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IntelliJ IDEA

JetBrains' flagship IDE for Java and Kotlin, with deep refactoring and Spring support.

Free plan + paidCode editors
Visit IntelliJ IDEASee 5 alternatives
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About IntelliJ IDEA

IntelliJ IDEA is the IDE most professional Java and Kotlin developers reach for. Its strength is code understanding: it indexes the whole project, so navigation, inspections and refactorings stay accurate across large codebases, and frameworks like Spring, Jakarta EE and Micronaut get dedicated tooling. Build tools, a debugger, profiler, test runner, database tools and an HTTP client are built in rather than added through plugins. JetBrains now ships it as one download: the core is free to use, and an Ultimate subscription unlocks the advanced framework, enterprise and database features, with a 30-day Ultimate trial included. AI features and coding agents such as Junie plug into the IDE, and the agents can use its inspections and debugger. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. The trade-off is weight: indexing takes time on first open, and it uses far more memory than a text editor. The IntelliJ Platform also underpins the rest of JetBrains' IDEs and Android Studio.

Best for: Java and Kotlin developers working on large or framework-heavy codebases.

Pros and cons

What works

  • Best-in-class Java and Kotlin refactoring and inspections
  • Spring, build tools, debugger and profiler built in
  • Free core with a 30-day trial of Ultimate

Why people leave

  • Heavy on memory and slow to index big projects
  • Advanced framework and database features need a subscription
  • Busy interface with a steep learning curve

Top IntelliJ IDEA alternatives

See all 5
  1. 1Zed logo
    Zed

    A much faster native editor for people who want speed over deep Java tooling.

    69.0
  2. 2Apache NetBeans logo
    Apache NetBeans

    Free and open source with good Java support out of the box, and lighter on licensing questions.

    66.5
  3. 3Cursor logo
    Cursor

    Puts AI agents first if most of your code is now generated and reviewed rather than hand-written.

    63.9
  4. 4Eclipse IDE logo
    Eclipse IDE

    Free, open source and still common in enterprise Java shops with plugin-based workflows.

    62.6
  5. 5Visual Studio Code logo
    Visual Studio Code

    Free and lighter, with extensions covering most languages, for people who don't need a full IDE.

    61.8

Why people left IntelliJ IDEA

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

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IntelliJ IDEA: common questions

Is IntelliJ IDEA free?

IntelliJ IDEA has a free plan and paid plans. Free tier: Yes, with 30 days of Ultimate (checked on IntelliJ IDEA's own site).

Is IntelliJ IDEA open source?

No, IntelliJ IDEA is not open source. Open-source alternatives include Zed, Apache NetBeans and Eclipse IDE.

What platforms does IntelliJ IDEA run on?

IntelliJ IDEA is available for Windows, macOS and Linux.

What are the best alternatives to IntelliJ IDEA?

The highest-ranked IntelliJ IDEA alternatives right now are Zed, Apache NetBeans and Cursor. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 5 IntelliJ IDEA alternatives