🚀 Delphi 13 Community Edition Is Now Available

By Marco Cantu | August 11, 2026

Embarcadero is thrilled to announce the official release of the Delphi 13 Community Edition. This latest free offering provides access to a professional-grade development environment for a wide range of creators.

Built upon the foundation of Delphi 13 Florence, this release represents a significant leap forward, moving the Community Edition from ~~version 12.1~~ to version 13.

📈 Version Evolution

The transition to Delphi 13 CE means users now have access to all the language and framework enhancements introduced in several iterations:

This update ensures that students, hobbyists, and eligible startups can leverage the most current tools, including modernized support for contemporary mobile operating systems.

🛠️ What is the Community Edition?

The Delphi Community Edition is a comprehensive, no-cost version of the Delphi IDE designed for building native applications. It is not a stripped-down trial, but a full-featured environment including:

Professional IDE: Complete with visual designers.
Integrated Tooling: Full compilers and debuggers.
VCL Framework: The gold standard for native Windows development.
FireMonkey (FMX): A powerful framework for creating a single codebase that deploys natively to:
- Windows
- macOS
- iOS
- Android

Delphi 13 CE Banner

💻 New Delphi Language Features

Delphi 13 introduces several enhancements to make the language more expressive and natural without sacrificing its native-code performance.

Key Additions:

Ternary Operator: A new conditional expression utilizing the if keyword.
NameOf Intrinsic: Allows developers to retrieve the string name of an identifier.
Enhanced Logic: Introduction of is not and not in operators for more readable code.
Compiler Directives: New {$PUSHOPT} and {$POPOPT} for managing compiler options.
noreturn Directive: Specifically for procedures that do not return control to the caller.
Generics: Refined constraints for generic types.
Managed Records: An implicit Self parameter is now available in Initialize and Finalize operators.

Example of the new conditional expression:

// Conceptual example of the new ternary-style 'if'
var ResultValue := if (Condition) then 'True Value' else 'False Value';

🖥️ An Enhanced Development Environment

The IDE has received a massive overhaul to improve stability and productivity. Most notably, users now have access to both the 32-bit IDE and a new 64-bit IDE.

The 64-bit IDE is a game-changer for those managing massive projects, as it provides a significantly expanded address space for development and debugging.

IDE Feature Highlights:

Performance: A 64-bit Delphi language server for better handling of large-scale projects.
Navigation: Integrated search and filtering within the Project Manager, Structure view, Messages, and Event Log.
Focus Mode: A specialized mode to eliminate distractions during coding.
Visual Aids: Editor scrollbars now feature annotations for bookmarks, errors, warnings, and changes.
Workflow: Split editor views and the option to revert to the Classic Delphi CodeInsight engine.
Package Management: GetIt now supports versioning, letting you pick specific versions of a package.

🎨 Framework Improvements

FireMonkey (Multi-Device)

FireMonkey continues to be the core of cross-platform development. Since version 12.1, it has seen these upgrades:

Animations: A new Display Link service for smoother motion.
Graphics: GPU acceleration for faster bitmap copying.
New Components: TMaskEdit and TApplicationEvents.
UI/UX: New centering alignment options and improved touch/bounce/scrolling interactions.
Integration: Updated Skia4Delphi integration and expanded spell-checking.

VCL (Windows Native)

For those targeting Windows specifically, the VCL has been advanced with:

Styling: Custom styled title bars.
Component Updates: Enhancements to TControlList, TFormTabsBar, and TToggleSwitch.
Navigation: Added scrolling support for TActionMainMenuBar.
Web Integration: Updated TEdgeBrowser via WebView2.
API Support: Refreshed and expanded support for Windows and WinRT APIs.

📱 Modernized Mobile Support

One of the primary drivers for upgrading to Delphi 13 CE is the updated mobile toolchain.

Android Support

Target: Android API level 35.
OS Support: Ready for Android 15, including support for $16\text{ KB}$ memory page sizes.
Architecture: Native 32-bit and 64-bit ARM applications.
Tooling: Improved Java library imports, Java2OP bridge, and NDK/SDK integration.

Apple Support

iOS 18: Full support for native applications.
Hardware: Support for physical devices and the iOS Simulator on Apple Silicon Macs.
Headers: Expanded iOS API headers for deeper integration.

📋 Eligibility and Licensing

The Community Edition is designed for those starting their journey or working on a small scale.

Who Qualifies?

User Category	Requirement
Students	Learning programming and native app development.
Hobbyists	Building apps for personal, non-commercial use.
Freelancers	Annual revenue from apps must be $<\$ 5,000$.
Startups	Annual revenue $<\$ 5,000 $and a team size$ \le 5$ developers.

License Terms:

Cost: Free of charge.
Duration: One-year term license.
Usage: Includes a limited commercial-use license.

Check your status:

Am I a student or hobbyist?
Is my annual revenue below $\$ 5,000$?
Is my team 5 people or fewer?

Note: The Community Edition is not intended to serve as an extended trial for organizations that already possess regular licenses. If you are uncertain about your eligibility, please consult the Community Edition License FAQ.

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