Free Tools Every Developer Should Know in 2025

If you’re a developer — beginner or experienced — you’ve probably realized that good tools don’t just make your life easier, they make it possible. Over the years, I’ve tried dozens of tools, from paid enterprise solutions to free side projects on GitHub. But some free tools really stand out, and I find myself coming back to them again and again.

Here’s a curated list of 7 free tools that I believe every developer should at least be aware of — especially going into 2025:

1. Visual Studio Code

Honestly, I’ve tried other editors — Sublime, Atom (RIP), even paid ones — but I always come back to VS Code. It’s lightweight, super extensible, and the extension ecosystem is just wild. Whether you’re writing Python, JavaScript, Go, or even Markdown, VS Code just gets out of your way.

2. Postman

If you’re working with APIs even 10% of the time, you’ve likely used Postman. I use it to test endpoints, send custom headers, inspect responses — it’s an essential part of my workflow when I’m building anything that touches a backend.

3. Insomnia

Sometimes Postman feels a bit heavy — that’s where Insomnia shines. It’s fast, clean, and built for developers who just want to test and go. Great UI, and their GraphQL support is actually really smooth.

4. Figma

Even though I’m more on the development side, collaborating with designers is unavoidable. Figma makes that process almost painless. Real-time collaboration, comment threads, easy exports — it saves so much time and miscommunication.

5. GitHub Copilot (Free Plan)

When Copilot came out, I was skeptical. But after trying it, I genuinely feel like it’s a superpower. It won’t replace you (yet), but it will autocomplete a function before you finish typing the comment describing it.

6. StackBlitz

This is a game-changer, especially for quick prototyping. You can run full-stack apps in the browser — no install, no config. Just code and run. Perfect for demos or teaching someone a concept quickly.

7. UptimeRobot

If you’re running any kind of live project (even a portfolio), this free tool gives you peace of mind. It checks if your site/server is online every few minutes and sends you alerts by email, SMS, or Slack if something goes down.

I genuinely use most of these tools every week — some daily. They’ve helped me debug faster, build cleaner, and collaborate better.
If you’ve got a hidden gem you use all the time that’s not on this list — drop it in the comments. I’m always looking to improve my workflow.