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Head-to-head · Integrated Development Environments

IntelliJ IDEA vs CLion

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score IntelliJ IDEA #1 in Integrated Development Environments 9.4/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 5 of 5 features Visit IntelliJ IDEA
CLion #5 in Integrated Development Environments 9.0/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 4 of 5 features Visit JetBrains

IntelliJ IDEA leads on 0 checks, CLion on 0, and 6 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreIntelliJ IDEA · 9.4/10
  • Free planboth
  • Free trialboth
  • Most featuresIntelliJ IDEA · 5 of 5

IntelliJ IDEA scores higher on our rubric for integrated development environments: 9.4 against 9.0 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #5.

IntelliJ IDEA is the better fit for java and Kotlin teams. CLion is the better fit for professional C and C++ development.

  • IntelliJ IDEA fits best

    Java and Kotlin teams

  • CLion fits best

    Professional C and C++ development

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature IntelliJ IDEA 9.4/10 Visit ↗ CLion 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 9.0
Ranking #1 in Integrated Development Environments #5 in Integrated Development Environments
Best for Java and Kotlin teams Professional C and C++ development
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price Free plan · 30-day trial —
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial 30 days 30 days
Free trial length 30 days 30 days
Deployment Desktop Desktop
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Docs Tickets, Community, Docs
Compliance SOC 2, GDPR SOC 2, GDPR
Integrations 11 integrations 20 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features IntelliJ IDEA 5/5 · CLion 4/5
Integrated debugger ✓ ✓
Integrated testing tools ✓ ✓
Build tools ✓ ✓
Project management ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Dev container support ✓ ✓
Specs
Supported operating systems Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Deep Java and Kotlin support with completion, refactoring, and inspections
  • Integrated debugging, testing, coverage, and JVM build-tool workflows
  • Docker, Kubernetes, Dev Containers, databases, and remote development tools
  • Supports CMake, Makefiles, Gradle, Meson, and compilation databases
  • Integrated GDB and LLDB debugging with core dump support
  • Covers testing, containers, remote, embedded, and version control workflows
Cons
  • Advanced Spring, web, database, profiling, and HTTP tooling requires Ultimate
  • The broad feature set may be more than smaller Java or Kotlin projects need
  • Desktop installation is required on Windows, macOS, or Linux
  • Commercial licensing varies by individual or organization use
  • The non-commercial license is limited to qualifying non-commercial use
  • Its broad feature set may exceed the needs of simpler C/C++ projects
Our verdict

IntelliJ IDEA is a desktop integrated development environment from JetBrains for Java and Kotlin software development. It suits professional teams that want code completion, navigation, inspections, refactoring, debugging, testing, build…

Read the review →

CLion is JetBrains’ cross-platform integrated development environment for C and C++ development. It is aimed at professional developers and teams working across Windows, macOS, and Linux, with tools for code completion, navigation, static…

Read the review →
  1. IntelliJ IDEAIntegrated Development Environments 9.4Free plan · 30-day trial
  2. CLionIntegrated Development Environments 9.0Free plan · 30-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • IntelliJ IDEA — where it wins

    • Deep Java and Kotlin support with completion, refactoring, and inspections
    • Integrated debugging, testing, coverage, and JVM build-tool workflows
    • Docker, Kubernetes, Dev Containers, databases, and remote development tools

    Where it doesn't

    • Advanced Spring, web, database, profiling, and HTTP tooling requires Ultimate
    • The broad feature set may be more than smaller Java or Kotlin projects need
    • Desktop installation is required on Windows, macOS, or Linux

  • CLion — where it wins

    • Supports CMake, Makefiles, Gradle, Meson, and compilation databases
    • Integrated GDB and LLDB debugging with core dump support
    • Covers testing, containers, remote, embedded, and version control workflows

    Where it doesn't

    • Commercial licensing varies by individual or organization use
    • The non-commercial license is limited to qualifying non-commercial use
    • Its broad feature set may exceed the needs of simpler C/C++ projects

More comparisons

All integrated development environments comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update