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  1. Stackups
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  4. IDE
  5. IntelliJ IDEA vs PyCharm vs WebStorm

IntelliJ IDEA vs PyCharm vs WebStorm

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

IntelliJ IDEA
IntelliJ IDEA
Stacks44.0K
Followers36.9K
Votes1.5K
WebStorm
WebStorm
Stacks13.5K
Followers10.7K
Votes985
PyCharm
PyCharm
Stacks28.4K
Followers24.2K
Votes451

IntelliJ IDEA vs PyCharm vs WebStorm: What are the differences?

IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, and WebStorm are popular Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) developed by Jetbrains. These IDEs offer a wide range of features for developing software in different programming languages. Below are the key differences between IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, and WebStorm.

  1. Programming Language Support: IntelliJ IDEA is specifically designed for Java development, offering advanced features tailored for Java developers. PyCharm, on the other hand, is focused on Python development with features like intelligent code completion and debugging tools optimized for Python. WebStorm is primarily used for web development, providing support for HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

  2. Feature Set: IntelliJ IDEA is a robust IDE with a comprehensive set of features for Java development, including refactoring tools, code inspections, and version control integration. PyCharm offers specialized features for Python development such as Django support, virtual environments, and scientific tools integration. WebStorm provides features for web development like live editing and debugging in the browser.

  3. User Interface: The user interface of IntelliJ IDEA is highly customizable, allowing users to adapt the IDE to their preferences. PyCharm offers a sleek and intuitive interface designed for Python developers, with quick access to commonly used tools. WebStorm has a clean and modern interface suitable for web developers, focusing on improving productivity and workflow.

  4. Community and Plugin Ecosystem: IntelliJ IDEA has a large and active community of users and developers who contribute plugins and extensions to enhance the IDE's functionality. PyCharm also benefits from a strong community support, with a wide range of plugins available for Python development. WebStorm has a growing community that provides plugins and extensions to extend the capabilities of the IDE.

  5. Price: IntelliJ IDEA is a paid IDE, with different licensing options for individuals and organizations. PyCharm is available in both free Community edition and paid Professional edition with additional features. WebStorm also offers a free trial version and paid licensing options for commercial use.

  6. Target Audience: IntelliJ IDEA is aimed at Java developers and enterprise applications, providing powerful tools for large-scale projects. PyCharm is targeted at Python developers working on web applications, data science, and scientific computing. WebStorm caters to web developers, offering features for front-end and back-end development in web technologies.

In summary, the key differences between IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, and WebStorm lie in their programming language support, feature set, user interface, community support, pricing, and target audience.

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Advice on IntelliJ IDEA, WebStorm, PyCharm

Johnny
Johnny

Software Engineer at StackShare

Aug 15, 2019

Needs adviceonVisual Studio CodeVisual Studio CodePhpStormPhpStormWebStormWebStorm

When I switched to Visual Studio Code 12 months ago from PhpStorm I was in love, it was great. However after using VS Code for a year, I see myself switching back and forth between WebStorm and VS Code. The VS Code plugins are great however I notice Prettier, auto importing of components and linking to the definitions often break, and I have to restart VS Code multiple times a week and sometimes a day.

We use Ruby here so I do like that Visual Studio Code highlights that for me out of the box, with WebStorm I'd need to probably also install RubyMine and have 2 IDE's going at the same time.

Should I stick with Visual Studio Code, or switch to something else? #help

1.02M views1.02M
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

IntelliJ IDEA
IntelliJ IDEA
WebStorm
WebStorm
PyCharm
PyCharm

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.

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

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!

Smart Code Completion;On-the-fly Code Analysis;Advanced Refactorings;Database Tools;UML Designer;Version Control Tools;Build Tools
Coding assistance for JavaScript and TypeScript; Support for React and Angular; Built-in debugger for client-side JavaScript and Node.js; Integration with build tools, linters and test runners; UI for working with Git and other VCS including a visual merge tool;
Syntax highlighting;Auto-Indentation and code formatting;Code completion;Line and block commenting;On-the-fly error highlighting;Code snippets;Code folding
Statistics
Stacks
44.0K
Stacks
13.5K
Stacks
28.4K
Followers
36.9K
Followers
10.7K
Followers
24.2K
Votes
1.5K
Votes
985
Votes
451
Pros & Cons
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
    Constant reindexing
Pros
  • 187
    Intelligent ide
  • 128
    Smart development environment
  • 108
    Easy js debugging
  • 97
    Code inspection
  • 95
    Support for the Latest Technologies
Cons
  • 4
    Paid
  • 1
    Expensive
Pros
  • 112
    Smart auto-completion
  • 93
    Intelligent code analysis
  • 77
    Powerful refactoring
  • 60
    Virtualenv integration
  • 54
    Git integration
Cons
  • 10
    Slow startup
  • 7
    Not very flexible
  • 6
    Resource hog
  • 3
    Periodic slow menu response
  • 1
    Pricey for full features
Integrations
Java
Java
Apache Cordova
Apache Cordova
Meteor
Meteor
Electron
Electron
React Native
React Native
Vue.js
Vue.js
Node.js
Node.js
TypeScript
TypeScript
React
React
Ionic
Ionic
AngularJS
AngularJS
Django
Django
Python
Python

What are some alternatives to IntelliJ IDEA, WebStorm, PyCharm?

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.

NetBeans IDE

NetBeans IDE

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

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.

CLion

CLion

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.

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.

Nuclide

Nuclide

A unified developer experience for web and mobile development, built as a suite of packages on top of Atom to provide hackability and the support of an active community.

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