However, as projects grow in complexity and individual needs become more specialized, exploring alternatives is a natural step in a developer’s journey. Whether you’re seeking more powerful features, better performance, a more intuitive user interface, or a solution that integrates more seamlessly with your existing workflow, the market is rich with robust platforms ready to meet your needs. This guide will walk you through the eight best Replit alternatives, providing an in-depth analysis to help you find the perfect environment for your next web development project.

Key Takeaways

  • Diverse Options for Every Need: The landscape of online IDEs is vast. Platforms like CodeSandbox and StackBlitz excel at frontend development and rapid prototyping, while AWS Cloud9 and Gitpod offer powerful, full-stack development environments with deep customization.
  • Performance is Paramount: For serious development, performance and resource allocation are critical. Alternatives like Gitpod and GitHub Codespaces provide dedicated, containerized environments that often outperform shared platforms, ensuring your builds are fast and reliable.
  • Collaboration is Standard: Real-time collaboration is no longer a niche feature. Most top alternatives offer robust tools for pair programming, code reviews, and team-based development, making it easier than ever to work together from anywhere in the world.
  • Cost-Effectiveness Varies: While many platforms offer generous free tiers for individuals and small projects, costs can scale with usage, team size, and required computing power. It’s crucial to analyze pricing models to find a solution that fits your budget as your projects grow.
  • Integration is Key to Workflow: The best IDE is one that fits into your existing toolchain. Look for platforms that offer seamless integration with Git providers (like GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket), CI/CD pipelines, and other essential development tools.
  • WordPress Remains a Powerhouse: For many web creators, a powerful IDE is only one part of the equation. Platforms like Elementor provide a complete ecosystem for building and managing sophisticated websites on WordPress, offering a different but equally powerful path to web creation that can complement a developer’s workflow.

Why Look for a Replit Alternative?

Replit is an excellent tool, particularly for beginners, educators, and those working on smaller-scale projects. Its simplicity and all-in-one nature make it incredibly accessible. However, several factors might lead a developer to seek an alternative:

  • Performance and Resource Limitations: On free or lower-tiered plans, Replit’s shared resource model can sometimes lead to slower performance, especially for larger or more computationally intensive projects. A dedicated or more powerful environment can be a necessity.
  • Full-Stack and Backend Development: While Replit supports backend languages, developers working on complex server-side applications may find that platforms offering more control over the development environment, such as custom Docker configurations and deeper terminal access, are more suitable.
  • Cost at Scale: As teams grow and projects multiply, the cost of Replit’s premium features can add up. Some alternatives may offer more competitive pricing models for teams or open-source projects.
  • Specific Workflow Integrations: Developers deeply integrated with a particular ecosystem, such as GitHub or AWS, might prefer a tool that is native to that platform for a more seamless experience.
  • User Interface and Experience: Personal preference plays a significant role. Some developers may simply prefer the look, feel, and workflow of a different IDE. As web development expert Itamar Haim notes, “The efficiency of your development process is directly tied to the comfort and power of your chosen environment. The right IDE feels less like a tool and more like an extension of your own thinking.”

With these considerations in mind, let’s explore the top alternatives that cater to these diverse needs.

1. CodeSandbox

CodeSandbox has carved out a niche as a premier online editor, especially for frontend developers working with modern JavaScript frameworks like React, Vue, and Angular. It’s designed for rapid prototyping, component development, and collaborative coding sessions.

Unlike Replit, which takes a more general-purpose approach, CodeSandbox is highly optimized for the web development workflow. It uses a unique bundler and transpiler in the browser, which allows for incredibly fast startup times. You can go from a GitHub repository to a running dev server in seconds.

Key Features

  • Optimized for Frontend Frameworks: CodeSandbox offers official templates for virtually every popular frontend framework and static site generator, including React, Next.js, Vue, Nuxt, Angular, and Svelte. This makes starting a new project a one-click process.
  • NPM Integration: It has full support for npm packages, allowing you to add dependencies to your project just as you would in a local environment. The dependency management is handled seamlessly in the background.
  • GitHub Integration: CodeSandbox has one of the best GitHub integrations available. You can import any public repository, and it will set up the entire environment for you. You can commit changes directly from the editor, create pull requests, and even review them within the CodeSandbox UI.
  • Live Collaboration: Its collaborative features are top-notch, allowing multiple developers to code in the same sandbox in real-time, much like Google Docs. This is perfect for pair programming, interviews, and team reviews.
  • DevTools in the Browser: It provides integrated developer tools, including a console and test runner, directly within the editor, creating a comprehensive development experience without needing to switch tabs.

Who is it Best For?

CodeSandbox is ideal for frontend developers, UI/UX designers who code, and teams that need to collaborate on web application interfaces. It shines for building component libraries, prototyping new features, and creating reproducible bug reports. While it does have support for full-stack development with container-based environments, its core strength remains in the frontend space.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • Extremely fast for frontend projects.
  • Excellent, seamless GitHub integration.
  • Superior real-time collaboration features.
  • Large library of official project templates.
  • Generous free tier for public projects.

Cons:

  • Backend and database support is less robust than some alternatives.
  • Can be resource-intensive on the browser for very large projects.
  • The focus is primarily on web technologies, making it less suitable for general-purpose programming.

Pricing

CodeSandbox offers a free plan that is quite generous for public sandboxes. For private projects and enhanced features, they have a Pro plan, which is priced per user and offers more private projects and increased resource limits. Team plans provide collaborative features and centralized billing.

2. StackBlitz

StackBlitz is another powerhouse in the world of online IDEs, often drawing direct comparisons to CodeSandbox. It markets itself as “the world’s fastest, most secure dev environment,” and for good reason. StackBlitz runs a full, VS Code-based editing experience and dev server entirely within your browser, leveraging WebContainers.

This WebContainer technology is a game-changer. It allows you to run Node.js and backend environments directly in the browser tab, offering unprecedented speed and security since the code execution is sandboxed.

Key Features

  • WebContainer Technology: This is the flagship feature. Running Node.js in the browser allows for near-instantaneous dev server startups and package installations. It’s faster than local development in many cases.
  • VS Code Experience: StackBlitz provides an authentic Visual Studio Code experience, including the command palette, extensions, and debugging tools. This makes the transition from a local setup incredibly smooth for many developers.
  • Offline Support: Because the environment runs entirely in the browser, you can continue working on your project even if you lose your internet connection.
  • Security: By running the environment in a browser sandbox, it provides a high level of security. Code is executed in an isolated environment, preventing any malicious packages from accessing your local machine.
  • Full-Stack Capabilities: Thanks to WebContainers, StackBlitz can handle full-stack applications with a Node.js backend, making it a more versatile alternative than it might first appear.

Who is it Best For?

StackBlitz is perfect for developers who want the speed of an online IDE without sacrificing the power and familiarity of a local VS Code setup. It’s excellent for frontend and full-stack JavaScript developers. Its security features also make it a great choice for enterprises and for running untrusted code safely.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • Incredibly fast startup and package installation times.
  • Full, authentic VS Code experience in the browser.
  • Enhanced security through browser sandboxing.
  • Offline support for continued development.
  • Strong full-stack JavaScript capabilities.

Cons:

  • Browser-based limitations can still affect very large or resource-heavy applications.
  • Support for non-JavaScript backend languages is not as mature as on container-based platforms.
  • Some VS Code extensions may not be fully compatible.

Pricing

StackBlitz offers a free tier for public projects. Paid plans are available for individuals and teams, offering private projects, increased storage, and more powerful features. Their pricing is competitive and structured to scale with your needs.

3. Gitpod

Gitpod takes a different approach. Instead of running in the browser, it provides fully-configured, automated development environments in the cloud, powered by VS Code and provisioned on demand. When you open a project in Gitpod, it launches a fresh, containerized workspace for you, complete with all the necessary tools, dependencies, and extensions.

The core idea behind Gitpod is “dev environments as code.” You define your workspace configuration in a .gitpod.yml file in your repository. This ensures that every developer on your team, and every new contributor, gets the exact same, perfectly configured environment every time.

Key Features

  • Automated Workspace Provisioning: Gitpod automatically creates a ready-to-code environment for any GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket repository.
  • Dev Environments as Code: The .gitpod.yml file allows you to version control your development environment, eliminating the “it works on my machine” problem entirely.
  • Prebuilds: Gitpod can prebuild your workspaces before you even open them. This means that when you click to start a new workspace, there’s no waiting for dependencies to install or code to compile. The environment is ready instantly.
  • Full Root Access: You get a full Linux container with root access, giving you complete control over your environment. You can install any tool or package you need via the terminal.
  • Choice of IDE: While it defaults to VS Code in the browser, you can also connect to your Gitpod workspace from your local desktop version of VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, or other editors.

Who is it Best For?

Gitpod is built for professional developers and teams who need powerful, reproducible, and collaborative development environments. It’s ideal for full-stack development, backend services, and large, complex projects. It’s also a fantastic tool for open-source projects, as it makes it incredibly easy for new contributors to get started without a complicated setup process.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • Powerful, dedicated, and reproducible development environments.
  • Eliminates the need for local environment setup and maintenance.
  • Prebuilds make startup times incredibly fast.
  • Deep integration with major Git providers.
  • Supports a wide range of languages and frameworks.

Cons:

  • The learning curve can be steeper due to the need to configure the .gitpod.yml file.
  • The free tier has usage limits, and costs can increase based on hours of use.
  • Requires a constant internet connection.

Pricing

Gitpod offers a free plan with a generous number of hours per month, perfect for individual developers and open-source contributors. Paid plans offer more hours, more parallel workspaces, and team-oriented features, with pricing based on usage.

4. GitHub Codespaces

GitHub Codespaces is GitHub’s direct answer to the cloud development environment space. As a native part of the GitHub platform, it offers an unparalleled level of integration with the entire GitHub workflow. It functions very similarly to Gitpod, providing cloud-powered, containerized development environments that you can spin up in seconds.

Because it’s built by GitHub, every part of the experience feels seamless if you’re already using the platform. From creating a codespace for a repository to committing code and managing pull requests, the entire development lifecycle can happen without ever leaving GitHub.

Key Features

  • Deep GitHub Integration: This is its killer feature. Create a codespace from any repository, branch, or pull request with a single click. The entire experience is woven directly into the GitHub UI.
  • Configurable Environments: Like Gitpod, you can define your development environment using a devcontainer.json file, ensuring consistency across your team.
  • VS Code Experience: It provides a full-featured VS Code experience, either in the browser or by connecting from your local VS Code desktop application.
  • Port Forwarding and Previews: Easily forward ports from your codespace to access running applications and web servers securely in your browser.
  • Dotfiles Integration: You can link your dotfiles repository to personalize your codespace environment automatically, bringing your custom shell aliases, editor settings, and tools to every new workspace.

Who is it Best For?

GitHub Codespaces is the obvious choice for developers and teams who are heavily invested in the GitHub ecosystem. It’s perfect for anyone who wants a tightly integrated, cloud-based development experience that works seamlessly with GitHub’s collaboration and CI/CD tools. It supports everything from simple web projects to complex, multi-repository applications.

For teams already using WordPress, integrating a tool like GitHub Codespaces for plugin or theme development can create a powerful, modern workflow. Developers can work in a clean, containerized environment and then deploy to a staging site hosted on a managed platform like Elementor Hosting, which is optimized for performance and security.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • Unbeatable integration with the GitHub platform.
  • Fast and powerful development environments.
  • Highly configurable through devcontainer.json.
  • Familiar VS Code interface.
  • Strong security and enterprise-grade features.

Cons:

  • Tied exclusively to the GitHub ecosystem.
  • Pricing can be more complex, based on compute usage and storage.
  • Less mature than some competitors, with some features still evolving.

Pricing

GitHub offers a certain number of free core hours per month for personal accounts. Beyond that, pricing is pay-as-you-go, calculated based on the number of cores in your codespace machine and the amount of time you use it, plus storage costs. Team and Enterprise plans have different quotas and billing structures.

5. AWS Cloud9

AWS Cloud9 is a cloud-based IDE from Amazon Web Services. As an AWS product, its primary strength lies in its deep integration with the entire suite of AWS services. It provides a powerful code editor, debugger, and terminal, all running in the cloud.

Cloud9 workspaces are backed by an actual Amazon EC2 instance, which means you get the full power of an AWS virtual machine. You can choose the instance type that best suits your needs, from a small, cost-effective machine to a high-powered, multi-core beast for demanding workloads.

Key Features

  • Deep AWS Integration: This is the main draw. Cloud9 comes with the AWS CLI pre-installed and authenticated, making it incredibly easy to interact with services like S3, Lambda, EC2, and more, directly from the IDE.
  • Direct Terminal Access: You get full sudo access to a real EC2 instance, giving you complete control over your development environment.
  • Collaborative Coding: Cloud9 supports real-time collaboration, allowing multiple developers to work in the same environment simultaneously.
  • Serverless Development: It has built-in tools for creating, running, and debugging serverless applications with AWS Lambda, making it a top choice for serverless developers.
  • Flexibility: You can run a Cloud9 environment on a new EC2 instance, or you can connect it to an existing Linux server, whether it’s on AWS or on-premises.

Who is it Best For?

AWS Cloud9 is the go-to choice for developers building applications on the AWS platform. If your workflow involves deploying to AWS, using services like Lambda or ECS, or managing AWS infrastructure, Cloud9 will save you a tremendous amount of time and effort. It’s particularly strong for backend and full-stack developers who need a powerful, customizable Linux environment.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • Seamless integration with the AWS ecosystem.
  • Full control over the underlying EC2 instance.
  • Excellent tools for serverless development.
  • Robust collaboration features.
  • Scalable performance based on your choice of EC2 instance.

Cons:

  • The user interface can feel a bit dated compared to more modern, VS Code-based IDEs.
  • The setup process can be more involved than one-click solutions like Gitpod.
  • Primarily beneficial for those already using AWS; less compelling for others.

Pricing

With AWS Cloud9, you only pay for the underlying AWS resources that your environment uses. This means you pay for the EC2 instance and the EBS storage volume. There is no additional charge for the Cloud9 service itself. This can be very cost-effective, especially if you utilize EC2 Spot Instances or make sure to stop your instance when it’s not in use.

6. Codeanywhere

Codeanywhere is one of the original players in the cloud IDE space and has recently been rebuilt from the ground up to offer a modern, fast, and flexible development experience. It focuses on providing a versatile platform that can adapt to any developer’s workflow.

Similar to Gitpod, Codeanywhere uses container-based development environments, which they call “DevBoxes.” These are pre-configured environments that you can spin up in seconds, providing all the tools and resources you need for your project.

Key Features

  • Pre-configured Dev Stacks: Codeanywhere offers a wide variety of pre-built development stacks for different languages and frameworks, including Node.js, Python, PHP, Ruby, and more.
  • Customizable Environments: You can fully customize your environment using Dockerfiles or by defining a custom stack, ensuring you have the exact setup you need.
  • Connect to Anything: A standout feature is the ability to connect to external resources, including your own servers via SSH, FTP, or even cloud storage like Google Drive and Dropbox.
  • Live Collaboration: It offers robust real-time collaboration tools, including shared terminals and live code editing.
  • Built-in Debugger: The IDE includes a powerful debugger for multiple languages, helping you find and fix issues quickly.

Who is it Best For?

Codeanywhere is a great all-around choice for developers who value flexibility. Its ability to connect to external servers makes it unique, providing a bridge between cloud development and existing infrastructure. It’s suitable for both frontend and backend development across a wide range of programming languages.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • Highly flexible and versatile.
  • Wide range of pre-configured stacks.
  • Unique ability to connect to external servers and storage.
  • Strong collaboration and debugging tools.
  • Clean and intuitive user interface.

Cons:

  • The free tier is more limited than some competitors.
  • Performance may vary depending on the chosen stack and workload.
  • Lacks the deep, native integration of platform-specific tools like GitHub Codespaces.

Pricing

Codeanywhere has a free tier with basic features and usage limits. Paid plans are available on a per-user, per-month basis, offering more powerful DevBoxes, unlimited projects, and advanced collaboration features.

7. Glitch

Glitch offers a unique and fun take on the online IDE. It’s a creative community and coding platform where you can build and deploy full-stack web apps in seconds. The focus is on simplicity, creativity, and making coding accessible to everyone.

Every project on Glitch is a full-fledged web application with its own public URL. You can “remix” any public project, which creates a copy for you to modify and experiment with. This makes it an incredibly powerful tool for learning and collaboration.

Key Features

  • Instant Deployment: Every project is live on the web from the first line of code. There’s no separate deployment step.
  • Remixing: This is Glitch’s core collaborative feature. You can instantly copy and build upon any public project, fostering a culture of sharing and learning.
  • Real-time Collaboration: Multiple users can type in the same project at once, and changes are reflected instantly.
  • Friendly and Accessible: The entire platform is designed to be welcoming to beginners, with helpful tutorials, a supportive community, and a playful aesthetic.
  • Full-Stack Support: Glitch projects are full Node.js environments, so you can build both the frontend and backend of your application, including databases.

Who is it Best For?

Glitch is fantastic for beginners, educators, hobbyists, and anyone looking to quickly prototype a web app idea. The “remix” culture makes it a vibrant place to learn new technologies and see how others have solved problems. It’s less suited for large-scale, production-critical applications but excels as a creative and educational tool.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • Incredibly easy to get started.
  • Instant deployment and live URLs for every project.
  • Unique and powerful “remix” feature for collaboration and learning.
  • Supportive and creative community.
  • Excellent for prototyping and educational purposes.

Cons:

  • Limited resources on the free plan (projects “sleep” when not in use).
  • Not designed for high-traffic, production applications.
  • Less powerful editor and terminal compared to professional-grade IDEs.

Pricing

Glitch’s free tier is very capable for public projects. A paid “Boosted Apps” subscription allows you to keep projects running 24/7 and gives them more memory and storage, making it suitable for more serious projects or bots.

8. Elementor: The Website Creation Platform

While not a traditional IDE in the same vein as the others on this list, Elementor presents a powerful alternative path for a significant segment of web creators, particularly designers, agencies, and business owners. Elementor is a complete website builder platform for WordPress that allows you to design, build, and manage sophisticated websites through a visual, drag-and-drop interface.

For many projects, the goal is a beautiful, functional, and performant website, not the process of writing code itself. In these cases, a platform like Elementor can be a more efficient and effective solution. It abstracts away the complexity of coding, allowing creators to focus on design, user experience, and content.

Key Features

  • Visual Drag-and-Drop Editor: The core of Elementor is its live, front-end editor. You build your pages by dragging widgets onto the canvas and styling them with granular controls. What you see is what you get.
  • Theme Builder: With Elementor Pro, you can go beyond single pages and visually design your entire website, including the header, footer, blog post templates, and archive pages, without writing any code.
  • WooCommerce Builder: For eCommerce sites, the WooCommerce Builder allows you to create fully custom product pages, shop archives, and checkout experiences, giving you complete control over your online store’s design.
  • Integrated Ecosystem: Elementor has evolved into a full platform. It offers managed WordPress hosting optimized for performance, an AI tool for generating content and images, and a vast library of pre-designed templates and kits to accelerate your workflow.
  • Extensibility: While it’s a no-code platform, it’s built on WordPress, giving you access to the massive ecosystem of WordPress plugins for adding any functionality you can imagine. Developers can also extend Elementor with custom code and add-ons.

Who is it Best For?

Elementor is the ideal solution for web designers, digital agencies, and businesses who want to create professional, pixel-perfect websites without getting bogged down in code. It empowers creators who may not be expert coders to achieve high-end results. It also serves as a powerful tool for developers who want to speed up their workflow for client projects, allowing them to build the core site visually and then add custom functionality where needed.

For a designer focused on aesthetics and user experience, Elementor provides a creative freedom that is often more direct and intuitive than writing CSS from scratch.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • Extremely fast development cycle for building websites.
  • Complete creative control through a visual interface.
  • All-in-one platform with hosting, AI, and marketing tools.
  • Massive ecosystem of templates, widgets, and third-party add-ons.
  • Empowers non-developers to achieve professional results.

Cons:

  • It’s a website builder, not a general-purpose coding environment.
  • Over-reliance on too many third-party plugins can sometimes impact performance.
  • May not be the right fit for web applications that require complex, custom backend logic from the ground up.

Pricing

Elementor has a very powerful free version available on the WordPress plugin repository. Elementor Pro is a premium subscription that unlocks the Theme Builder, WooCommerce Builder, and many other advanced features and widgets. The pricing is based on the number of websites you want to use it on. Elementor Hosting bundles the Pro plugin with a managed hosting plan.

Conclusion: Choosing the Right Environment for You

The best Replit alternative ultimately depends on your specific needs, projects, and workflow. There is no one-size-fits-all answer.

  • If you’re a frontend developer focused on modern JavaScript frameworks, CodeSandbox and StackBlitz offer unparalleled speed and a fantastic user experience.
  • If you’re a professional developer or part of a team that needs powerful, reproducible, full-stack environments, Gitpod and GitHub Codespaces are the clear leaders.
  • If you’re building applications within the AWS ecosystem, AWS Cloud9 will provide the most seamless and integrated experience.
  • If you are a web creator, designer, or agency focused on building stunning WordPress websites efficiently, the Elementor platform offers a complete, integrated solution that can dramatically accelerate your workflow.

The rise of cloud-based development environments has been a massive leap forward for the industry. They lower the barrier to entry, streamline collaboration, and solve the age-old problem of environment inconsistencies. By exploring these powerful Replit alternatives, you can find the perfect platform to help you build better, faster, and more collaboratively.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What is a cloud IDE?

A cloud Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is a tool that allows you to write, edit, run, and debug code directly in your web browser. It eliminates the need to install and configure a development environment on your local computer, providing a ready-to-code workspace that you can access from anywhere.

2. Is a cloud IDE better than a local IDE like VS Code?

“Better” is subjective. Cloud IDEs offer advantages like zero setup time, easy collaboration, and consistent environments across teams. Local IDEs, on the other hand, offer offline access, potentially faster performance for CPU-intensive tasks (depending on your hardware), and complete control over your machine. Many modern cloud IDEs like Gitpod and GitHub Codespaces offer the best of both worlds by allowing you to connect your local VS Code to the cloud environment.

3. Are cloud IDEs secure?

Reputable cloud IDEs take security very seriously. Platforms like StackBlitz use browser sandboxing to isolate code execution, while others like Gitpod and Codespaces use containerization to provide isolated environments for each workspace. This can often be more secure than a local setup, especially when dealing with untrusted code or dependencies.

4. Can I use a cloud IDE for professional development?

Absolutely. Platforms like Gitpod, GitHub Codespaces, and AWS Cloud9 are designed specifically for professional developers and enterprise teams. They provide powerful, scalable, and secure environments suitable for building large-scale, production-ready applications.

5. What should I look for when choosing a Replit alternative?

Consider the following factors:

  • Primary Use Case: Are you doing frontend, backend, or full-stack development?
  • Language/Framework Support: Does it have good support and templates for the technologies you use?
  • Performance: Does it provide enough computing resources for your projects?
  • Collaboration Features: How easy is it to code with your team?
  • Git Integration: How seamlessly does it work with your chosen Git provider?
  • Pricing: Does the cost structure fit your budget as you scale?

6. Can I host a full website on these platforms?

Most cloud IDEs are development environments, not hosting platforms. While they provide a live preview URL for your running application, this is meant for development and testing, not for production traffic. For production, you would deploy your code from the cloud IDE to a dedicated hosting provider, such as Elementor Hosting, Vercel, Netlify, or AWS.

7. How do these platforms handle databases?

Most full-stack cloud IDEs (like Gitpod, Codespaces, Cloud9) allow you to run a database within your containerized environment. This is great for development. For production, you would typically connect your application to a managed database service like Amazon RDS, MongoDB Atlas, or PlanetScale.

8. What is the main advantage of a container-based IDE like Gitpod over a browser-based one like StackBlitz?

The main advantage is power and flexibility. A container-based IDE gives you a full Linux environment with root access, allowing you to install any tool and run any language or service (including databases, multiple backend services, etc.). A browser-based IDE, while incredibly fast, is limited to what can be run within the browser’s sandbox, which is primarily JavaScript/Node.js.

9. Do I need to know Docker to use platforms like Gitpod or Codespaces?

While knowing Docker is helpful for advanced customization, it’s not a requirement to get started. Both platforms have sensible defaults and allow you to define your environment with simpler configuration files (.gitpod.yml or devcontainer.json). Many common configurations can be set up without writing a Dockerfile.

10. Can I use Elementor and a cloud IDE together?

Yes, this is a common workflow for WordPress developers. You can use a cloud IDE like Gitpod or GitHub Codespaces to develop a custom WordPress plugin or theme. The IDE provides a clean, isolated environment for coding. You can then deploy your finished plugin/theme to a live or staging WordPress site built with Elementor to see it in action.