BlueJ

BlueJ is ranked #5 of 62 in integrated development environments on Freedom251. It runs on Linux, macOS, Windows. There is a free plan.

BlueJ plans and pricing

All plans

BlueJ Free Free Java development environment; designed for beginners bluej.org · 3 Oct 2026

Compared on integrated development environments

Free plan: Yes
Built-in debugger: Yes
Build tools: Yes

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BlueJ

Purpose: BlueJ is a development environment for developing Java programs, designed with a simple interface and teaching in mind.
Interactive tools: Users can inspect objects, create them dynamically, invoke their methods, and run Java expressions without compiling.
Editor: The editor uses scope highlighting to distinguish code blocks and help users spot misplaced curly brackets.
Languages: BlueJ 6.0.0 added Kotlin editing and execution, while the release notes say some Kotlin features, such as code completion, are not yet supported.
Git integrations: The documentation provides a Git teamwork tutorial for BlueJ 4 and later.
Extensions: BlueJ provides an extensions API for third parties to add functionality; its extensions page notes that BlueJ 5.0.0 rewrote the API and that the listed extensions page is for BlueJ 4 and older.
Security: The official pages reviewed do not state a security certification or compliance claim.
Operating system requirements: The current download page specifies 64-bit Windows 8 or later, macOS 11 or later, or 64-bit Intel Debian 11 or Ubuntu 20.04 or later; it also links an ARM64 build for Ubuntu/Debian.
Other platforms: The site says the generic installer works on most platforms with Java/JavaFX 21 support and that BlueJ requires a 64-bit operating system, with version 4.1.4 offered for 32-bit systems.
Support: BlueJ directs users to its FAQ, technical support contact, and bug database for software issues, while recommending programming forums for programming questions.
Support response: The about page says the team aims to respond to technical support requests within one working day.
Documentation limit: The documentation page says some written materials are out of date and that updated reference material is in progress.
Audience and education resources: BlueJ is designed for beginners and teaching, and its free Blueroom site offers teaching resources and a chance for educators to engage with one another.
Project history: The about page says BlueJ was first released in 1999 and that its team works in the Computing Education Research Group at the University of Kent.
Price from: Free

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Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Integrated Development Environments in 2026#5 of 62
Best IDE Software in 2026#7 of 51
Best Java IDEs in 2026#3 of 23

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Sources

bluej.org/about.html· checked 3 Oct 2026
bluej.org/versions.html· checked 3 Oct 2026
bluej.org/doc/documentation.html· checked 3 Oct 2026
bluej.org/extensions/extensions.html· checked 3 Oct 2026
bluej.org· checked 3 Oct 2026