IntelliJ IDEA AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Code Editors

The best Code Editor alternative to IntelliJ IDEA is Visual Studio Code, which is free. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to IntelliJ IDEA and many of them are Code Editors so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Code Editor alternatives to IntelliJ IDEA are VSCodium, Eclipse, Microsoft Visual Studio and Zed Editor.

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IntelliJ IDEA alternatives are mainly Code Editors, but if you're looking for IDEs or Text Editors you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Free and Chrome OS. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to IntelliJ IDEA.
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Alternatives list

  1. Visual Studio Code icon

    Visual Studio Code

     1367 likes
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    Free and extensible code editor with built-in Git support, smart IntelliSense, integrated debugger, 30,000+ extensions, works offline, supports markdown and syntax highlighting for numerous languages.

    199 Visual Studio Code alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Chrome OS
    • Snapcraft
    Visual Studio Code screenshot 1
     
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    8
    26
    Comments about Visual Studio Code as an Alternative to IntelliJ IDEA
    Top Positive Comment
    Ranogard
    1

    Claiming that vscode is "just a text editor" is outrageous. For example "mousepad" does not feature debuggers, pylint support or git support. If this is a text editor, then the line between text editor and IDE is a very thin one.

    Top Negative Comment
    mohsenr7596
    24

    Visual Studio Code is a text editor and is not an IDE

    hundvd7
    Negative
    1

    Merely a (very smart) text editor. If you have less than 10 files in a project, it's perfect. Otherwise, an IDE will be the clearly superior choice.

    Show more comments
    3 of 8 comments
    IntelliJ IDEA Icon
    Visual Studio Code icon

    • Some users think Visual Studio Code is a great IntelliJ IDEA alternative, some don't.

    • Visual Studio Code is the most popular Web-based, Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to IntelliJ IDEA.

    • Visual Studio Code is the most popular free alternative to IntelliJ IDEA.

    • Visual Studio Code is Free and ProprietaryIntelliJ IDEA is Freemium and Open Source
    • Visual Studio Code is CustomizableIntelliJ IDEA is not according to our users
  2. VSCodium icon

    VSCodium

     389 likes
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    This repository contains a build file to generate FLOSS release binaries of Microsoft's Visual Studio Code - Open Source ("Code - OSS") project, the open source core of the proprietary Visual Studio Code.

    193 VSCodium alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Electron
    • Snapcraft
    • Homebrew
    • Chocolatey
    VSCodium screenshot 1
     

    • Most users think VSCodium is a great IntelliJ IDEA alternative.

    • VSCodium is the most popular Open Source alternative to IntelliJ IDEA.

    • VSCodium is Free and Open SourceIntelliJ IDEA is Freemium and Open Source
    • VSCodium is Customizable and LightweightIntelliJ IDEA is not according to our users
  4. Eclipse icon

    Eclipse

     1146 likes
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    Eclipse is an extensible development platform with runtimes and application frameworks for building, deploying and managing software across the entire software lifecycle. Many people know Eclipse as a Java IDE, but it is much more than that- Eclipse actually consists of over 60...

    146 Eclipse alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    eclipse on windows 10
     
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    4
    39
    Comments about Eclipse as an Alternative to IntelliJ IDEA
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    It is much faster and less heavy resource IDE than IntelliJ IDEA for Java programming.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    If you use free version of Idea - you cannot use normal editor for JS, HTML, CSS, JSP\SSP. For those scenarios - Eclipse is the best solution.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Free, open sourced. And more manageable

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Show more comments
    3 of 4 comments
    IntelliJ IDEA Icon
    Eclipse icon

    • Most users think Eclipse is a great IntelliJ IDEA alternative.

    • Eclipse is Free and Open SourceIntelliJ IDEA is Freemium and Open Source
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  6. Microsoft Visual Studio icon

    Microsoft Visual Studio

     947 likes
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    Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) for building diverse digital solutions. It supports over 36 programming languages, includes a code editor with IntelliSense, a debugger, and designers for GUI, web, and databases. The Community edition is free and integrates with GitHub Copilot.

    108 Microsoft Visual Studio alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Online
    • .NET Framework
    Microsoft Visual Studio screenshot 1
     
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    3
    Comments about Microsoft Visual Studio as an Alternative to IntelliJ IDEA
    Guest
    Negative
    1

    Intellij Idea is for java, visual studio is for microsoft stuff

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    2

    It doesn't support Java at all

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    Microsoft Visual Studio doesn't support java

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    IntelliJ IDEA Icon
    Microsoft Visual Studio icon

    • This alternative is disputed. Microsoft Visual Studio is a legitimate IntelliJ IDEA alternative, but it might have issues that some users think are important.

    • Microsoft Visual Studio is Free Personal and ProprietaryIntelliJ IDEA is Freemium and Open Source
  7. Zed Editor icon

    Zed Editor

     98 likes
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    Blazing fast code editor offering real-time multi-user collaboration, language-aware syntax highlighting, integrated terminal, multi-buffers for tab-free editing, built-in Vim mode, searchable outline, AI coding assistance, advanced keyboard commands, and cross-platform support.

    83 Zed Editor alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Zed Editor screenshot 1
     
  8. Apache NetBeans icon

    Apache NetBeans

     741 likes
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    A free, open-source Integrated Development Environment for software developers. You get all the tools you need to create professional desktop, enterprise, web, and mobile applications with the Java language, C/C++, and even dynamic languages such as PHP, JavaScript, Groovy, and...

    96 Apache NetBeans alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Editor
     
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    1
    20
    Comments about Apache NetBeans as an Alternative to IntelliJ IDEA
    Guest
    Positive
    -1

    is more robust. 100% write in JAVA.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    IntelliJ IDEA Icon
    Apache NetBeans icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Apache NetBeans is a great IntelliJ IDEA alternative.

    • Apache NetBeans is Free and Open SourceIntelliJ IDEA is Freemium and Open Source
  10. Android Studio icon

    Android Studio

     270 likes
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    Android Studio is a new Android development environment based on IntelliJ IDEA. Similar to Eclipse with Android Development Tools for Eclipse, Android Studio provides...

    75 Android Studio alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chrome OS
    Android Studio screenshot 1
     
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    3
    10
    Comments about Android Studio as an Alternative to IntelliJ IDEA
    Guest
    Negative
    7

    Android Studio is specifically for Android projects.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Peter Giters
    Positive
    0

    Good IDE for Android Dev, but over time as in Intellij, its process grows in RAM. After day of using, it may eat up to 8gb, so you need to reopen it every day

    tijmen
    Negative
    -16

    Android Studio and IntelliJ are essentially the same, the only difference is the logo.

    IntelliJ IDEA Icon
    Android Studio icon

    • Some users think Android Studio is a great IntelliJ IDEA alternative, some don't.

    • Android Studio is Free and Open SourceIntelliJ IDEA is Freemium and Open Source
  11. Windsurf Editor icon

    Windsurf Editor

     33 likes
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    Windsurf Editor is an IDE merging AI and developers for lockstep collaboration with Cascade capabilities, boosting speed and contextual coding through copilot and agent-like systems across Mac, Windows, and Linux.

    59 Windsurf Editor alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Windsurf Editor screenshot 1
     
  12. Trae icon

    Trae

     13 likes
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    Trae is an adaptive AI IDE that transforms how you work, collaborating with you to run faster.

    34 Trae alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    Trae screenshot 1
     
  13. Lapce icon

    Lapce

     26 likes
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    Lightning-fast and Powerful Code Editor written in Rust.

    187 Lapce alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Lapce screenshot 1
     
  14. Zasper icon

    Zasper

     11 likes
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    A powerful IDE for data science, Zasper excels with massive concurrency support, enabling numerous simultaneous connections, minimal memory usage, and speedy performance. Suited for REPL-style data apps like Jupyter notebooks, fully supported on Mac with limited Linux support.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Zasper screenshot 1
     
  15. Xcode icon

    Xcode

     157 likes
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    Xcode 14 includes everything you need to develop, test, and distribute apps across all Apple platforms. Leverage the simplicity and power of Swift and SwiftUI with a new multiplatform app experience, code faster with enhanced editor features, and start testing and deploying from...

    52 Xcode alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Xcode screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about Xcode as an Alternative to IntelliJ IDEA
    Peter Giters
    Negative
    0

    That IDE is only for apple dev

    IntelliJ IDEA Icon
    Xcode icon
    • Xcode is Free and ProprietaryIntelliJ IDEA is Freemium and Open Source
12 of 34 IntelliJ IDEA alternatives