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Android Studio is faster than Eclipse. There is no need to add a plugin to Android Studio but if we use Eclipse then we do need to. Eclipse needs many resources to start but Android Studio does not. Android Studio is based on IntelliJ's Idea Java IDE and Eclipse uses the ADT Plugin to develop Android applications.
The difference between Android Studio and Eclipse is that Android Studio is an Integrated Development Environment(IDE) specifically developed for Android applications while Eclipse is an integrated development environment that is widely used for Java-based application development.
ADT extends the capabilities of Eclipse to let you quickly set up new Android projects, create an application UI, add packages based on the Android Framework API, debug your applications using the Android SDK tools, and even export signed (or unsigned) . apk files in order to distribute your application.
The last update is now more than a year old, so here goes another update (25th of October 2016):
The only reason I can see for using IntelliJ over Android Studio is if you're using the Ultimate edition. It has a lot more plugins that you can use with the IDE. If you're using the Ultimate edition already and don't want to use two IDE's simultaneously, there is no reason to switch over to Android Studio (except bleeding-edge features).
Android Studio does ship with the C/C++ Plugin now, but AFAIK, there is still no support for HTML/CSS/JS (which is helpful with all these hybrid frameworks these days).
For the sake of keeping this answer short, I have opted to remove all previous (and outdated) statements, instead of just striking them. Feel free to browse the edit-history if you're interested!
Eclipse + ADT sometimes feels like an unfinished product anyways. If you like trying new things or you are not a fan of Eclipse I would suggest going for Android Studio, if you are right now happy with Eclipse, just stay with it until Android Studio is mature enough to move on.
Great question, the answer is much longer than what I can reasonably post in an SO answer.
If you are new to Android you should absolutely be using Android Studio. By using Eclipse you are going to be learning an outdated IDE (for Android specifically) which Google has strongly indicated they are not going to be supporting in the future. It is much better to learn the skill you are going to be using 2 years from now.
Also: Android Studio has come a long way and been updated multiple times. It was definitely more shaky in the past but I have now used it for two separate Android app projects without issue.
I have also written two comprehensive articles on this topic for anyone who wants the complete in-depth details. If you are still on the fence about which to use then you can read either:
If you just want a general overview of the differences:
http://www.airpair.com/android/android-studio-vs-eclipse
For Migrating from Eclipse:
http://rexstjohn.com/exporting-android-project-eclipse-android-studio-0-4-0/
Additional Pro:
Android Studio is ready for Android projects that use Gradle as their building system. Gradle is becoming the standard for building and testing your Android application. Check the Gradle Plugin User Guide in Android's website .
By the time of writing this answer, the ADT plugin for Eclipse does not support a Gradle layout style. Some hacking has to be done if you want to use Eclipse+Android+Gradle and an Android project with a Gradle directory layout what is quite inconvenient. See Integration of Eclipse with Gradle in an Android project.
Why should I use Android Studio, encounter issues and complex tasks for, for example, importing libraries which are developed for Eclipse, having less support about bug I may encounter, ... rather than continuing using Eclipse ?
You should not if you don't want to. You can try this new software or wait for the same on Eclipse platform. See http://tools.android.com/roadmap
Android Studio
- Gradle Build system deep integration
- ADT Feature parity
Eclipse plug-ins
- Visual layout editor
- Resource manager
- Theme editor
- Better refactoring support
That is while Android Studio is pushing with gradle, it is not yet on ADT Feature parity.
What are the real advantages of Android Studio vs Eclipse ?
It is based on other platform: IntelliJ. Eclipse, IntelliJ, NetBeans and other platforms all have their users, features, bugs and plans for development. So if you starting using Android Studio you should learn from IntelliJ users, that should tell you about those features and how to avoid bugs.
In the end it is just another software to do the same.
Read Is it possible to use the Gradle build system for Android with Eclipse? that have much more links about Android with gradle in Eclipse.
Try Nodeclipse/Enide Gradle for Eclipse (marketplace) if you want to experiment or fully use as additional build system right now.
Some screenshots for Gradle for Eclipse by Nodeclipse/Enide effort. Like Android Studio it is under development.
As an old eclipse user, after reading "Android Studio vs Eclipse" comments, I stayed with Eclipse. However, I stucked with Gradle build and finally I decided to switch to Android Studio, et voila: it's such an easy environment! I built my project with Gradle in a minute and I didn't spend any extra minute although I am completely stranger to this product.
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