IntelliJ IDEA vs. PyCharm

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
IntelliJ IDEA
Score 9.3 out of 10
N/A
IntelliJ IDEA is an IDE that aims to give Java and Kotlin developers everything they need out of the box, including a smart code editor, built-in developer tools, framework support, database support, web development support, and much more.
$16.90
per month
PyCharm
Score 9.3 out of 10
N/A
According to the vendor, PyCharm is an extensive Integrated Development Environment (IDE) specifically designed for Python developers. Its arsenal includes intelligent code completion, error detection, and rapid problem-solving features, all of which aim to bolster efficiency. The product endeavors to support programmers in composing orderly and easily maintainable code by offering PEP8 checks, testing assistance, intelligent refactorings, and inspections. Moreover, it caters to web…
$9.90
per month per user
Pricing
IntelliJ IDEAPyCharm
Editions & Modules
For Individual Use
$16.90
per month
All Products Pack (For Individual Use)
$28.90
per month
For Organizations
$59.90
per month
All Products Pack (For Organizations)
$77.90
per month
For Individuals
$99
per year per user
All Products Pack for Organizations
$249
per year per user
All Products Pack for Individuals
$289
per year per user
For Organizations
$779
per year per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
IntelliJ IDEAPyCharm
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsYearly subscriptions: For Individual Use – $169 /1st year, $ 135 /2nd year and $ 101 /3d year onwards For Organizations – $599 /1st year, $479 /2nd year and $ 359 /3rd year onwards All Products Pack (For Individual Use) – $289 /1st year, $ 231 /2nd year and $ 173 /3d year onwards All Products Pack (For Organizations) – $799 /1st year, $623 /2nd year and $ 467 /3rd year onwards
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
IntelliJ IDEAPyCharm
Considered Both Products
IntelliJ IDEA
Chose IntelliJ IDEA
It is much more friendly to use and has more features in terms of leading to more efficient and productive software engineers. I prefer the interface as well as the code Completion/code refactoring and error suggestions
Chose IntelliJ IDEA
Previously we were using Eclipse but due to the ease of understanding and easy to navigate user interface with drop downs, wizards they are better in IntelliJ moreover for experienced developers migrating to IntelliJ as compared to Eclipse. It has an easy to understand UI and …
Chose IntelliJ IDEA
IntelliJ surpassed every single competitor. The only viable alternative I still use is VisualStudio Code build in a browser for demo purposes... other than that, IDEA does everything better, faster, and in a more comfy way. This is the best IDE out there. This is just as good …
Chose IntelliJ IDEA
Against competition I can say about IntelliJ that:
1. It is definitely faster and efficient than other IDEs. Comparing with Eclipse it emerges as a clear winner in terms or raw performance.
2. More feature Rich with great support for modern technologies. It has great support for …
Chose IntelliJ IDEA
Chosen for its feature of auto-downloading dependencies and intelligent suggestions.
Chose IntelliJ IDEA
IntelliJ is much more polished and is consistently updated with quality features. Yes, it has its flaws, but using Eclipse is the IDE equivalent of Windows Vista. I would much rather spend the extra time learning how to use all the intricate features than not have the features …
Chose IntelliJ IDEA
IntelliJ IDEA is the best we have found so far for development and querying CRM and databases. We buy licenses for several users to speed up our development and configuration processes. It really accelerates our development and productivity. It is stable and fast and easier to …
Chose IntelliJ IDEA
IDEA has great roadmap, every update brings useful features. Support is great. Excellent documentation. It's full-featured as it comes out of the box and even if you can't find something you'll get it via plugins.
Chose IntelliJ IDEA
There are a number of alternatives to IntelliJ IDEA on the market, some free, some paid. Overall, IntelliJ IDEA is easier to use and far more full-featured as it comes out of the box. It provides a simpler level of customization and the ability to share this customization with …
PyCharm
Chose PyCharm
First of all, PyCharm is easy to install for beginners whose parent organization is JetBrains. It can be installed on any operating system with ease. It provides Python Django Framework for FrontEnd Developers which others do not provide. The UI is also simpler as compared to …
Chose PyCharm
Simply one of the best IDE's of our time. It has a lot of features, a big user base, and a professional developer team behind it. It simply surpasses most of its competitors, as there are not too many Python-specialized IDEs anyway.
Chose PyCharm
PyCharm has a dark theme which is cool and more helpful tips while coding. It has more powerful navigation in XML and code.
Chose PyCharm
I've used Sublime, VSCode, Wing IDE, Visual Studio, IntelliJ, WebStorm. For Java development, Intellij is best - being built by the same company as PyCharm it provides a helpful familiarity. The same can be said for WebStorm, although more lightweight IDEs are usually …
Chose PyCharm
Compared to bare bones editors like Sublime and Notepad++, Pycharm is a full-service IDE with all the bells and whistles that makes python coding easy and convenient. There is no need to use the terminal or Mac finder to navigate to different files or use CMD+F to find where a …
Chose PyCharm
I've used IntelliJ with Python extensions in past for working in Python but it's not best suited for that it doesn't give all the flexibility for Python projects like auto-indentation for Python code. Its paid version is a bit cheaper than IntelliJ. PyCharm offers integration …
Chose PyCharm
I needed a Python dedicated solution Pycharm is the best suited, giving no hassle in setting up and providing an off the shelf solution for python development. Using Eclipse is cumbersome, some additional plugins must be installed and configured
Top Pros
Top Cons
Best Alternatives
IntelliJ IDEAPyCharm
Small Businesses
PyCharm
PyCharm
Score 9.3 out of 10
IntelliJ IDEA
IntelliJ IDEA
Score 9.3 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
PyCharm
PyCharm
Score 9.3 out of 10
IntelliJ IDEA
IntelliJ IDEA
Score 9.3 out of 10
Enterprises
PyCharm
PyCharm
Score 9.3 out of 10
IntelliJ IDEA
IntelliJ IDEA
Score 9.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
IntelliJ IDEAPyCharm
Likelihood to Recommend
8.5
(55 ratings)
9.8
(38 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
5.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
9.1
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.9
(15 ratings)
8.3
(13 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
IntelliJ IDEAPyCharm
Likelihood to Recommend
JetBrains
For a modern software project, where you want to store everything as code, from the backend to the frontend, to the DB patch scripts, to the documents, API specs, diagrams, infrastructure-as-code, etc. IntelliJ is basically your one-stop. In the same IDE, you can write code, write a spec, draw diagrams, make changes to patch scripts, infrastructure definition.
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JetBrains
It's easy to create virtual environments and install packages for different projects as we may need project-specific packages for doing our experiments, also it's easy to see what changes we have made and create pull requests faster. But sometimes we want some light python editor like Jupiter notebook as PyCharm is relatively heavier, also Jupiter notebooks are a good option when we need to run remote code on local machines.
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Pros
JetBrains
  • Unit testing: Fully integrated into IntelliJ IDEA. Your unit tests will run smoothly and efficiently, with excellent debugging tools for when things get tricky.
  • Spring integration: Our Spring project using Maven works flawlessly in IntelliJ IDEA. I know firsthand that Apache is also easily and readily supported too. The integration is seamless and very easy to set up using IntelliJ IDEA's set up wizard when importing new projects.
  • Customization: IntelliJ IDEA comes out of the box with a bunch of handy shortcuts, as well as text prediction, syntax error detection, and other tools to help keep your code clean. But even better is that it allows for total customization of shortcuts you can easily create to suit your needs.
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JetBrains
  • Git integration is really essential as it allows anyone to visually see the local and remote changes, compare revisions without the need for complex commands.
  • Complex debugging tools are basked into the IDE. Controls like break on exception are sometimes very helpful to identify errors quickly.
  • Multiple runtimes - Python, Flask, Django, Docker are native the to IDE. This makes development and debugging and even more seamless.
  • Integrates with Jupyter and Markdown files as well. Side by side rendering and editing makes it simple to develop such files.
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Cons
JetBrains
  • IntelliJ IDEA wins as long as the language is Java. Outside that , e.g., in other languages, it is not so advanced.
  • It is licensed, with a steep licensing cost. All features are not included in the free edition.
  • It is not as light as Eclipse, so in a weak system, it can be a pain.
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JetBrains
  • The biggest complaint I have about PyCharm is that it can use a lot of RAM which slows down the computer / IDE. I use the paid version, and have otherwise found nothing to complain about the interface, utility, and capabilities.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
JetBrains
VS Code is maturing and has a Scala plugin now. The overall experience with VS Code - for web development at least - is very snappy/fast. IntelliJ feels a bit sluggish in comparison. If that Scala plugin for VS Code is deemed mature enough - we may not bother renewing and resort to the Community Edition if we need it.
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JetBrains
It's perfect for our needs, cuts development time, is really helpful for newbies to understand projects structure
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Usability
JetBrains
The user interface for IntelliJ Idea is phenomenal. It's got the usual JetBrains interface but it works well to support all Java processes. All in all, it is a solid product and to be expected from JetBrains who creates this integrated development environment software. It allows me to test in the IDE and run other manual workflows automatically such as install packages.
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JetBrains
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
JetBrains
Customer support is really good in the case of IntelliJ. If you are paying for this product then, the company makes sure that you will get all the services adequately. Regular update patches are provided to improve the IDE. An online bug report makes it easier for the developers to find the solution as fast as possible. The large online community also helps to find the various solutions to the issues.
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JetBrains
I rate 10/10 because I have never needed a direct customer support from the JetBrains so far. Whenever and for whatever kind of problems I came across, I have been able to resolve it within the internet community, simply by Googling because turns out most of the time, it was me who lacked the proper information to use the IDE or simply make the proper configuration. I have never came across a bug in PyCharm either so it deserves 10/10 for overall support
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Implementation Rating
JetBrains
This installs just like any other application - its pretty straight forward. Perhaps licensing could be more challenging - but if you use the cloud licensing they offer its as simple as having engineers login to the application and it just works.
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JetBrains
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
JetBrains
Microsoft Visual Studio Code (VS) requires a lot of textual configuration, where IntelliJ IDEA provides a graphical interface with configuration options displayed. This matters a lot to me as I don't want to hunt around the internet to remember how to set different parameters that I don't use very often. This may be the biggest reason I don't use VS. Eclipse was great for when I was in college, but the power offered by IDEA is so much better that I haven't actually looked back since.
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JetBrains
PyCharm is the best IDE for python development. PyCharm offers various features: source code completion, support for unit testing, integration with Docker/GitLab/Git, ability to manage and configure virtual environments, auto-indentation, and re-factoring code with ease. Support for JSON/Shell scripts and support for Flask/Django Other tools are effective for creating isolated scripts but not for handling projects with more than two scripts.
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Return on Investment
JetBrains
  • IntelliJ wasn't provided as complimentary, but the pricing was reasonable. We're healthcare organization of which our applications used to be mission critical and affect to patient safety, we were willing to pay the price.
  • With the pricing, business support was good and well conducted during the project.
  • Overall it was cost-effective as it saved our developers' time in general. (We don't have quantitative measure but we got feedback from them)
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JetBrains
  • Buying the licensed pro version is a bit costly, but overall because of its features and its speed, the time taken by a developer to develop something can be improved. Indirectly getting a good return of Investment.
  • Considering the team size and its features, one can go for the licensed version as the ROI is high.
  • Customer support is also good for a licensed version, thereby saving the time, which in turn shows ROI as high.
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ScreenShots

IntelliJ IDEA Screenshots

Screenshot of IntelliJ IDEA interface overview: the Project tool window (left) outlines the code structure and the Editor (right) is used to read, write, and explore the source code.Screenshot of IntelliJ IDEA analyzing the context. It then suggests the most applicable and relevant code.Screenshot of the Search Everywhere window, where users can search for files, actions, classes, symbols, settings, UI elements, and anything in Git, all from a single entry point.Screenshot of inspections to help find probable bugs and dead code, detect performance issues, and improve the overall code structure by providing quick-fixes for any code that contains potential concerns.Screenshot of IntelliJ IDEA's support for frameworks with dedicated assistance for Jakarta EE, JPA, Reactor, Spring and Spring Boot, and other popular frameworks.Screenshot of the AI Assistant that provides AI-powered features for software development. It can explain code, answer questions about code fragments, provide code suggestions, generate documentation, and commit messages.