These use GCC (no size limit) and include free debuggers. | If you are... | Do this | |---------------|---------| | Student learning Cortex-M | Use Keil Lite – it’s what many textbooks use. | | Hobbyist making small projects (<32 KB code) | Use Keil Lite – simple setup, good debugger. | | Working on a project >32 KB | Avoid Keil – switch to STM32CubeIDE or PlatformIO. | | Using classic 8051 | Try SDCC (free open-source compiler) + uVision if you want the IDE. | | Tempted by cracks | Don't – install a VM and test open-source tools first. |

| Tool | Free? | Code Limit | Best for | |------|-------|------------|-----------| | | Yes | None | STM32 (Cortex-M) | | MCUXpresso | Yes | None | NXP Cortex-M | | PlatformIO (VS Code) | Yes | None | Multi-vendor, IoT | | GNU Arm Embedded + VSCode | Yes | None | Advanced users |