# IntelliJ IDEA Reviews **Vendor:** JetBrains **Category:** [Java Integrated Development Environments (IDE)](https://www.g2.com/categories/java-integrated-development-environments-ide) **Average Rating:** 4.6/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 2,365 ## About IntelliJ IDEA IntelliJ IDEA is a JetBrains IDE for professional development in Java and Kotlin, created to boost productivity with AI-powered features, built-in tools, and seamless integrations. IntelliJ IDEA helps you code faster and smarter from the start – no additional setup required. Designed for clean, high-quality code, the IDE offers powerful debugging, error detection, and diagnostic tools to minimize mistakes. It stays ahead of the curve, supporting the latest Java and Kotlin versions with early access to new technologies. Its intuitive UI, ergonomic design, and customizable environment ensure a smooth, uninterrupted workflow. Prioritizing security and privacy, IntelliJ IDEA lets you focus on development while keeping your code safe. IntelliJ IDEA's values: Code quality. Built-in inspections and code analysis tools help developers deliver clean, thoroughly checked, high-quality code. Real-world focus. Tailored to real-world challenges – streamlining problem-solving even for enterprise-scale projects. Cutting-edge technology support. Always ready for the latest technologies in the JVM ecosystem. AI workflows under control. Powerful tooling helps developers stay in control of AI-generated code and remain accountable for what they ship. Ultimate comfort. Designed for focused, uninterrupted work. Reliability. Works seamlessly in any setup, from large codebases to complex environments. IntelliJ IDEA includes all core Java and Kotlin development features for free. Advanced functionality can be unlocked through an Ultimate subscription, all within the same IDE. ## IntelliJ IDEA Pros & Cons **What users like:** - Users find IntelliJ IDEA to be **very easy to use** , enhancing their coding experience and productivity effortlessly. (69 reviews) - Users appreciate the **intelligent code completion and refactoring** features of IntelliJ IDEA, boosting their overall productivity. (65 reviews) - Users value the **excellent debugging support** in IntelliJ IDEA, enhancing productivity and easing the bug-fixing process. (49 reviews) - Users value the **intuitive user interface** of IntelliJ IDEA, enhancing overall development experience and productivity. (36 reviews) - Users benefit from **smart code suggestions** in IntelliJ IDEA, enhancing productivity and streamlining the coding process. (34 reviews) - Code Completion (32 reviews) - Users appreciate the **ease of Git integration** in IntelliJ IDEA, enabling seamless version control and streamlined workflows. (28 reviews) - Users appreciate the **extensive plugin options** of IntelliJ IDEA, enhancing functionality and boosting overall development efficiency. (27 reviews) - Java Support (25 reviews) - Error Handling (23 reviews) **What users dislike:** - Users report **high memory usage** in IntelliJ IDEA, leading to performance issues on larger projects and older machines. (44 reviews) - Users find the **high system requirements** of IntelliJ IDEA can lead to sluggish performance, especially with larger projects. (26 reviews) - Users find IntelliJ IDEA **expensive** , particularly due to its cost and limited features in the free version. (21 reviews) - Users experience **slow startup times** with IntelliJ IDEA, especially when working on large projects, affecting their workflow. (21 reviews) - Users experience **slow indexing** on less powerful machines, impacting performance and project setup time significantly. (18 reviews) - Users report **slow performance** with IntelliJ IDEA, especially when running alongside other applications on less powerful machines. (15 reviews) - Users often struggle with the **steep learning curve** of IntelliJ IDEA, finding it overwhelming due to numerous features. (13 reviews) - Users experience **high resource usage** with IntelliJ IDEA, leading to performance degradation, especially on older machines. (12 reviews) - Users often face **performance issues** with IntelliJ IDEA on older hardware, resulting in slow and resource-intensive experiences. (9 reviews) - Beginner Unfriendliness (7 reviews) ## IntelliJ IDEA Reviews ### 1. One of the Best IDEs to me: Easy to Use and Excellent extra tools **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Andrey L. | Senior Full-Stack Developer, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 18, 2026 **What do you like best about IntelliJ IDEA?** To me, it’s one of the best IDEs. It’s easy to use and gives me great control and access to my code, along with extra features such as database tools. The UI is very good, especially compared to Visual Studio Code, and I also like the default key mappings. **What do you dislike about IntelliJ IDEA?** Some features take a long time to arrive. I use it on both Mac and Windows machines. On Windows, I mainly use it with WSL, and it took a long time to get proper native WSL support compared to Visual Studio Code, which implemented it almost immediately. Even now, I still struggle to get Codex/Claude working properly through Windows WSL. If you’re developing on Windows without WSL, it should be good, and it also works well on Mac. **What problems is IntelliJ IDEA solving and how is that benefiting you?** Previously I have used Eclipse, DDD and Visual Studio (not code). Later also electron-based editors such as Visual Studio code. They did not offer such rich IDE functionality out of box as it is done by Intellij IDEA. It offers advanced indexing and navigation. It’s extremely fast for studying and implementing code, with extensive tools supported out of the box. During PR reviews or when submitting my own code, I can compare a PR to the main branch and quickly see differences, and in many cases conflicts are auto-resolved. The navigation for the history of PR merges on a given branch is very useful, and the advanced search makes it easy to find changes related to specific pieces of code. ### 2. Powerful IDE That Makes Development Faster and Smarter **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Abhijit P. | Senior Core, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 16, 2026 **What do you like best about IntelliJ IDEA?** What I like best about IntelliJ IDEA is how intelligently it understands the codebase. The autocomplete, debugging tools, and refactoring support genuinely save a lot of time, especially in large Java or Spring Boot projects. It also makes navigating between files, classes, and dependencies feel very smooth compared to many other IDEs. **What do you dislike about IntelliJ IDEA?** One thing I dislike about IntelliJ IDEA is that it can be pretty heavy on system resources, especially on laptops with limited RAM. Large projects sometimes make it feel slow to start or index files. Also, some useful features are locked behind the Ultimate version, which can be frustrating for students or developers who want everything in one place. **What problems is IntelliJ IDEA solving and how is that benefiting you?** IntelliJ IDEA solves the problem of managing and developing large codebases efficiently. Its smart code completion, debugging, and refactoring tools reduce manual effort and help catch mistakes early, which saves a lot of development time. UI / UX: Clean interface and easy project navigation make coding less stressful and more organized. Integrations: Works smoothly with Git, Maven, Gradle, databases, Docker, and frameworks like Spring Boot, so everything is available in one place. Performance: Although slightly resource-heavy, the fast indexing and smart suggestions improve productivity during development. Pricing / ROI: Even though the Ultimate version is paid, the time saved through automation and productivity features makes it worth it for serious development work. Support / Onboarding: Good documentation, tutorials, and community support make it beginner-friendly while still powerful for advanced users. AI / Intelligence: Features like intelligent autocomplete, code inspections, and AI-assisted suggestions help write cleaner code faster and reduce debugging time. ### 3. IntelliJ’s Intuitive UI, Smart Shortcuts, and Better Integration **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Harshit M. | Self employed, E-Learning, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 12, 2026 **What do you like best about IntelliJ IDEA?** Intellij is really a best platform not only for beginners who are learning Java but for experts too, the best thing i loved was their UI and their pre defined functions and shortcut keys that you can customise through settings also their AI usedis quite accurate to give suggestions, if we talk about performance it genuinely runs even HSD laptops it may lags sometimes as i experienced, their integration with different tools and resources are quite smooth also i quite waver on their subscription their pricing is too high for me but they really supports the beginners and it is very friendly for brginners to practice Java on that as it is free for usage but if you want to use their functionalities you must have to subscribe IntelliJ **What do you dislike about IntelliJ IDEA?** i genuinely do not like their high subscription amount, if someone want to use their feature its just ask for payment else i practice on IntelliJ everything find to be good **What problems is IntelliJ IDEA solving and how is that benefiting you?** I think they’re working on improving performance and integration, and on bringing new features to it. It seems like it’s only available to subscribers ### 4. THE JVM POWER HOUSE WITH AI SUPPORT PLUGINS **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Ayon S. | Software Engineer(JAVA BACKEND), Information Technology and Services, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 22, 2026 **What do you like best about IntelliJ IDEA?** 1.The incremental compiler is very fast and only reveals rebuilds changed code Which obviously saves a lot of time during the work. 2.Real time error highlighting we can get along with that we have a lot of debugging options and a very helpful UI. 3.The compiler works smoothly with multiple jvm languages like Java Kotlin Etcetera Etcetera that makes it versatile for different projects **What do you dislike about IntelliJ IDEA?** 1.The ID is very heavy a lot of memory especially for the lower end systems it will be hard to manage. 2.Build times can be can still become slow in very large projects despite of incremental compilation. 3.Also the frequent indexing and background processing interrupts workflow and slow down the performance **What problems is IntelliJ IDEA solving and how is that benefiting you?** 1.It solves the problem of slow development by providing fast, incremental compilation, which helps you build and test code quickly, as long as the device is decent. 2.It also reduces coding errors through real-time analysis and suggestions with the advantage of debugging modes for situations that are hard to understand. 3.On top of that, it simplifies project and dependency management because it has built-in support tools like Marvin and Gradle. ### 5. IntelliJ IDEA: Smart Completion and Refactoring That Supercharge Productivity **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Bhavani K. | SDE1, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 10, 2026 **What do you like best about IntelliJ IDEA?** What I like most about IntelliJ IDEA is its smart code completion and powerful refactoring, which make development faster and easier. It also has excellent support for frameworks like Spring and comes with useful built-in tools like Git and debugging. Overall, it’s a very productive and developer-friendly IDE from JetBrains. **What do you dislike about IntelliJ IDEA?** One downside of IntelliJ IDEA is that it can be quite resource-intensive, often consuming a lot of RAM and slowing down on lower-end systems. The startup time can also be a bit long, and some advanced features are locked behind the paid version. Additionally, it can feel overwhelming for beginners due to its wide range of features. **What problems is IntelliJ IDEA solving and how is that benefiting you?** IntelliJ IDEA solves common development challenges like inefficient coding, difficult debugging, and managing large codebases by providing smart code completion, real-time error detection, and powerful refactoring tools. It also simplifies working with frameworks and integrates essential tools like Git and testing within the IDE. This benefits me by saving time, reducing errors, and making development more efficient and organized. ### 6. All-in-One IDE with Outstanding Code Intelligence and Debugging **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Md Mizanur A. | Software Engineer, Computer Software, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 18, 2026 **What do you like best about IntelliJ IDEA?** IntelliJ IDEA offers excellent code intelligence, smart auto-completion, and powerful debugging tools that significantly improve development productivity. Its clean interface, deep integration with frameworks, and built-in tools for version control, testing, and database management make it an all-in-one development environment. It also provides strong support for Java and many other languages, which is very helpful for full-stack development. **What do you dislike about IntelliJ IDEA?** IntelliJ IDEA can be resource-intensive, especially on lower-end systems, which may lead to slower performance. Some advanced features are only available in the paid Ultimate version, limiting access for free users. It can also feel overwhelming for beginners due to the large number of features and configuration options. **What problems is IntelliJ IDEA solving and how is that benefiting you?** IntelliJ IDEA helps solve common development challenges such as debugging complex code, managing large projects, and improving code quality. Its intelligent suggestions and error detection reduce development time and minimize bugs. This benefits me by increasing productivity, improving code efficiency, and making it easier to manage and scale applications. ### 7. IntelliJ IDEA: Smart Coding, Powerful Debugging, and SonarQube-Driven Code Quality **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** ROBIN R. | Software Engineer, Computer Software, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** February 28, 2026 **What do you like best about IntelliJ IDEA?** I primarily use IntelliJ IDEA to develop Spring Boot microservices and REST APIs. The biggest advantage for me is its intelligent code completion and its deep understanding of the Spring framework. Features such as auto-wiring suggestions, the built-in HTTP client for testing APIs, and smooth navigation between classes save me a lot of development time. The debugger is also very capable and makes it easier to trace issues through complex flows. I also rely heavily on the refactoring tools, which remain reliable even in large codebases. **What do you dislike about IntelliJ IDEA?** One issue I frequently run into is high memory usage, especially when I’m running multiple microservices or working on larger projects. On systems with limited RAM, startup time and indexing can also feel slow. At times, the IDE becomes a bit sluggish during heavier background tasks, such as indexing or plugin updates, which can interrupt the overall workflow. **What problems is IntelliJ IDEA solving and how is that benefiting you?** IntelliJ IDEA helps me manage complex backend projects more efficiently by streamlining my day-to-day workflow. It reduces development time with features such as smart code suggestions, quick fixes, and integrated debugging. For example, when I’m working across multiple Spring Boot services, I can navigate the codebase quickly, debug effectively, and test APIs without constantly switching between different tools. This keeps me focused, improves overall productivity, and helps me spot and resolve issues faster during both development and testing. ### 8. Powerful Code Assistance That Boosts Developer Productivity **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Jayanth Sai E. | Software Engineer , Information Technology and Services, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 12, 2026 **What do you like best about IntelliJ IDEA?** What I like most about IntelliJ IDEA is its powerful code assistance and overall developer productivity features. Intelligent code completion, real-time error detection, and strong refactoring support make development faster and more efficient. It also offers excellent debugging and navigation capabilities, which help me quickly understand the code and troubleshoot issues. Integration with tools like Git and Maven, as well as frameworks such as Spring Boot, is smooth. Overall, it provides a stable and efficient development environment that helps developers write clean code and stay productive. **What do you dislike about IntelliJ IDEA?** One thing I dislike about IntelliJ IDEA is that it can be a bit heavy on system resources, especially when working on large projects. Sometimes it uses more memory and can feel slow during indexing or while opening multiple modules. Another point is that some advanced features are available only in the Ultimate edition, so in certain cases the Community edition feels a little limited for enterprise development needs. **What problems is IntelliJ IDEA solving and how is that benefiting you?** IntelliJ IDEA helps solve many common problems developers face when writing and managing code. It offers smart code completion, real-time error detection, and automatic refactoring, which helps reduce coding mistakes and improve overall code quality. It also makes debugging and code navigation much easier. Developers can quickly move between classes, find usages, and debug applications step by step, which saves a lot of time during development. For me, this is especially beneficial because it boosts productivity and makes development faster and more organized. Instead of spending time on small issues or searching through files, IntelliJ IDEA helps me focus more on implementing the actual business logic. ### 9. Developer-Centric IDE with Impressive Plugin Support **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Shivansh T. | Software Engineer Intern, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 18, 2026 **What do you like best about IntelliJ IDEA?** I primarily use IntelliJ IDEA for Java development but also for Python development at times. I find it to be a great IDE that has all the tools an IDE should have. What stands out for me is the support for plugins like Copilot and DevGPT Cline, which make it my daily driver for programming. Its code indexing is pretty neat. I love its developer-centric design and how it allows flows that sometimes don't even require touching the mouse, letting me stay locked into the work while it takes care of the rest. I also think Copilot works well with IntelliJ IDEA, and the impressive plugin ecosystem is something that makes it worth it. The initial setup was pretty smooth too. **What do you dislike about IntelliJ IDEA?** It's a bit slow and chunky. If it could become as light as VSCode, that would make the experience better. **What problems is IntelliJ IDEA solving and how is that benefiting you?** IntelliJ IDEA is my go-to IDE for programming with robust tools, plugin support, and neat code indexing. Its developer-centric design and seamless workflows keep me focused on my work without needing to use the mouse much. ### 10. Smooth, Lag-Free IntelliJ IDEA with Helpful Guidance and a Solid AI Code Assistant **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Shrijit S. | Journalist, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 14, 2026 **What do you like best about IntelliJ IDEA?** The one standout feature I feel that IntelliJ IDEA possesses is how smooth and nice the day-to-day feel has been since I've been using it since last year for backend development and API and Docker integration. Unlike Visual Studio, I have never had the software lag so the performance has also been exceptional. I did not require any Onboarding/Support as such, apart from some issues that I had created myself which the crisp instructions helped me resolve faster. I've been using AI code assistant for some time and that has been a good respite from repetitive coding. **What do you dislike about IntelliJ IDEA?** The very high resource usage that slows down large projects and the prohibitive costs for small teams come to my mind. The extensions in Visual Studio are also better, in my experience. **What problems is IntelliJ IDEA solving and how is that benefiting you?** Earlier, I was using Visual Studio, like I had been doing in college but I was encouraged by my manager to switch to IntelliJ. IntelliJ’s code intelligence, framework awareness, and navigation tools felt much faster and more accurate for Java and Spring Boot development. Tasks like tracing service dependencies, refactoring large codebases, or identifying implementation usage became significantly easier and reduced manual effort considerably. ## IntelliJ IDEA Discussions - [What is IntelliJ IDEA used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-intellij-idea-used-for) - 4 comments, 2 upvotes - [How to speed up compiling time?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/how-to-speed-up-compiling-time) - 1 comment, 1 upvote - [Have you used the remote pair programming tool from Jetbrains (Code With Me)? Are you happy with it?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/have-you-used-the-remote-pair-programming-tool-from-jetbrains-code-with-me-are-you-happy-with-it) - 1 comment, 1 upvote - [How can I test my web API using Intellej IDEA?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/how-can-i-test-my-web-api-using-intellej-idea) - 1 comment, 1 upvote - [Do you use Community Edition or Ultimate Edition?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/50720-do-you-use-community-edition-or-ultimate-edition) - 1 comment, 1 upvote - [View IntelliJ IDEA pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/intellij-idea/reviews/intellij-idea-review-4504964?section=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-05-21+22%3A00%3A34+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=cb735ddf-3fab-4c8c-8cd5-56090cd87f90&secure%5Btoken%5D=00c28324b637e3470f4f8088fbfe82750e0ba63dd4830c123da201663cfe5c05&format=llm_user) ## IntelliJ IDEA Integrations - [Amazon Corretto](https://www.g2.com/products/amazon-corretto/reviews) - [Apache Kafka](https://www.g2.com/products/apache-kafka/reviews) - [Apache Maven](https://www.g2.com/products/apache-maven/reviews) - [Bitbucket](https://www.g2.com/products/bitbucket/reviews) - [Checkmarx](https://www.g2.com/products/checkmarx/reviews) - [Claude](https://www.g2.com/products/claude-2025-12-11/reviews) - [CoPilot AI](https://www.g2.com/products/copilot-ai/reviews) - [DataPacket](https://www.g2.com/products/datapacket/reviews) - [Docker](https://www.g2.com/products/docker-inc-docker/reviews) - [Gemini Code Assist](https://www.g2.com/products/gemini-code-assist/reviews) - [Git](https://www.g2.com/products/git/reviews) - [GitHub](https://www.g2.com/products/github/reviews) - [GitHub Copilot](https://www.g2.com/products/github-copilot/reviews) - [GitLab](https://www.g2.com/products/gitlab/reviews) - [Gradle Build Tool](https://www.g2.com/products/gradle-build-tool/reviews) - [H2 Database Engine](https://www.g2.com/products/h2-database-engine/reviews) - [Jenkins](https://www.g2.com/products/jenkins/reviews) - [Jira](https://www.g2.com/products/jira/reviews) - [Kubernetes](https://www.g2.com/products/kubernetes/reviews) - [Maven](https://www.g2.com/products/maven-maven/reviews) - [MavenAI](https://www.g2.com/products/mavenai/reviews) - [Microsoft Copilot](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-microsoft-copilot/reviews) - [MongoDB](https://www.g2.com/products/mongodb/reviews) - [MySQL](https://www.g2.com/products/mysql/reviews) - [Oracle Database](https://www.g2.com/products/oracle-database/reviews) - [pgAdmin](https://www.g2.com/products/pgadmin/reviews) - [PostgreSQL](https://www.g2.com/products/postgresql/reviews) - [PyCharm](https://www.g2.com/products/pycharm/reviews) - [Redis Software](https://www.g2.com/products/redis-software/reviews) - [Selenium](https://www.g2.com/products/selenium/reviews) - [SONAR](https://www.g2.com/products/sonar-2025-01-07/reviews) - [SonarQube](https://www.g2.com/products/sonarqube/reviews) - [spring.io](https://www.g2.com/products/spring-io/reviews) - [Visual Studio](https://www.g2.com/products/visual-studio/reviews) ## Top IntelliJ IDEA Alternatives - [Visual Studio](https://www.g2.com/products/visual-studio/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (3,804 reviews) - [Eclipse](https://www.g2.com/products/eclipse/reviews) - 4.3/5.0 (3,085 reviews) - [Xcode](https://www.g2.com/products/xcode/reviews) - 4.2/5.0 (994 reviews)