# Page 6 | IntelliJ IDEA Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Page 6 - Is IntelliJ IDEA the right Application Development solution for you? Explore 1257 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/136010/IntelliJ-IDEA/reviews --- IntelliJ IDEA 4.7 (1257) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/136010/IntelliJ-IDEA/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Page 6 - Reviews of IntelliJ IDEA ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 126-150 of 1257 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Matthew B. Project Manager Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Powerful IDE worth the investment" February 9, 2021 5.0 A number of the other IDEs on the market are resource heavy and sluggish. IntelliJ also does a very good job with memory management on MacOS and doesn't need any fancy configuration to get up and running. Unit testing software, database plugins, memory monitors are all a part of this tool. Pros Jetbrains packs a lot of features into one IDE. If you are searching for a tool to do something very specific in Java - usually there is a plugin for it. I've grown up using netbeans and eclipse, but have always needed to rely on external tools to provide additional features. But intelliJ is very feature rich. Cons The cost is very heavy especially for a startup company. It works out if you are a large company or a teacher/student. The costs rule out a lot of people from using this tool over something free like eclipse/netbeans. Alternatives considered [Apache NetBeans](https://www.capterra.com/p/178681/Apache-NetBeans/)[Eclipse IDE](https://www.capterra.com/p/205298/Eclipse-IDE/) Switched from [Apache NetBeans](https://www.capterra.com/p/178681/Apache-NetBeans/)[Eclipse IDE](https://www.capterra.com/p/205298/Eclipse-IDE/) The integrated toolset, the number of plugins, the support and the speed of intelliJ puts all other java IDEs to shame. Review Source Martin D. application developer Telecommunications Used the software for: 2+ years ### "IntelliJ Idea" May 19, 2022 5.0 Pros I use this software on daily basis for more than four years. It has almost endless possibilities for proffesionals to tweak UI, languages used, tools provided or download possible. Very user friendly interface which is easy to learn and use. Cons Didn't found any, maybe except the price, but employer covers this for me so... Switched from [Eclipse IDE](https://www.capterra.com/p/205298/Eclipse-IDE/) More possibilities and ease of use. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Infrastructure Engineer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Intelligent application: IntelliJ IDEA" November 9, 2022 4.0 I used intelliJ IDEA for java applications mostly, my overall experience is good, it is good editor in all terms, sometimes I forgot syntax but intelliJ have inbuilt features so it provides me syntax suggestions which helps alot.it helps to boost my speed and helps me to work smoothly.It is user friendly application I personally like it's dark theme which prevents stressing of my eyes.it is a complete package I can write code, compile it and also can do the testing, I would say perfect tool for java development. Pros IntelliJ IDEA is best code editor for java applications it contains tonnes of features that every developer wants to develop an application such as auto corrections, auto recommendation, syntax suggestions and syntax highlighting which I like the most. It has dark as well as light theme so you can change the theme accordingly.Also intelliJ IDEA supports most of the languages, it is easy to install and do whole setup using guidelines provided by intelliJ IDEA. Cons Till now I only faces one problem that is space, intelliJ IDEA consumes more space as compare to eclipse otherwise it is good in all terms. Review Source Gonzalo Z. Software Engineer Financial Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Is a great product" August 25, 2021 4.0 Pros Is better ide for programing, it had a very frameworks include in ultimate edition and posibilities work with multiple and support lenguajes Cons offer more option in the comunity edition Review Source RG Robert G. Producer Music Used the software for: 2+ years ### "More Productivity For A Premium Price" February 13, 2021 5.0 In the end, the excellent workflow/UI and the focus on productivity far outweighs the cost and any minor quirks in tools. All things considered I believe it offers a significant value proposition as I've found myself (an only occasional programmer) to be much more productive with it than with competing products. Pros Overall, the focus on productivity and workflow is my favorite aspect of it. I've used other JetBrains products and generally love their tools and the general workflow/way they layout their user interface. Compared to some of the more "What You See is What You Get" alternatives or IDEs that take a bit more customization to feel "right", I can say that the immediacy and convenience of JetBrain's approach to the workflow is excellence. Cons As with other JetBrains products, for non-open-source projects you will be paying a premium price for their premium product. Also, there are a few edges that could be smoothed out in some of the View windows and the way they display errors. I think preferences regarding Tools, refactoring, and error reporting are slightly different for everyone but there were some things that took a little getting used to coming from Eclipse. Switched from [Eclipse IDE](https://www.capterra.com/p/205298/Eclipse-IDE/) I made the switch because Eclipse felt like it required too much work on my part to maintain and customize for my work. When I first demo'd IntelliJ IDEA I was immediately struck by how little friction there was when it came to getting up and running. I code occasional modules for the backend of a website, so I don't have the same "flow" as a programmer working in the IDE every single day. As such, I found that JetBrains' approach to keeping the workflow simple and productive helped ensure that my "coding days" didn't turn into "troubleshooting days" because of my choice of IDE (my code is another matter entirely!). Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Cyber Security R&D Engineer Telecommunications Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best IDE Ever!" April 23, 2021 5.0 It's best IDE for Java and Maven platform. Also, I've been using it for Spring Boot developments. Pros IntelliJ IDEA is one of the products of Jetbrains. Most powerful thing for IntelliJ, all IDE has same features and user experience with user interface. Maven repository usage is very powerful. Also, autocomplete and intellisense are great. Cons I was .NET developer and used Visual Studio more than 15 years. I really struggle to find some setting on IntelliJ menus. Alternatives considered [Netpeak Spider](https://www.capterra.com/p/170603/Netpeak-Spider/)[ECLIPSE](https://www.capterra.com/p/27349/ECLIPSE/)[Visual Studio Code](https://www.capterra.com/p/186634/Visual-Studio-Code/) Reason for choosing IntelliJ IDEA Jetbrains has several tools. So, for example, after you use PyCharm, you can get adapted easily to use Intellij for Java development. Maven package management is better than other alternative products. Switched from [Netpeak Spider](https://www.capterra.com/p/170603/Netpeak-Spider/)[ECLIPSE](https://www.capterra.com/p/27349/ECLIPSE/) IntelliJ has enterprise support. Also, PyCharm also same features and same UX, UI. So, in the company, we use Python and Java. Jetbrains ecosystem is the best choise. Review Source Lilit H. Software engineer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "From Netbeans to Intellij" June 6, 2022 5.0 It's my everyday tool for application development. Pros Everything needed is in one place with cool plugins. My favorite part is double shift. Finding everything with it so quickly. Cons The amount of ram it takes. Sometimes becomes slow. cntrl shift F is not always findinf unless you press on the parent project. Switched from [Apache NetBeans](https://www.capterra.com/p/178681/Apache-NetBeans/) It became a headache to find plugins for netbeans. Review Source aA ahmad A. Information Technology Engineering Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "IntelliJ IDEA: Pros & Cons – A Balanced Perspective" November 2, 2023 4.0 Pros The free version of IntelliJ IDEA, for students is truly groundbreaking as it gives them the opportunity to use a grade integrated development environment (IDE) without any financial strain. This software empowers students to delve into coding expand their knowledge and thrive in their coding endeavors laying a groundwork, for their professional paths. provides a range of capabilities, such, as code suggestion, powerful refactoring utilities, smooth integration, with version control systems and a wide selection of plugins to enhance productivity. Cons Some users find it to be resource-intensive, leading to slower performance on lower-end machines. Additionally, the learning curve for mastering all the advanced features can be steep for beginners. Costly for some users. licensing fees may be high. Switched from [Visual Studio Code](https://www.capterra.com/p/186634/Visual-Studio-Code/) I made the switch from IntelliJ IDEA to Visual Studio Code because of its speedy performance along, with its wide range of extensions available, in the marketplace. Although IntelliJ IDEA has its strengths I found that Visual Studio Code simplicity, adaptability and strong community support aligned better with my development requirements. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer developper Writing and Editing Used the software for: 6-12 months ### " incredible app " October 20, 2023 4.0 it's a comfortable app and safe except the cost it.s expensive little for some poor persons Pros IntelliJ IDEA offers advanced code analysis and suggestions, helping developers write cleaner and more efficient code. It provides code completion, quick fixes, and context-aware coding assistance. Cons While there is a free community edition of IntelliJ IDEA, the ultimate version with all features requires a paid license. This cost can be a drawback for some developers or organizations, especially when there are free alternatives available. Switched from [Visual Studio Code](https://www.capterra.com/p/186634/Visual-Studio-Code/) the cost Review Source SK Sachin K. Software development engineer Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best for Java, leading in updates" September 7, 2023 5.0 Better than all other IDEs and friendly for a developer. Pros It updates automatically all the plugins, added compilers and intellisense features automatically. Navigation is very fast and code highlighting is really really good. Best for you if you're a java programmer. Cons It's pricing is very high if you're not using community edition. Review Source oS okan S. software engineer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Amazing IDE, Please keep it up" December 14, 2022 5.0 I really like this software, it's my daily tool and I get the job done with it. It's a critical tool for me to do my job. The Company is pretty innovative as well. Even though there are some minor bugs here and there, which is expected from this size of a tool, I can still manage to use it to do my job professionally. Pros There are tons to love about this tool. This is my daily tool and my favorite so far. I just don't know what to write here. I love most of the features. Cons Sometimes they can have some weird bugs, e.g in one of the versions (they fixed it now), we were not able to move multiple files at once, which introduced a lot of headaches before.Another thing would be to fix is some part of the UI. It can sometimes be inconsistent. e.g I have my IDE for a long time and I update it every now and then and it keeps my preferences and settings, that's good. But if someone else downloads the IDE and does a setup from scratch, it can sometimes be hard to organize windows and tools on UI. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Senior Software Engineer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great IDE for Backend Project Development specially related data science using Scala, Java, Spark" September 12, 2022 5.0 Overall experience is been very positive for me personally. I could install the software easily and link necessary libraries and plugins required for the project. I recommend it for data science projects. Pros Easy to install plugins. GUI is elegant and pleasant make user to constantly use this. Debugging is simple and easy. Code development using the intelligence feature makes it more pleasant. Cons Cost of the license is little expensive can be reduced for everyone to get access to this. Documentation can be improved on how to integrate different technology stacks. Switched from [WebStorm](https://www.capterra.com/p/231557/WebStorm/) Due to change in technology stack. Review Source Ravindu J. Software Engineer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A thought on IntelliJ IDEA" July 31, 2019 5.0 I used this for more than 5 big projects in spring boot framework. I never had any issues. Easy configuring maven dependencies and can run or debug the application with a small simple configuration. Also support frondend frameworks without any issue. Pros Quickly adjusting the project along with indexing files. Can found huge no of plugins for this software. Great support from company. Perfect for JAVA as suggestions and highly supports for the java. Can easily run or debug the application. Highly support for GIT and for all new major frontend frameworks also. Light weighted compared to other java IDEs'. Cons A bit complicate for beginners to use the software. Slow indexing in large projects. Reason for choosing IntelliJ IDEA very fast, easy to use, minimum configuration, recommended by alot of people. Switched from [Apache NetBeans](https://www.capterra.com/p/178681/Apache-NetBeans/) very fast, easy to use, minimum configuration compared to netbeans. Review Source AT Anik T. Graduate Teaching Assistant Computer & Network Security Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Best IDE for Java Development " July 11, 2022 5.0 Overall, it was a great experiences of using IntelliJ IDEA for my application development. I did the course work and all assignment of JAVA course using this software. I am really satisfied with the overall performance and helpful resources of this application. Simply a great tool for developers. Pros I did Java programming course during my undergrad life and I used this IntelliJ IDEA for Java programming. It helps me a lot to learn, use and implement Java coding easily. It has help file and good quality of video tutorials online to learn the way to use this software. In addition, it has prediction option to write java code faster than any software. It is easy to use and best in the current competitive market of softwares. Highly recommended to programmers addicted to Java and android application development. Cons It is a very large softwares with lots of additional features, which is somehow an advantages of using it but I feel i get confused due to lots of options. Also need to add additional error messages while running codes to find the wrong in the code during compilation. Switched from [ECLIPSE](https://www.capterra.com/p/27349/ECLIPSE/) To move to better and convenient platform Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Lead UI Developer Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "IntelliJ is agile and helpful, you can't go wrong!" April 28, 2022 5.0 It's been reliable and extremely helpful when it comes to rapid development. I cannot recommend it enough for beginner devs. If you just go over the documentation pages for all the features you will know what i mean! A few years back it was freeing on startup but the support team helped me resolve that pretty quickly. Pros So many extras! You can have so many add-ons and I take advantage of that daily! There is a strong support system and a great community of developers. Cons It's a bit heavy and I usually have a an issue with it when it decides to start "Indexing". Nothing that would deter me from using it though. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer iOS Developer Hospitality Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Amazing tool for programming" September 9, 2019 5.0 Overall I have used IntelliJ IDEA to develop software in Java, to review big projects in Android and as well I have used it for iOS Projects - yes - there is Xcode and AppCode who are better fitted I know, but I used IntelliJ Idea because it just does somethings better like GIT workflow (merging, resolving conflicts...) and as well find/replace works really great. So sometimes I use it to compare things with clipboard functionality or to do merge/conflicts in git. Pros Best IDE ever so far. It's extremely precise, fast, performant and it index all the keywords so fast and great that it can suggest really fast for autocompletion text (especially useful when programming and trying to get to know an API that you don't remember all the functions name). The find and replace functionality is really neat and performant, giving you ability to look for specific text or regex formula to then replace in with whatever you like. I really liked as well the git integration, it gives you great capabilities to check your file under a git system, compare them, do merge and solve conflicts in a real nice way. Cons Maybe the UI could get revamped a bit to be more simplistic as it feels like full of feature right now, and it's great, but maybe sometime you just need the essentials. Review Source Dabar P. Senior Software Developer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Most productive IDE used so far" August 6, 2019 5.0 I have already successfully completed 10+ projects using IntelliJ idea. I will recommend everyone to at least try this. Pros 1\. If you are into competitive programming. This tool provides a great combination of shortcuts for auto-completion and template generation. 2. Fast development and easy debugging. A great tool to see in-memory variables/objects value at runtime. 3. The very good version control system, easy to manage can easily integrate with Github. 4. Auto-generation of unit test cases. Can be effectively used for TDD. 5. Consist of the various theme. I prefer the dark theme. Can also import theme externally. 6. Great support from the community. Variety of plugins available. 7. Free license for students and universities. Cons 1\. Configuration behind proxy sometimes creates pain. But can be configured easily to use under proxy. 2. Some shortcuts change when you switch between mac and ubuntu so it takes time for your fingers to adjust. 3. Bit higher price comparing to other ide's. 4. Because of autocompleting, sometimes you forget the method name which might create trouble in interviews ;) Review Source Geoff C. Development Operations and PCI Compliance Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "If you have to support devs, this is a great option." February 15, 2019 5.0 This has become default software at my organization for devs. Everyone likes it, and people share tips and tricks to accomplish tasks. It helps to bootstrap juniors who are often overwhelmed by the complexity of out codebase and system. It is easy to train on, and is truly Integrated in the way an IDE should be. You can do end to end development with IntelliJ IDEA. Pros This is a 'kitchen sink' in all of the right ways. Instead of having to train my devs to use a set of tools (postman, mysqlworkbench, putty, a git client) I can just give them this. I runs on linux as well so there is none of the 'can't use it on my machine' problems I have had with other tools. Also, the licensing is generous. Code completion and navigation are superb. With the plugins it is highly configurable, and its out of the box defaults are great. Cons On older machines it is slow, and the configuration for remote hosts will go wrong for no apparent reason. I still haven't figured out if I always have to hit the 'Apply' button when I make a change, or if I have to hit ok. When using the OpenJDK, I see weird network problems sometimes where it seems like the JRE isn't releasing ssh connection. The interface is confusing, particularly some of the tiny icons. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Senior Software Engineer Financial Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Go to Intelligent IDE for Development" October 16, 2022 5.0 We are building all our backend systems using Java and Spring boot and Intellij IDEA has been the IDE we have been using across multiple teams for development. Pros Ease of use.Decent plugin support. Good integration with version control systems like GIT. Great list of predefined shortcuts for ease and speed use. Dark mode is available and an intuitive user experience overall. Cons Slow indexing of big projects, sometimes. Reason for choosing IntelliJ IDEA Ease to use for a new development as well. Code suggestions. Switched from [Eclipse IDE](https://www.capterra.com/p/205298/Eclipse-IDE/) Support for new plugins and memory issues. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer QA Engineer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best IDE out there" February 15, 2023 5.0 Pros IntelliJ is widely considered one of the best integrated development environments (IDEs) for Java, and for good reason. The tool offers a range of advanced features and capabilities that make it an ideal choice for Java developers of all levels. It offers excellent code completion and refactoring tools, which can help developers write cleaner, more efficient code. The IDE can suggest code completions as developers type, and it can also automatically refactor code to make it more readable and maintainable. Cons IntelliJ can be somewhat resource-intensive, and it may not be the best choice for developers working on older or less powerful hardware. Additionally, while the tool offers excellent Java support, it may not be the best choice for developers working on other languages or technologies. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Software Engineer Retail Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Efficient IDE" November 22, 2022 5.0 Easy to fix code issues Pros Great for plugins and code reviewing plus auto complete Cons The IDE lacks great visual capabilities that a competitor like Visual Studio does Review Source RG Robert G. Software Engineer III Telecommunications Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "IntelliJ Review" January 28, 2021 5.0 Great, I was sold on IntelliJ while watching a YouTube tutorial where someone was using it. I ended up buying access to the whole development suite. I use most of them, but, I don't write in every language, only a few. Pros I had used WebStorm prior to using IntelliJ, so, many of the perks are the same between those two products which also seems to pleasantly true about all of the JetBrains development products across the board. One major feature I like is the 'Terminal'; in most cases I deal with Linux bash, so I enjoy having a terminal window that opens in the project directory and uses bash instead of the WIndows CLI. Another feature I like is that you can connect directly to your databases and chose from a wide variety of DB types. This comes in handy with Java Persistence because IntelliJ informs you immediately if there are database changes that are not in sync with you domain objects, before you even try to run any code. The integration of common tools like Maven and ANT are seamless and there are so many built-in features that would need to be plug-ins if you were using Eclipse or NetBeans. Not to mention the plugins in IntelliJ are extremely easy to install, upgrade or disable if you are having problems. Cons The few things I would like IntelliJ to do are probably already available, but, I haven't figured out how to do it yet ;) But, I had had an issue with the validation of external Maven libraries, and, I do wish there was a way to clear the heap memory in the JRE. I was able to connect to our JIRA instance through IntelliJ, but, I cold not interact with the tasks the way I would like to, I'd like to track tickets in JIRA better from the IDE. Reason for choosing IntelliJ IDEA Mainly because I had previously used JetBrains WebStorm and was in love with that IDE for developing websites. Review Source Rishabh G. MTS 3 Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The best IDE for Java and more" February 19, 2023 5.0 Pros \- The UI looks pretty modern - It allows navigating through code, built-in libraries & third-party dependencies - It also allows the user to build & test their project very easily - It allows user to generate code coverage report with visual aid directly in the code - It allows the user to set breakpoints and use debugger to debug issues in code/unit tests - It also has a huge marketplace of plugins like, plugin for github, using which user can directly push and pull code through IDE Cons \- The UI although being very useful, does have a bit of learning curve - While booting the application, for a medium to big size project, it does take quite some time to index all the code - A lot of features are locked behind a premium edition of the product, like managing code on a remote machine Review Source MS Mint S. Senior Software Engineer Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great IDE for JAVA Developers" November 24, 2020 5.0 Once you've gotten familiar with some of the more common IntelliJ IDEA keyboard shortcuts (Shift + Shift for finding/opening files, CMD+SHIFT+F for project searches), you will find yourself able to move across your codebase with little effort. I find the IDE just as stable if not more so than STS/Eclipse for Spring development. Pros I've been a JAVA developer for about 12 years now and have bumped between Netbeans, Eclipse, and now IntelliJ as my IDE of choice. By far, IntelliJ IDEA is the best IDE for JAVA developers. We currently maintain a Spring Boot app with many microservices, using IntelliJ and their great keyboard shortcuts, I'm able to find and maneuver across files and projects with ease. The Evaluator in the debugger has also saved me countless hours of debugging by allowing me to easily test various methods on variables captured during debugging. Also, the later releases have really embraced themes. I've found the "One DarK" theme combined with the "Dracula" text editor color scheme to hit the spot for me. It's quite an elegant IDE. Cons I've noticed the memory footprint of IntelliJ gets pretty high, but I have it managing all of my micro services and each java process is counted in there. I don't think IntelliJ necessarily uses more memory than other JAVA IDEs, but it's something you should be mindful of. Review Source AM Akash M. Vice President Financial Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Easy to Configure Integrated Development Environment" December 29, 2022 4.0 We use IntelliJ IDEA almost exclusively for all our code development, code testing and code commits. This lets developers easily manage big projects without the need to open code in boring text editors. Pros \- Easy to configure on all platforms i.e., Windows, MAC OS or Ubuntu, etc. Just download and install and ready to go.- Great integration with bitbucket or github, easily manage your code with source code repositories. Cons \- Not very easily integrated for Spark based development, need to do a lot of manual steps to enable that.- Sometimes maven plugin doesn't work out of the box, we need to clean the project or remove maven support and then include it again. Switched from [ECLIPSE](https://www.capterra.com/p/27349/ECLIPSE/) Better functionality and interface and usability. Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Related categories [Integrated Development Environment (IDE)](https://www.capterra.com/ide-software/)[Application Development](https://www.capterra.com/application-development-software/)