Best IntelliJ IDEA Alternatives
The top-ranked IntelliJ IDEA alternative is Visual Studio Code (Free). The best free option is Eclipse (open source).
IntelliJ IDEA is a powerful Java IDE, but it can be heavy on system resources and its full feature set requires a paid subscription. Developers often seek lighter, cheaper, or more language-flexible alternatives.
1Lightweight, extensible code editor with strong Swift and mobile tooling support.
2A widely used open-source IDE with strong Java and plugin ecosystem.
3Apache's open-source IDE with Java, PHP, and web development support.
Visual Studio
FreemiumMicrosoft's full IDE for .NET, C++, and enterprise development.
Apache Maven / Gradle w/ VS Code
Open SourceIntelliJ Community Edition is a free, open-source build of the same IDE.
Official IDE for Android development built on IntelliJ IDEA.
Fast, lightweight code editor with a rich plugin ecosystem.
Powerful, keyboard-driven modal text editor for the terminal.
Hyperextensible modal text editor popular for Swift and general coding.
AI-first code editor with codebase-aware chat, completions, and agentic multi-file edits.
Zed
FreeHigh-performance, collaborative code editor written in Rust.
Emacs
Open SourceExtensible, customizable editor with an enormous ecosystem.
IntelliJ IDEA alternatives: FAQ
What is the best alternative to IntelliJ IDEA?
Visual Studio Code is ranked first on this list (Free). The ranking combines our base score with readers' votes, so it can change.
What is the best free alternative to IntelliJ IDEA?
The highest-ranked free or open-source options here are Visual Studio Code, Eclipse and NetBeans.
Which IntelliJ IDEA alternatives work on Mac?
Visual Studio Code, Eclipse, NetBeans and Visual Studio run on macOS.
Which IntelliJ IDEA alternatives work on Linux?
Visual Studio Code, Eclipse, NetBeans and Apache Maven / Gradle w/ VS Code run on Linux.
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