RStudio
What it is: The premier IDE for R programming. Code editor, console, package management, R Markdown—all in one.
What It Does Best
R-first design. Built specifically for R. Every feature optimized for R workflows.
R Markdown integration. Write, render, preview all in one place. Seamless literate programming.
Data viewing. Browse DataFrames like spreadsheets. Explore data without leaving IDE.
Key Features
Integrated console: Code editor and R console in one interface
R Markdown: Write reproducible reports mixing code and narrative
Package management: Install, update, load packages with GUI
Plot viewer: View and export plots inline
Debugging: Breakpoints, step-through debugging, variable inspection
Pricing
RStudio Desktop: Free, open source
RStudio Workbench: $4,975/year (server, team features)
Posit Cloud: Free tier, $5-20/month for cloud hosting
When to Use It
✅ Doing any serious R programming
✅ Writing R Markdown documents
✅ Need data exploration tools
✅ Creating Shiny applications
✅ Teaching or learning R
When NOT to Use It
❌ Not using R (use appropriate IDE)
❌ Need multi-language support (VS Code better)
❌ Prefer notebook interface (Jupyter with R kernel)
❌ Very large projects (heavy IDE can slow down)
❌ Only running simple scripts (R console sufficient)
Common Use Cases
Data analysis: Interactive exploration, visualization, modeling
R Markdown reports: Reproducible research documents
Package development: Build, test, document R packages
Shiny apps: Interactive web applications from R
Statistical programming: Complex analysis workflows
RStudio vs Alternatives
vs Jupyter: RStudio better for R-specific features, Jupyter more language-agnostic
vs VS Code: RStudio better R integration, VS Code better multi-language
vs Base R: RStudio adds IDE features, Base R just console
Unique Strengths
R Markdown: Best-in-class literate programming for R
Data viewer: Spreadsheet-like data browsing built-in
Shiny integration: Build and test interactive apps seamlessly
Project management: .Rproj files for organized workflows
Bottom line: If you use R, use RStudio. It's the gold standard IDE for R programming. Free, powerful, and designed by people who understand R workflows.