Arduino IDE vs IntelliJ IDEA
Arduino IDE
arduino.cc
IntelliJ IDEA
jetbrains.comSide by side
| Figure | Arduino IDE | IntelliJ IDEA |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $8.33/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 5 |
| Spec score · IDE Software | 9.1 (#3) | 9.1 (#4) |
| Spec score · Integrated Development Environment Ide Software | 9.1 (#2) | 9.1 (#3) |
| Debugger | IDE 2 provides an integrated live debugger; debugging became stable in release 2.3. | It includes a JVM debugger with breakpoints, variable inspection, expression evaluation, and step-by-step execution. |
| Documentation depth | Official IDE documentation includes getting started, installation, uploads, autocomplete, formatting, debugging, certificates, libraries, security, serial tools and shared sketches. | JetBrains publishes installation, security, update, Docker, Kubernetes and extensive plugin-SDK documentation, with source documentation hosted on GitHub. |
| Extensibility | Arduino IDE 2 debugging uses an open framework that lets core maintainers add debugger support for boards. | Plugins can add support for other languages, frameworks, and technologies through JetBrains Marketplace. |
| Headquarters | Arduino's privacy policy gives its registered office as Via Andrea Appiani 25, Monza, Italy. | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Intended users | Arduino describes its ecosystem as serving students, makers, and professional developers. | JetBrains describes IntelliJ IDEA as the leading IDE for professional Java and Kotlin development. |
| Linux limitation | Linux AppImage launches can require installing the libfuse2 dependency. | JetBrains warns that snap installations may suffer performance degradation, Chromium JavaScript-debugging problems, SBT-import failures and slow file operations. |
| Rating on G2 | 4.5 out of 5 from 144 reviews | 4.6 out of 5 from 2,346 reviews |
| Rating on GetApp | 4.6 out of 5 from 51 reviews | 4.7 out of 5 from 1,260 reviews |
| Rating on Software Advice | 4.6 out of 5 from 51 reviews | 4.7 out of 5 from 1,261 reviews |
| Rating on Trustpilot | 2.9 out of 5 from 19 reviews | 2.6 out of 5 from 102 reviews |
| System requirements | IDE 2 requires 64-bit Windows 10 or newer, 64-bit macOS 10.15 Catalina or newer, or a 64-bit Linux system. | The 2026.2 guide specifies a four-core x86_64 or arm64 CPU and 8 GB total RAM with 3 GB available to IDE processes. |
| What it does | Arduino IDE is a desktop environment for writing, compiling, debugging and uploading sketches to Arduino-compatible boards. | IntelliJ IDEA is an integrated development environment for Java, Kotlin, Groovy and Scala that combines editing, debugging, testing, code completion, static analysis and refactoring. |
Plans
IntelliJ IDEA
- Free feature setFree
- IntelliJ IDEA coreFree
- IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate individual$19.90 a month
- IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate subscription$100 a year
- IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate annual$199 a year
In their own words
Arduino IDE
Arduino IDE is a free desktop environment for building projects with electronic devices that interact with the physical world. The software page lists version 2.3.10, with downloads for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Its editor provides autocompletion, code navigation, and a live debugger; documentation also covers debugging, the Serial Monitor, and the Serial Plotter. Arduino CLI offers a text-based environment to build, compile, and upload sketches, and manage libraries and boards. Documentation describes synchronizing sketches between IDE 2 and Arduino Cloud through a Remote Sketchbook. Arduino IDE 2.0 is open source, with source code hosted on GitHub. Listed targets include Arduino AVR, megaAVR, SAMD, SAM, Mbed OS Nano, and Mbed OS Portenta. Nightly builds preview incoming releases with updated features and bug fixes. Arduino describes its ecosystem as serving students, makers, and professional developers. The software page states that downloads are provided as is and disclaims express and implied warranties.
IntelliJ IDEA
IntelliJ IDEA is an IDE for professional Java and Kotlin development, available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It offers context-aware completion, static analysis, and automated refactoring. The JVM debugger includes breakpoints, variable inspection, expression evaluation, and step-by-step execution. Gradle and Maven integrations cover building, packaging, testing, and deployment, while version-control support includes Git, Mercurial, Perforce, and Subversion. Users can process GitHub pull requests in the IDE, and plugins from JetBrains Marketplace add support for other languages, frameworks, and technologies. Core Java and Kotlin functionality remains free after the included 30-day Ultimate trial ends. The Ultimate subscription adds advanced tools and integrations and costs $100.00 for the first year, $199.00 for the second year, and $159.00 per year from the third year onward. Listed minimum hardware is a 4-core x86_64 or arm64 CPU, 8 GB total RAM, and 10 GB of disk space. Users can choose in IDE settings whether to share anonymous usage data.