--- title: IntelliJ IDEA Reviews meta_title: 'IntelliJ IDEA Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2' meta_description: Filter 2393 reviews by the users' company size, role or industry to find out how IntelliJ IDEA works for a business like yours. aggregate_rating: rating_value: 4.6 review_count: 2393 scale: '5' date_modified: '2026-10-08' parent_category: name: Integrated Development Environments (IDE) url: https://www.g2.com/categories/integrated-development-environments-ide ---

IntelliJ IDEA Pros and Cons: Top 5 Advantages and Disadvantages

Quick AI Summary Based on G2 Reviews

Generated from real user reviews

Users value the ease of use of IntelliJ IDEA, which enhances productivity with reliable code navigation and refactoring. (61 mentions)
Users value the robust code intelligence in IntelliJ IDEA, enhancing efficiency for backend and full-stack development. (58 mentions)
Users value the powerful and intuitive debugging tools of IntelliJ IDEA, making complex codebase issues easy to resolve. (43 mentions)
Users love the intuitive user interface of IntelliJ IDEA, enhancing their development experience and productivity. (31 mentions)
Users praise the intelligent code completion in IntelliJ IDEA for enhancing development speed and accuracy. (30 mentions)
Users report that IntelliJ IDEA's high memory usage can significantly slow down development on lower-end systems. (43 mentions)
Users report that IntelliJ IDEA has high system requirements, leading to performance issues on lower-spec machines. (25 mentions)
Users note that the slow startup of IntelliJ IDEA can hinder performance, especially on lower-end systems. (21 mentions)
Users find the Ultimate Edition quite expensive, especially for freelancers and small teams seeking cost-effective solutions. (19 mentions)
Users often experience slow indexing in IntelliJ IDEA, which can significantly hinder development efficiency on large projects. (17 mentions)

5 Pros or Advantages of IntelliJ IDEA

5 Cons or Disadvantages of IntelliJ IDEA

prabhas t.
PT
prabhas t.
Programmer Analyst
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
"Powerful IDE with Great Development Tools"
5/5
What do you like best about IntelliJ IDEA?

The most useful thing about IntelliJ IDEA is its excellent code intelligence and developer-friendly interface. Its smart code completion, navigation, debugging, refactoring, and error detection make development much faster and easier, especially for Java and Spring Boot projects. I also find its integrations with Git, Maven/Gradle, databases, testing frameworks, and other development tools very convenient because most of my workflow can be managed from one place. Performance is generally good for large projects, although it can use more system resources than lightweight editors. The pricing is reasonable for professional development because the productivity benefits can justify the cost, while the free options are useful for learning and basic development. The documentation, community, and built-in guidance also make onboarding easier. Its AI features are another useful addition for code generation, explanations, debugging, and refactoring. Overall, IntelliJ IDEA is a powerful IDE that significantly improves productivity and is particularly valuable for professional Java development. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about IntelliJ IDEA?

The main downside of IntelliJ IDEA is that it can feel heavy and use more RAM compared to lightweight editors like VS Code. Some features can also take time to learn, especially for beginners. The paid Ultimate version may be expensive for individual users, and some advanced features require a subscription. While its integrations and AI features are useful, they can sometimes feel overwhelming. Overall, it is powerful, but it may be more than necessary for small or simple projects. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Kokila M.
KM
Kokila M.
Developer I - Software Engineer
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
"Boosts Java Development Productivity with Ease"
4.5/5
What do you like best about IntelliJ IDEA?

I primarily use IntelliJ IDEA for Java backend development. I like its intelligent code completion, fast navigation, built-in debugging, and seamless Git integration. It makes Java development more efficient and improves productivity. It speeds up development with smart code completion, easy debugging, built-in Git support, and powerful refactoring tools. The smart code completion reduces typing, navigation makes it easy to find classes and methods, the debugger helps quickly identify issues, and Git integration simplifies version control without leaving the IDE. The initial setup was straightforward. The installation wizard and built-in support for Maven and Git made it easy to get started. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about IntelliJ IDEA?

I find IntelliJ IDEA can be resource-intensive on large projects, and some advanced features have a learning curve for new users like me. Features like advanced debugging, profiling, and custom IDE settings can take some time to learn. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

ALAPATI V.
AV
ALAPATI V.
System Engineer (Java Developer)
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
"Great UI and Extensions Make Java & Spring Development Easy and Makes Us to write good code"
5/5
What do you like best about IntelliJ IDEA?

Feasible for writing the java code, and implementation of spring services was easily done with the less amount of steps also mostly we can use more extensions which makes to write our code in a structured way, easy to handle git commands, By seeing that UI our mind gets more interested and focused to write a code. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about IntelliJ IDEA?

Slow startup times and high memory usage also Complex project setup like Initial configuration for external build tools, plugins, or specific non-standard frameworks can be tedious. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Dalton L.
DL
Dalton L.
Unity Développeur
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Consistent UI/UX Across OSes With a Rich Plugin Ecosystem"
4.5/5
What do you like best about IntelliJ IDEA?

Jetbrains IDEs have a consistent UI/UX over different Operating Systems, IntelliJ is no different. Your learning is used accross other IDEs and Operating System - they have been consistent for years, but also keep improving the experience with care for our workflow.

It is easy to add integration and plugins - and there are plenty on the community, of course for all AI major providers. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about IntelliJ IDEA?

Performance was a challenging in the past, but this has improved consistently over the years, and knowdays it isn't an issue anymore.

It is a bit pricier, as it is subscription based - but for professionals is well worth the price. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Ankur R.
AR
Ankur R.
Software Engineer 2
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"IntelliJ IDEA’s Debugger Is Smooth, Reliable, and Best-in-Class"
4.5/5
What do you like best about IntelliJ IDEA?

I use IntelliJ IDEA for my day-to-day Java and Kotlin development. The thing I like most about it is the built-in debugger. The debugging experience in IntelliJ IDEA is really smooth and reliable. I’ve tried multiple IDEs, such as Cursor, Antigravity, and VS Code, but none of them has given me the same kind of debugging experience as IntelliJ IDEA. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about IntelliJ IDEA?

With the recent introduction of AI agents in coding IDEs, IntelliJ IDEA feels like it’s lacking. It does offer integration with GitHub Copilot and Cursor, but the accuracy and overall capability of the newer AI agent–powered tools are far better than what IntelliJ IDEA currently provides. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Kalyan S.
KS
Kalyan S.
Software Engineer
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"IntelliJ IDEA Supercharges Java and Spring Boot Development"
5/5
What do you like best about IntelliJ IDEA?

As a Java developer, I really like IntelliJ IDEA because it offers excellent support for Java and Spring Boot development. The intelligent code completion, strong refactoring tools, solid debugging features, Git integration, and built-in code inspections help me write clean, maintainable, and reliable code more efficiently. I also find the navigation features and project-wide search especially helpful when I’m working on large enterprise applications and need to move quickly across the codebase. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about IntelliJ IDEA?

The main thing I dislike about IntelliJ IDEA is how resource-intensive it can be, especially with large Java/Spring Boot projects. It often uses a lot of RAM and CPU during indexing, and it can feel even heavier when I’m running multiple services at the same time. I also find that some of the more advanced features take a while to learn. Still, despite these drawbacks, the productivity benefits outweigh them for me overall. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Aman K.
AK
Aman K.
Programmer Analyst Trainee
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
"IntelliJ IDEA Makes Java Coding and Execution Effortless"
5/5
What do you like best about IntelliJ IDEA?

As a Java Developer I would prefer Intellij IDEA as a IDE for java over anything, Intellij IDEA provides a very simple, easy to understand UI, the best thing is that you can write Java codes and execute them very easily. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about IntelliJ IDEA?

Using some other AI rather than JetBrains AI is a bit difficult, since in other IDEs we can use claude code or codex and attach files directly from the command line, but the same thing in Intellij IDEA is slightly difficult. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Subhashree S.
SS
Subhashree S.
Developer
Computer Software
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
"IntelliJ IDEA Supercharges Java Development with Smart Completion and Seamless Integrations"
5/5
What do you like best about IntelliJ IDEA?

IntelliJ IDEA makes Java development much faster and more efficient. Its intelligent code completion, refactoring support, and debugging tools help catch issues early and reduce development time. I also like how well it integrates with Maven, Gradle, Git, Spring Boot, and databases, allowing me to work from a single IDE without constantly switching tools. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about IntelliJ IDEA?

IntelliJ IDEA can be resource-intensive, especially when working on large projects, which may affect performance on systems with limited memory. Some advanced features are only available in the Ultimate edition, and the IDE can feel overwhelming for new users because of the large number of settings and options available. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Rajin P.
RP
Rajin P.
Data analytics
Information Technology and Services
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Smart Code Assistance and Debugging That Boost Productivity"
4/5
What do you like best about IntelliJ IDEA?

What I like best about IntelliJ IDEA is its smart code assistance and auto-completion, which helps me write code faster and with fewer mistakes. It also has strong debugging tools and makes it easy to navigate large projects. Overall, it improves productivity and makes development more efficient. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about IntelliJ IDEA?

What I dislike about IntelliJ IDEA is that it can feel heavy and slow on lower-spec computers, especially when opening large projects. It also uses a lot of memory, which can affect performance if multiple applications are running. Sometimes the interface can feel a bit complex for beginners due to the number of features and settings. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Navin M.
NM
Navin M.
RPA Developer
Computer Software
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
"IntelliJ IDEA: Intelligent Code Completion, Powerful Debugging, and Reliable Performance"
4.5/5
What do you like best about IntelliJ IDEA?

What I like most about IntelliJ IDEA is its intelligent code completion, powerful debugging tools, and seamless integration with version control systems. The user interface is intuitive and highly customizable, which makes it easy to navigate large projects. Performance also remains reliable, even when working with complex applications. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about IntelliJ IDEA?

While the platform offers extensive features and integrations, the sheer number of options can create a learning curve for new users. Some advanced capabilities are limited to the Ultimate editions, which may increase costs for teams with budget constraints. Improvements in performance optimization, faster indexing, and making premium features more accessible would further enhance the overall user experience. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.