files as it scans each project folder and indexes it accordingly. This helps also with keeping to one type of coding structure. We utilize PHP language, and by name, PhpStorm was built to handle just about anything PHP.
  • Code completion
  • UI Theming
  • Indexing of existing repositories
  • Git, Terminal, SSH connections are easy to manage
  • Deployment by Remote Host
  • Memory hogging
  • Project structure when attaching to another opened project is not intuitive to find resolution
  • Markdown setup
PhpStorm is well suited for my purposes when I need to compile SCSS/JS files in a project as soon as I hit CTRL + S ( win ), save my work, it's quick and seamless to then deploy my project on a live ( staging of course ) site on the internet for others to review. It is also great for GIT ( version control ) with files colored to let me know what has been added, committed or what is in that particular branch or stash.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
PhpStorm is being used by a handful of developers in our organization. We needed a product for the development of various PHP projects and PhpStorm is the best IDE for PHP/web development on the market in my opinion. Because of the plethora of great features Phpstorm offers, it really is an all in one solution for development. In most cases, it solves the problem of requiring multiple tools to complete a task.
  • The text editor is second to none and highly configurable.
  • It's very easy to personalize the settings to fit your needs. Anything from keybindings, preferred color schemes, fonts, desired code format, and code inspections can be controlled through the settings.
  • Phpstorm does a very good job of saving, importing, exporting settings so upgrading your Phpstorm version doesn't require you to redo all your settings. This is also beneficial if you are setting up Phpstorm on another computer or sharing your company coding style guide with other developers. Simply export as much or as little of your settings as you'd like, then import them on another machine.
  • Development Tooling: Phpstorm not only helps you write better code through the various code inspections it performs but it also helps you manage your code with built-in deployment and version control tools. In addition, you no longer require a separate tool for interacting with a database, you can execute your query directly from the text editor or open up a database console in a new tab to query the database(s).
  • I would like to see builtin support for NoSQL databases, particularly Redis. I know there are community plugins that provide a solution for this but I really would like to see PhpStorm handle NoSQL natively.
  • I would like to see a more fully fleshed out Git client implementation. I really think that if they spent a little more time on it they could provide a tool that would rival other competitors like GitKraken, Sourcetree, or SmartGit.
PhpStorm is well suited for any project that utilizes PHP. I have used it on Windows, Ubuntu, and Mac OS and it works great on all those platforms. Having a solution that keeps the developer from having to constantly switch tools to do their job is invaluable. Whether you're a junior developer, front end engineer or a senior developer, PhpStorm is a great product that will help you get your work done.
Shea Bunge | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
PhpStorm is my software of choice when it comes to working with code, especially when creating and maintaining WordPress plugins, themes, and entire websites. Many editors, such as Sublime Text and Notepad++, require extensive additional configuration with third-party packages in order to provide a reasonable level of functionality – PhpStorm comes with the essential features as part of the software itself, requiring minimal configuration and with the assurance of first-party support. The code indexing feature especially is extremely useful, the most notably absent feature when using an alternative editor.
  • The background code indexing is an extremely important asset when coding, catching many common errors and mistakes and connecting the code together in an informative way that makes tracing errors and function calls an absolute breeze.
  • The cross-platform support of PhpStorm allows all users within a large team to run the same software regardless of their operating platform.
  • The extensive configuration is easy-to-understand while offering a vast range of alternative settings to allow the user to customise their editing experience to what suits them and the current project best.
  • PhpStorm includes support for a multitude of plugins, including the very useful Remote Call plugin allowing one-step navigation from runtime errors to the editor.
  • Many different languages are supported natively and through plugins, removing the need for other alternative editors.
  • The built-in terminal is an excellent timesaver, allowing pre-processing and code management tools to be run right from the editor.
  • Lacks support for some of the newer languages, such as PreCSS.
  • Rigid project-based structure makes PhpStorm unsuitable for performing quick edits or taking throwaway notes.
  • The cost, both financially and in system resources, may be prohibitive for some users.
PhpStorm is an excellent choice for large projects, especially those that involve a large number of source files, different languages, build and compilation steps, and dependencies. For small projects that consist of very few files or do not use PHP as the primary language, or quick tasks not based in maintaining a 'project', PhpStorm is a less-ideal choice given its multitude of features and strict project-based structure.
Josh Stapp | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
PhpStorm is used to write code and troubleshoot issues faster and more reliably by all our developers. It can be used to debug, profile, run SQL, view and edit the database, autocomplete functions, etc. It's the best IDE I have used so far and has an enormous array of features and options.
  • Combine everything you could need in an IDE
  • Color coding syntax, autocomplete, helpful hints
  • Easy debugging and db view/editing
  • There is a bug sometimes, when you pull that the directory structure it forgets all the folders
  • It's not free
  • When I copy paste the default is to not keep the same spacing/tab pattern of the original, which I'm not a fan of
PhpStorm is well suited for anything, except someone just starting out or who cannot pay for the license. It may seem a touch complicated with the many options, and be unnecessary for someone learning to program for the first year.
Cristian Bodnarasec | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use PhpStorm in the software development group, especially for PHP projects or projects that have at least one PHP module. When I decided to buy it (due to the insistence of a team member) I was skeptical that it worth the money spent. However, soon I realized this is a powerful IDE for PHP development, with many nice and useful features that improve the speed of development and productivity.
  • Integration with almost any source code control system.
  • Code assistance - PhpStorm has the best code assistance I have seen in my career in an IDE with an advanced syntax highlighting mode. It is helping write the code faster and reduces the number of bugs.
  • The graphics of the files comparison tool are really nice and helpful.
  • Code refactoring is done well.
  • Extended plugin list available.
  • It is limited to PHP, CSS, HTML. Support for other programming languages would be nice
  • Steep learning curve - it needs some time and training for a developer to use PhpStorm at its full capacity.
  • To run optimally, PhpStorm needs a machine with 16GB RAM, which is an add-on to its cost.
  • It is not free. Not expensive, but not free.
  • Some performance issues are there during code refactoring and cause extensive changes in the project.
I highly recommend PhpStorm specifically for web development involving PHP, CSS, and HTML. This IDE has everything you need to do this, and more. Once the team members learn it, it will increase the speed of development, the quality of the code(therefore fewer bugs) and overall it will increase the team's productivity, delivering projects/features faster to market and saving the company money.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
The IDE helps me by providing me with various powerful tools such as JS debugger (also can be found in many modern browsers), code completion and intel with documentation and other things. For the full list refer to the Pros/Cons section below. I really recommend buying or at least trying it (like me) because I think it’s totally worth it
  • PhpStorm is fast.
  • Supports things like Phing, SASS, PHP CodeSniffer, Github, etc
  • Can synchronize files from local to server and back
  • Has native ZenCoding support
  • Too complex for some developers
  • Requires Oracle Java to run properly
PhpStorm for JavaScript development, testing and debugging. The IDE helps me by providing me with various powerful tools such as JS debugger (also can be found in many modern browsers), code completion and intel with documentation and other things.
Benjamin Hale | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Currently I use PhpStorm to write and edit PHP scripts used to automate API calls and load data into our database. In the past, I have used it for WordPress website creation and maintenance. Other developers that I work with also use PhpStorm and other JetBrians products. PhpStorm is our main, go-to platform for PHP projects large and small.
  • Customization of the code windows and interface allows each developer to work in a comfortable environment.
  • Built in tools like Git and ftp clients, allow for quick deployment and editing code on development environments.
  • Easy and smart code completion is very helpful in speeding up your coding and reducing typos.
  • The way projects are organized allows users to ensure they are working on the proper project and the proper files within.
  • Free for students and great discounts after graduation.
  • Multi Platform, including Linux.
  • Slow start up times.
  • Sometimes PhpStorm can be intimidating and overwhelming for new users.
  • Not a good platform for single script edits.
PhpStorm is well suited for individual PHP Developers, as well as teams. With the integration of version control and deployment tools, it can be a one stop shop for most developers or development teams. PhpStorm is the perfect tool for working on projects with multiple files and connections. On the other hand, if someone is used to jumping in and out of projects, and updating one or two files at random, this is not a good tool due to the long load times compared with a more basic text and code editor.
Alex Lada | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
At our company, several of our developers use PhpStorm. For those of us that use it, it has been the best code editing environment for PHP. Between the color coding/formatting options, linting/code sniffing, macros, and source code search, it provides the most efficient environment.
  • Organization and searching of source code. Very helpful when trying to navigate through 3rd-party code bases to figure out how they work.
  • Customizing of formatting and skins. Everyone gets their own look and feel.
  • Debugging allowing you to step through code and get any information you need.
  • Code refactoring. Saves time when changing method/variable names. Helps prevent bugs when refactoring.
  • Repository integration. Can commit to repositories from within application.
  • Sometimes PHP Storm decides to re-index the code base (which allows for easier navigation) at inopportune times. With large code bases this can freeze up your environment for several seconds when you are trying to do things.
  • Uses a lot of memory (not really an area for improvement, because it is a powerful tool so it will of course use a lot of memory).
PhpStorm is well suited for development of projects using large code bases and many third party applications. So far it is the best editing environment I have found for managing projects of that size. It is less appropriate for editing single text files. For those scenarios I use a much simpler editor.
September 03, 2018

Best PHP IDE

Miguel Useche | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
It's being used as an IDE for PHP applications by the IT department. It helps developers to make stable, secure and better PHP applications in less time. Also it helps developers to go to the DB, test API, apply tests, check standards, check code quality, etc. in a single app. There's no need to install additional apps to do the work.

Also it handles any application dependencies, so you can start a project in a few minutes without any problem.
  • Support for quality reviews and language errors inside the PHP Editor
  • Their debugger supports expressións watch, multiple levels of debugging, remote, etc. You can do everything with the debugger
  • It supports all the external tools required to create a great application. There's no need to install plugins or additional tools to do this
  • PHP is heavy and slow on old machines, it runs on a modified JVM but affects performance.
  • Their configuration is complex, sometimes is hard to find an option or how to change something you already changed
  • If you need to create a great PHP application in less time, PHPStorm is the perfect IDE for you. It offers supports for ALMOST ALL external tools to handle dependencies, version control systems, API test, database connection, code quality tools, code standards, sniffers, etc.
  • Also if you need to automate certain tasks like HTML/CSS/JS minification, or build things, this is the perfect tools because offers support to it.
  • Their original documentation is well done and you won't get lost, even if you are using the app for the first time.
  • Save time thanks to their automation features.
  • It handles any dependency downloads.
  • Great version control systems application, you can do all things with a great UI.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use PhpStorm when debugging our PHP web-apps. It's a great IDE that helps pinpoint errors in the code via compliation, syntax highlighting & various other code inspecting features. It allows you to connect to a remote host, pulling the files directly from your server to the IDE and putting your edited files directly on to the server. Currently in our department a few developers use it when we come accross our PHP heavy frameworks like Cake or Twig.
  • Database browsing, Remote host browsing, and all the deep seated customizations for both the UI and Technical feasability are the result of an amazing integrity and compatibility with most components and technologies.
  • The built-in shell is insanely helpful for traversing code in order to debug scripts with ease, and the plug-in system makes this software quite extensible.
  • Not to mention the variety of options and settings (divided into global settings and per-project settings) are both intuitive & easy to use, especially the fact that I can export and import them across my workstations while maintaining my spacing & indentation, highlighting, inspection patterns and syntax styling.
  • So overall I love PhpStorm but there are some glaring Javascript issues that need to be addressed. The variable and function usage search often yields unrelated results. The declarations sometimes screw up & the validation can sometimes be buggy.
  • The learning curve for utilizing all of its core components & extensible features is steep. If you're coming from Sublime Text 3/Atom, you might have a tough time getting used to this heavier IDE.
  • High Memory Usage. I know its a heavier IDE with alot of cool components, but maybe through some sort of multithreading it could utilize my GPU more efficiently?
PhpStorm is well suited for any PHP development. It integrates well with Symfony, Laravel, CodeIgniter, Cake & Twig. I have used it very successfully in the past and despite not being my go-to editor, I will still use it when working on PHP heavy frameworks.
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