IntelliJ IDEA vs. Sublime Text

Comparison of IntelliJ IDEA and Sublime Text
Real cost
	IntelliJ IDEA The smartest IDE for Java and Kotlin, with excellent refactoring. It is heavy and the full set costs money. Swap this Tool Use MindNode instead	Sublime Text A very fast and light editor for a one-time price. It has fewer built-in tools than an IDE. Swap this Tool Use MindNode instead
Price	170 € per year	95 € One-time payment
Payment	Subscription	One-time payment
Trial	30-day trial	No trial
Free Tier	Free core features for Java and Kotlin	Can be tried for free without a time limit
Open Source	No	No
Features and limits
Main Features	Deep code understanding and refactoring Strong Java and Kotlin support Built-in debugger and test tools Database tools Framework support	Very fast, also with huge files Multiple cursors Go to anything Package ecosystem Low memory use
Limits	Heavy on memory The full feature set needs a subscription	Fewer built-in tools than an IDE Smaller package ecosystem than VS Code
Compatibility and trust
Supported Operating Systems	WindowsmacOS	WindowsmacOS
Verified on	20 Oct 2026	26 Jul 2026
Where to buy
Vendor	Go to vendor’s site: IntelliJ IDEA (opens in a new tab) Free core features; subscription for the full set. Approximate list price in euros, check the vendor.	Go to vendor’s site: Sublime Text (opens in a new tab) One-time payment for a licence with three years of updates. Approximate list price in euros, check the vendor.

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