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  1. Stackups
  2. DevOps
  3. Build Automation
  4. IDE
  5. CLion vs IntelliJ IDEA

CLion vs IntelliJ IDEA

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

CLion
CLion
Stacks372
Followers596
Votes224
IntelliJ IDEA
IntelliJ IDEA
Stacks44.0K
Followers36.9K
Votes1.5K

CLion vs IntelliJ IDEA: What are the differences?

Key Differences between CLion and IntelliJ IDEA

CLion and IntelliJ IDEA are both Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) developed by JetBrains. While they share some similarities, there also exist several key differences between the two.

  1. Language Support: CLion is primarily designed for C and C++ programming languages, while IntelliJ IDEA is more focused on Java development. CLion provides advanced features specific to C and C++, such as code analysis and refactoring tools, while IntelliJ IDEA offers a rich set of features for Java development, including support for other JVM languages like Kotlin and Groovy.

  2. Build Systems: CLion supports multiple build systems, including CMake and Makefile, making it suitable for a wider range of C and C++ projects. On the other hand, IntelliJ IDEA offers seamless integration with build systems like Maven and Gradle, which are commonly used in Java projects.

  3. Project Type: CLion is primarily aimed at desktop application development, whereas IntelliJ IDEA is a more versatile IDE that supports various types of projects, including web development, mobile app development, and server-side programming. IntelliJ IDEA provides specific features and plugins tailored to different project types, making it a more flexible choice for developers working on diverse projects.

  4. User Interface: The user interface in CLion is optimized for C and C++ development, providing specialized features such as a debugger and a C/C++ refactoring toolset. IntelliJ IDEA, on the other hand, offers a more generic user interface that is not as focused on specific programming languages, making it adaptable to a wider range of development projects.

  5. Code Assistance: Both IDEs provide advanced code assistance features, such as intelligent code completion, code navigation, and error highlighting. However, CLion focuses on providing specialized code assistance for C and C++ programming languages, while IntelliJ IDEA offers comprehensive code assistance for Java and other JVM languages.

  6. Price: There is a difference in the pricing models of CLion and IntelliJ IDEA. CLion is a paid IDE, while IntelliJ IDEA has a free Community Edition and a paid Ultimate Edition. The Community Edition of IntelliJ IDEA offers basic features for Java development, and the Ultimate Edition provides additional advanced features and support for other languages.

In summary, CLion is a specialized IDE designed for C and C++ development, while IntelliJ IDEA is a more versatile IDE with support for various languages and project types. The choice between the two depends on the specific requirements of the development project and the programming languages involved.

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Advice on CLion, IntelliJ IDEA

Jonas
Jonas

Jun 22, 2022

Decided

When I work with Java, I use IntelliJ IDEA. When I want super-b Refactoring and Search/Replace Functionality, I use IntelliJ.

When working on anything else, I've chosen to adopt Visual Studio Code - a IDE that implements many features important and interesting to the developer experience and doesn't make me miss many things from Jetbrains while being so lightweight that I install it everywhere, even when I would've just wanted to install Notepad++.

I install it everywhere, and if it's my machine, I sign into my GitHub Account to sync all Extensions and Settings and unlock all GitHub seamlessness-capabilities.

The browser-only capability is awesome and allows for extremely seamless and fast ad-hoc development from anywhere just by signing in to GitHub.

I only really use the GUI/Side-Bar Tools "Project Manager", "GitLens", "Git Graph" and "Git History". But i do have installed many other Developer Experience changing extensions as well. For the interested, you can take a look at my VS Code Extensions I documented over at my GitHub

[Addendum 2022/08] I recently found out about that VSCode also has Live Share Extension, similiar to the one Jetbrains added in one of the newer versions. Very neat and nicely implemented over SSH too. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/liveshare/


My Jetbrains History:

IntelliJ is an awesome tool. It does everything for you, without even noticing - i.e. automatic Gradle dependency installation or adding Gradle dependencies through GUI.

I really got to use most Shortcuts and enjoyed the Weekly Tips.

I can't emphasize enough how well it's Quick Fixes and Refactoring work.

It allows you to generate all kinds of boilerplate (e.g. Getter/Setter/Constructor, toString, JavaDoc). It has a ByteCode Previewer. It has an awesome Debugger.

Also: During my 4 years in apprentice as an IT-Technician in which I also worked on some Grails (Spring) Projects it also was nice that IntelliJ IDEA ULTIMATE, which I got for free thanks to an all-time available offer for students, had Grails-aware functionality. The primary functionality I'm talking about is the ability to automatically generate a graphical database diagram for by a click on the Domain Class. Experimenting with this I quickly understood all the Relation Database Paradigms and how to implement them with GORM, or how GORM translates to database through IntelliJ's Database Tab Integration.

70.6k views70.6k
Comments
christy
christy

Program Manager

Jul 1, 2020

Needs adviceonPythonPythonEclipseEclipseIntelliJ IDEAIntelliJ IDEA

UPDATE: Thanks for the great response. I am going to start with VSCode based on the open source and free version that will allow me to grow into other languages, but not cost me a license ..yet.

I have been working with software development for 12 years, but I am just beginning my journey to learn to code. I am starting with Python following the suggestion of some of my coworkers. They are split between Eclipse and IntelliJ IDEA for IDEs that they use and PyCharm is new to me. Which IDE would you suggest for a beginner that will allow expansion to Java, JavaScript, and eventually AngularJS and possibly mobile applications?

2.03M views2.03M
Comments
Manabu
Manabu

CEO, Co-Founder at WinguMD

Jun 13, 2020

Decided

I originally chose IntelliJ over Eclipse, as it was close enough to the look and feel of Visual Studio and we do go back and forth between the two. We really begin to love IntelliJ and their suite of IDEs so we are now using AppCode for the IOS development because the workflow is identical with the IntelliJ. IntelliJ is super complex and intimidating at first but it does afford a lot of nice utilities to get us produce clean code.

551k views551k
Comments

Detailed Comparison

CLion
CLion
IntelliJ IDEA
IntelliJ IDEA

Knowing your code through and through, CLion can take care of the routine while you focus on the important things. Boost your productivity with the keyboard-centric approach (Vim-emulation plugin is also available in plugin repository), full coding assistance, smart and relevant code completion, fast project navigation, intelligent intention actions, and reliable refactorings.

Out of the box, IntelliJ IDEA provides a comprehensive feature set including tools and integrations with the most important modern technologies and frameworks for enterprise and web development with Java, Scala, Groovy and other languages.

Smart Editor;Code Generation;CMake; Debugger;Universal Environment;Git, Mercurial, and Perforce support
Smart Code Completion;On-the-fly Code Analysis;Advanced Refactorings;Database Tools;UML Designer;Version Control Tools;Build Tools
Statistics
Stacks
372
Stacks
44.0K
Followers
596
Followers
36.9K
Votes
224
Votes
1.5K
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 31
    Good editor
  • 30
    Easy setup
  • 24
    Powerful refactoring, extremely smart IDE
  • 24
    Already one of the best C/C++ IDEs, even before launch
  • 21
    Cross-platform build
Cons
  • 2
    Not free, unless you are a student
  • 2
    No good support for Makefiles
Pros
  • 301
    Fantastically intelligent
  • 242
    Best-in-class ide
  • 190
    Many languages support
  • 158
    Java
  • 121
    Fast
Cons
  • 20
    Large footprint required to really enjoy (mem/disc)
  • 16
    Very slow
  • 8
    Bad for beginners
  • 7
    UI is not intuitive
  • 5
    Not nearly as many tools to integrate as vs code
Integrations
No integrations available
Java
Java

What are some alternatives to CLion, IntelliJ IDEA?

PhpStorm

PhpStorm

PhpStorm is a PHP IDE which keeps up with latest PHP & web languages trends, integrates a variety of modern tools, and brings even more extensibility with support for major PHP frameworks.

Visual Studio

Visual Studio

Visual Studio is a suite of component-based software development tools and other technologies for building powerful, high-performance applications.

WebStorm

WebStorm

WebStorm is a lightweight and intelligent IDE for front-end development and server-side JavaScript.

NetBeans IDE

NetBeans IDE

NetBeans IDE is FREE, open source, and has a worldwide community of users and developers.

PyCharm

PyCharm

PyCharm’s smart code editor provides first-class support for Python, JavaScript, CoffeeScript, TypeScript, CSS, popular template languages and more. Take advantage of language-aware code completion, error detection, and on-the-fly code fixes!

Eclipse

Eclipse

Standard Eclipse package suited for Java and plug-in development plus adding new plugins; already includes Git, Marketplace Client, source code and developer documentation. Click here to file a bug against Eclipse Platform.

Android Studio

Android Studio

Android Studio is a new Android development environment based on IntelliJ IDEA. It provides new features and improvements over Eclipse ADT and will be the official Android IDE once it's ready.

RubyMine

RubyMine

JetBrains RubyMine IDE provides a comprehensive Ruby code editor aware of dynamic language specifics and delivers smart coding assistance, intelligent code refactoring and code analysis capabilities.

Xcode

Xcode

The Xcode IDE is at the center of the Apple development experience. Tightly integrated with the Cocoa and Cocoa Touch frameworks, Xcode is an incredibly productive environment for building amazing apps for Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

Pharo

Pharo

A pure object-oriented programming language and a powerful environment, focused on simplicity and immediate feedback.

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