CLion vs IntelliJ IDEA
CLion
jetbrains.com
IntelliJ IDEA
jetbrains.comSide by side
| Figure | CLion | IntelliJ IDEA |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $10.90/mo | $8.33/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 4 | 5 |
| Spec score · Integrated Development Environments | 9.3 (#1) | 9.1 (#3) |
| Spec score · Integrated Development Environment Ide Software | 9.4 (#1) | 9.1 (#3) |
| Spec score · Debugging Software | 9.4 (#1) | 9.2 (#2) |
| Spec score · IDE Software | 9.4 (#2) | 9.1 (#4) |
| Spec score · Developer Tools | 9.4 (#3) | 9.1 (#6) |
| Coding assistance | Its editor provides context-aware completion, code analysis, navigation, and automated refactorings. | The IDE provides context-aware code completion, static code analysis, and automated refactorings. |
| Debugger | CLion integrates GDB on all platforms, LLDB on macOS and Linux, and supports debugger-agnostic DAP connections. | It includes a JVM debugger with breakpoints, variable inspection, expression evaluation, and step-by-step execution. |
| Founded | 2000 | 2000 |
| Headquarters | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Rating on Capterra | 4.7 out of 5 from 15 reviews | 4.7 out of 5 from 1,262 reviews |
| Rating on G2 | 4.4 out of 5 from 55 reviews | 4.6 out of 5 from 2,346 reviews |
| Rating on GetApp | 4.7 out of 5 from 15 reviews | 4.7 out of 5 from 1,260 reviews |
| Rating on Software Advice | 4.7 out of 5 from 15 reviews | 4.7 out of 5 from 1,261 reviews |
| Rating on Trustpilot | 2.6 out of 5 from 102 reviews | 2.6 out of 5 from 102 reviews |
| Rating on TrustRadius | 8.4 out of 10 from 14 reviews | 8 out of 10 from 59 reviews |
| Security and compliance | JetBrains' trust center describes SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, infrastructure security, product security and data-protection controls. | JetBrains' Trust Center provides information about security practices and data protection, including SOC 2 Type II and GDPR compliance. |
| System requirements | The 2026.2 requirements list a four-core x86_64 or arm64 CPU, 8 GB total RAM, 10 GB disk space and 1280×720 display. | 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. |
| Version control | Bundled integrations support Git, Mercurial and Perforce, with GitHub and GitLab pull-request or merge-request workflows. | It integrates with Git, Mercurial, Perforce, and Subversion, and supports processing GitHub pull requests in the IDE. |
| What it does | CLion is a cross-platform JetBrains IDE for C and C++ development with code analysis, navigation, building, debugging and testing in one environment. | 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
CLion
- CLion Non-CommercialFree
- CLion Commercial$10.90 a month
- CLion Commercial — Individual$10.90 a month
- All Products Pack$29.90 a month
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
CLion
CLion is a cross-platform IDE for C and C++ development, available for Linux, macOS and Windows. Its editor provides context-aware completion, code analysis, navigation and automated refactoring. Projects can use CMake, Makefile, Bazel, Meson or compilation databases. Debugging includes GDB and LLDB, variable inspection, memory and disassembly views, and core dump debugging. Remote workflows include a thin IDE client, full remote mode, Docker containers, WSL toolchains and remote debugging. For embedded development, CLion supports GCC ARM, IAR and custom toolchains, on-chip debugging, PlatformIO, STM32CubeMX, Zephyr and FreeRTOS. Testing support covers Google Test, Boost.Test, Doctest and Catch with a built-in runner. The IDE also integrates version control systems and supports CMake, Python, JavaScript, XML, HTML and Markdown, with other languages available through plugins. The non-commercial plan costs nothing and is for non-commercial use. Commercial development requires a subscription; CLion Commercial — Individual costs $10.90 a month and includes a free 30-day trial.
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.