IntelliJ IDEA vs Java-Editor

IntelliJ IDEA9.4Visit Java-Editor7.6Visit

Higher score IntelliJ IDEA #1 in Java IDEs 9.4/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 0 of 5 features Visit IntelliJ IDEA

vs

Java-Editor #8 in Java IDEs 7.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 5 features Visit Java-Editor

• IntelliJ IDEA fits best

  Professional Java and JVM development

• Java-Editor fits best

  Visual Java and GUI design learning

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Side by side

Feature	IntelliJ IDEA 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Java-Editor 7.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	7.6
Ranking	#1 in Java IDEs	#8 in Java IDEs
Best for	Professional Java and JVM development	Visual Java and GUI design learning
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	Free plan · 30-day trial	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	30 days	—
Deployment	Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, Linux, macOS
Support	Docs	Email, Docs
Integrations	11 integrations	5 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features IntelliJ IDEA 0/5 · Java-Editor 1/5
Spring support	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Jakarta EE support	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
JavaFX support	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Remote development	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Database tools	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Supported operating systems	windows, macos, linux	Windows, Linux via Wine, macOS via CrossOver or virtualization
Our review
Pros	Integrated debugging, testing, coverage, inspections, and refactoring Maven, Gradle, Ant, Gant, Git, Docker, and Kubernetes integrations Supports remote development, Dev Containers, databases, and HTTP workflows	Free and open-source with Java compilation, execution, and debugging Includes UML, class modeling, structograms, and sequence diagrams GUI designer supports AWT, Swing, and JavaFX components
Cons	Advanced Spring, web, database, and profiling tools require Ultimate The breadth of tooling may exceed the needs of simple Java projects Professional teams must evaluate the paid Ultimate feature set separately	Windows is the primary desktop environment Linux requires Wine for documented use macOS requires CrossOver or Windows virtualization
Our verdict	IntelliJ IDEA is a desktop integrated development environment for Java and Kotlin development. It is aimed at professional developers who need one workspace for writing, navigating, refactoring, debugging, testing, building, and managing… Read the review →	Java-Editor is a free, open-source Java integrated development environment aimed at schools, learners, and classroom installations. It combines Java source editing with syntax highlighting, search, replacement, formatting, compilation,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• IntelliJ IDEA — where it wins

  • Integrated debugging, testing, coverage, inspections, and refactoring
  • Maven, Gradle, Ant, Gant, Git, Docker, and Kubernetes integrations
  • Supports remote development, Dev Containers, databases, and HTTP workflows

  Where it doesn't

  • Advanced Spring, web, database, and profiling tools require Ultimate
  • The breadth of tooling may exceed the needs of simple Java projects
  • Professional teams must evaluate the paid Ultimate feature set separately

• Java-Editor — where it wins

  • Free and open-source with Java compilation, execution, and debugging
  • Includes UML, class modeling, structograms, and sequence diagrams
  • GUI designer supports AWT, Swing, and JavaFX components

  Where it doesn't

  • Windows is the primary desktop environment
  • Linux requires Wine for documented use
  • macOS requires CrossOver or Windows virtualization

• IntelliJ IDEA9.4/10 · Free plan · 30-day trial

  A broad Java and JVM workspace with strong debugging, testing, and build-tool support.

  Visit IntelliJ IDEAFull verdict →
• Java-Editor7.6/10 · Free plan

  A focused, free Java IDE for visual learning, GUI design, and classroom teaching.

  Visit Java-EditorFull verdict →