Visual Studio Code vs. IntelliJ IDEA

Comparison of Visual Studio Code and IntelliJ IDEA
Real cost
	Visual Studio Code The most popular editor: free, fast enough and extended for almost every language. It needs extensions to do its best.	IntelliJ IDEA The smartest IDE for Java and Kotlin, with excellent refactoring. It is heavy and the full set costs money.
Price	0 €	170 € per year
Payment	Free	Subscription
Trial	No trial	30-day trial
Free Tier	No free tier	Free core features for Java and Kotlin
Open Source	Yes	No
Features and limits
Main Features	Huge extension marketplace Built-in Git Debugger Works over SSH and in containers Support for almost every language	Deep code understanding and refactoring Strong Java and Kotlin support Built-in debugger and test tools Database tools Framework support
Limits	Needs extensions for full language support Uses more memory than lighter editors	Heavy on memory The full feature set needs a subscription
Compatibility and trust
Supported Operating Systems	WindowsmacOS	WindowsmacOS
Verified on	3 Aug 2026	20 Oct 2026
Where to buy
Vendor	Go to vendor’s site: Visual Studio Code (opens in a new tab) Free.	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.

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