Developer tools · ide
PlatformIO
Hacker Approved
Recommended for making embedded firmware easier, with flashing, dependency management and plain-text config files in VS Code. Common caveat: Arduino 3 support lags, so some libraries do not work.
Summarized from 33 comments.
Recommended for making embedded firmware easier, with flashing, dependency management and plain-text config files in VS Code. Common caveat: Arduino 3 support lags, so some libraries do not work.
- recommend
- 22
- criticize
- 6
- months recommended
- 5 of 13
Why people love it
Better than the Arduino IDE · 4
There is no reason to even touch the Arduino IDE anymore now that PlatformIO is so good.
Dec 2025 · commentworking in VSCode on the code is much more to my liking than the separate Arduino IDE
Dec 2025 · commentVS Code/PlatformIO actually makes that easier than the Arduino IDE
Nov 2025 · commentWorks well inside VS Code · 3
VSCode with the PlatformIO extension has been great for me when working with them
Nov 2025 · commentThose of us that care have switched to VS Code + PlatformIO.
Nov 2025 · commentGet VSCode and install PlatformIO extension. Its way better
Nov 2025 · commentPlain-text config files · 2
way better experience, and you can actually have all your important config in normal text files
Nov 2025 · commenteven in embedded C, you have platformio which manages to make due with a few .ini files
Apr 2026 · commentEasy to start and program · 2
find it much easier to program an MCU this way
Dec 2025 · commentGetting started is really easy.
Nov 2025 · comment
What people warn about
Arduino 3 library incompatibility · 2
Unfortunately Arduino 3 support isn't there yet so a lot of libraries like HomeSpan won't work on PlatformIO at the moment.
Nov 2025 · commenta Library only compatible with Arduino 3.0.0 which is incompatible with PlatformIO
Nov 2025 · commentSome boards lack support · 2
platformio with Arduino framework IS! RPi refuses to support platformio sadly
Dec 2025 · commentbecause they refuse to update the Arduino core in some kind of stand-off with Espressif
Apr 2026 · commentSeen as complex and bloated · 2
I can't stand all the bloat of Arduino/Platform.io/ESPHome
Jul 2026 · commentPlatformio is not simple by any means.
Apr 2026 · comment
What hackers pick instead
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- Microsoft Visual StudioA full Windows IDE praised for its powerful C++ and C# debugger, code navigation and productive WinForms tooling, though many find it slow, bloated and pushy with Copilot.165recommend
- DelphiRecommended for building native Windows desktop apps very quickly with a visual drag-and-drop designer, though critics complain about aggressive licensing and a company that lost its way.126recommend
- XcodeApple's free IDE, praised by long-time users for strong debugging tools and steadily improving AI agent support, though many find it buggy and tied to recent Macs and macOS.100recommend
Every quote
The 31 most detailed of 33 comments. Each links to the original.
Unfortunately Arduino 3 support isn't there yet so a lot of libraries like HomeSpan won't work on PlatformIO at the moment.
Mixed · Nov 2025 · in “Arduino published updated terms and conditions: no longer an open commons”
way better experience, and you can actually have all your important config in normal text files
Recommends · Nov 2025 · in “The Death of Arduino?”
There is no reason to even touch the Arduino IDE anymore now that PlatformIO is so good.
Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Adafruit: Arduino’s Rules Are ‘Incompatible With Open Source’”
even in embedded C, you have platformio which manages to make due with a few .ini files
Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “I built a Cargo-like build tool for C/C++”
working in VSCode on the code is much more to my liking than the separate Arduino IDE
Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Adafruit: Arduino’s Rules Are ‘Incompatible With Open Source’”
a Library only compatible with Arduino 3.0.0 which is incompatible with PlatformIO
Mixed · Nov 2025 · in “Arduino published updated terms and conditions: no longer an open commons”
VSCode with the PlatformIO extension has been great for me when working with them
Recommends · Nov 2025 · in “The Death of Arduino?”
platformio with Arduino framework IS! RPi refuses to support platformio sadly
Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Adafruit: Arduino’s Rules Are ‘Incompatible With Open Source’”
VS Code/PlatformIO actually makes that easier than the Arduino IDE
Recommends · Nov 2025 · in “The Death of Arduino?”
Those of us that care have switched to VS Code + PlatformIO.
Recommends · Nov 2025
Get VSCode and install PlatformIO extension. Its way better
Recommends · Nov 2025 · in “The Death of Arduino?”
find it much easier to program an MCU this way
Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Adafruit: Arduino’s Rules Are ‘Incompatible With Open Source’”
Getting started is really easy.
Recommends · Nov 2025 · in “The Death of Arduino?”
because they refuse to update the Arduino core in some kind of stand-off with Espressif
Criticizes · Apr 2026 · in “ESP32-S31: 320MHz 2C RV32IMAFCP+CLIC, 512KB SRAM, GbE, 802.11ax, 61 GPIO”
I can't stand all the bloat of Arduino/Platform.io/ESPHome
Criticizes · Jul 2026 · in “Arduino Launches Plug-and-Play Modules for Long-Range Sensor Projects”
Platformio is not simple by any means.
Criticizes · Apr 2026 · in “I built a Cargo-like build tool for C/C++”
I use the Arduino framework and PlatformIO to make the flashing/dependency management part easier
Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Show HN: I wrote a small lib to turn a USB gamepad into a Bluetooth one”
Many don't publish outside the marketplace for example Platformio.
Mixed · Mar 2026 · in “Astral to Join OpenAI”
Can’t recommend it enough. Faster startup. Repeatable builds.
Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Adafruit: Arduino’s Rules Are ‘Incompatible With Open Source’”
they should pivot to contributing to PlatformIO instead
Recommends · Nov 2025
PIO + esp-IDF is the only way I write ESP firmware.
Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Adafruit: Arduino’s Rules Are ‘Incompatible With Open Source’”
will give you a better experience in so many ways
Recommends · Nov 2025 · in “The Death of Arduino?”
Recently I've switched to Platformio for coding.
Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Adafruit: Arduino’s Rules Are ‘Incompatible With Open Source’”
If you do embedded development, things like
Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “VSCode rebrands as "The open source AI code editor"”
platformio which has a dedicated community
Recommends · Nov 2025 · in “The Death of Arduino?”
the decision to use uv and platformio
Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “Teardown: A Generic 7-Port USB 3.0 Hub That Wasn't”
PlatformIO by the way is excellent
Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Adafruit: Arduino’s Rules Are ‘Incompatible With Open Source’”
Look at how PlatformIO does it.
Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “FPGAs Need a New Future”
I would say that's a PIO bug unless there is a flag I don't know about
Criticizes · Dec 2025 · in “Stop Breaking TLS”
both of these are hobbyist toys to make it more approachable
Criticizes · Dec 2025 · in “VSCode rebrands as "The open source AI code editor"”
There's no point in using PlatformIO for ESP32 MCUs.
Criticizes · Oct 2026 · in “ESP32-C3 Adblock”
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