Similar Software to IntelliJ IDEA: 8 best alternatives for 2023

IntelliJ IDEA is a popular IDE (integrated development environment). Written in Java, it’s meant for developing software. The product was developed in January 2001 by JetBrains. It’s available for use as an Apache 2 Licensed Edition and proprietary Commercial Edition.

IDE offers features such as code completion by analyzing code navigation and the context, which lets users directly jump to a declaration or a class in the code, code debugging, code refactoring, and Linting. Plus, the framework provides options to mend inconsistencies through suggestions.

The IntelliJ IDEA presents integration with packaging/build tools such as Bower, Grunt, SBT, and Gradle. it supports various version control systems such as Mercurial, GIT, SVN, and Perforce. Users can access databases such as Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, SQLite, MySQL, and PostgreSQL from the IDE framework in the Ultimate Edition.

The beauty of the framework is it supports plug-ins. Users can add new functionality to the Framework. You can download and install plug-ins from IntelliJ’s plug-in repository or through the search and install option of IDE’s inbuilt plug-in. The IntelliJ IDEA Framework supports various languages such as CSS, HTML JavaSQL, JavaScript, and others for enhanced software development.

1. Apache NetBeans

Starting as a student project in Prague, Apache Netbeans has become one of the most used integrated development environments (IDE) for Java. Its original author was Roman Stanek. Its preview release was on November 2020 and nearly 1 year later it was officially released in November 2021. It works on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Solaris operating systems with 28 available languages. In 2010 Oracle bought Apache NetBeans and made them an official Java IDE.

This software is an open-source and free IDE that can be used to develop web applications on desktop and mobile by providing wizards, editors, debugging, and templates. It not only supports coding in Java but also HTML and CSS. Using dynamic tools, the software will systematically highlight source code so that you can refactor it. NetBeans is also the first software to provide support for Java EE7, JDK 7, and JavaFX 2.

To use NetBeans you need to install Java Development Kit (JDK). It has some great features like a start page with regular updates, the auto-complete function, and the ability to switch between project and file.

Apache Netbeans although easy to use, has a complex Java coding system and is not suitable for beginners. You need to have some basic Java coding knowledge to use it.

2. Eclipse

Eclipse is an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that is commonly used by computer programmers. It features a base workspace and a plug-in system that enables you to set your environment. Ideally, it is written in Java therefore its main objective is to develop Java applications.

You can use it to develop other applications using other programming languages such as C++, C#, Fortran, Lasso, Python, COBOL, Haskell, JavaScript, and many more. In addition, it can be used in developing documents with La Tex and other packages. Installing this application is very and only requires a few steps.

Since it is a Java-based application, it will need a Java Runtime Environment(JRE)or Java Development Kit(JDK). Depending on what you want to do with the eclipse, you can choose to install any of them. For example, if you want Eclipse for Java Development, it would be wise to go for JDK. If not and you need to save your disk space then you can install JRE.

3. Visual Studio 2019

Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) that you can use each time you need to develop programs, web services, web apps, mobile apps, and many other websites.

Visual Studio 2019 has the best tools and services that are very useful for any kind of application, developer, and platform. So, if you are a newbie or used to it, there are many things that you will like about the app. This was released by Microsoft.

The latest version had several features and improvements that assure you of a quick execution and better productivity. You can download it for free from Visual Studio 2019 Preview. This makes it so convenient for you to run any other edition of visual studio alongside this version.

For better team and developers improvement, it features better search, debugger improvement, one-click code cleanup, live share, and many more. Therefore, if you are looking forward to improving your collaborative workflows, Visual Studio 2019 is all that you ever need.

4. PyCharm

PyCharm is a free, open-source, and dedicated integrated development environment (IDE) used for programming. The software was developed by a Chezh company called JetBrains. Its initial release was on the 3rd February 2010 and was officially released on 30th November 2021. It is written in Java and Python and can be used in Windows, Linux, and macOS operating systems.

After the development of the original PyCharm, it went on to release a Community edition and a Professional edition with an education version. The software has an intelligent code editor which can support platforms like Javascript, CSS, and Phyton to detect code error and fix it on the go. Its smart code navigation provides you with an easy click to switch between files and classes.

It has a safe refactoring system that can introduce variables, extract method and delete or rename it. It has many easy-to-use database tools that can debug, test, and profile the coding system. It has integration with Conda, customizable UI, and an interactive Phyton console for better code completion. It supports both Phyton 2 and Phyton 3 versions. PyCharm is currently being used by 882 companies like Trivago, Alibaba Travel, and Udemy. With its incredible and easy-to-use features, using PyCharm is suitable for all beginners.

5. Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code is a free cross-platform code editor for the .NET platform. It was created by the same team that created the popular Team Foundation Server. It has features such as code folding and tabbed editing.

Visual Studio Code is a cross-platform development environment (IDE). It can run Node.js applications, but it can also be used with other languages such as C#, C++, or Java.

Visual Studio Code has many built-in tools that are specifically designed to support cross-platform development and testing. The UI of Visual Studio Code looks very similar to Microsoft’s Visual Studio software suite and also features some similarities like syntax highlighting and code completion features with IntelliSense. An important feature that VS Code can do is provide a simple, stable command-line interface that allows you to perform common tasks with one keystroke.

If you need to run a remote command on your machine, VS Code provides this functionality through its built-in terminal emulator.

6. ActionDesk

Actiondesk is a web application that organizes databases in order to more readily analyze data. It was created in 2020 by Valentin Lehuger and Jonathan Parisot when they created a start-up that had an influx of preorders and needed to be able to quickly access their customers' data in order to fulfil the orders.

Actiondesk makes it easy to access any part of a large database without having to use SQL. It's perfect for any start-up that is already familiar with Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. Any set of data can be instantly accessed by simply asking a question to the application's powerful AI.

It requires no code set up and multiple team members can collaborate on the same set of data at the same time for maximum efficiency. For even deeper analysis, the newly created databases easily integrate into Salesforce, Stripe, SQL, and a host of other enterprise applications. Actiondesk starts at $15 per month, per user with a free 14-day trial.

7. Java

Nowadays, there are many programming languages, each one specialized in a particular area, and Java is a programming language specialized in object orientation, which allows the development of applications in multiple areas such as security, graphical interfaces, animation, database access, mobile applications, web pages, and much more. Java is one of the most used programming languages worldwide thanks to its simplicity because you don't need to be a programming expert to understand how it works and how to use it, that's why it is the most used for the development of back-end projects. Also, Java stands out for many features, including the creation of reusable modules, which can work without the need to know its internal structure, and this allows the application to work faster. Besides, this feature allows the programmer to add new modules whenever needed, and also to download independent programs thanks to the JVM, Java Virtual Machine.

8. Clappia

Clappia is an online development application that allows professionals to create business process apps without any code. Clappia was created in India in 2017. Almost every business in this modern age needs an app to facilitate its processes.

Clappia makes it easy for any business owner to create their own app. Clappia comes with a few templates to get started such as order or inventory tracking forms. These templates contain text forms that can be easily labelled and imported into your app.

If you don't want to use a template, you can design your app from scratch using the built-in editor. App design becomes a breeze with this tool as you can drag and drop various items such as text fields, charts, tables, and sliders right on the screen. The coding is already taken care of by the algorithm on the back end. Clappia starts at $5 per month and includes a 30-day free trial.