IntelliJ IDEA vs phpDesigner
IntelliJ IDEA
jetbrains.comphpDesigner
mpsoftware.dkSide by side
| Figure | IntelliJ IDEA | phpDesigner |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $8.33/mo | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 5 | 9 |
| Spec score · PHP IDEs | 9.3 (#1) | 7.8 (#17) |
| Spec score · Web Development IDEs | 9.2 (#3) | 7.9 (#26) |
| Founded | 2000 | 1998 |
| Headquarters | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Snekkersten, Denmark |
| Intended users | JetBrains describes IntelliJ IDEA as the leading IDE for professional Java and Kotlin development. | The maker describes phpDesigner as suitable for beginners and professional developers creating websites and HTML5 apps or improving their coding skills. |
| Product | IntelliJ IDEA is an IDE for professional development in Java and Kotlin. | phpDesigner 8 is a PHP IDE and editor with built-in HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript editors for editing, analyzing, debugging, and publishing websites. |
| Trial | Installing IntelliJ IDEA includes a free 30-day trial of the Ultimate subscription. | phpDesigner 8 is available as a free 21-day try-before-you-buy trial, after which a license is required to continue using it. |
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
phpDesigner
- phpDesigner 8 Single Personal Upgrade License€20, paid once
- phpDesigner 8 Single Portable USB Personal License€39, paid once
- phpDesigner 8 Single Commercial Upgrade License€49, paid once
- phpDesigner 8 Single Portable USB Commercial License€75, paid once
- phpDesigner 8 Site License 3 User€139, paid once
- phpDesigner 8 Site License 5 User€199, paid once
- phpDesigner 8 Site License 10 User€349, paid once
- phpDesigner 8 Single Personal License€2,942, paid once
- phpDesigner 8 Single Commercial License€6,999, paid once
In their own words
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.
phpDesigner
phpDesigner 8 is a Windows IDE and editor for creating, analyzing, debugging, and publishing websites. It combines PHP tools with HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript editors. PHP debugging and profiling use Xdebug, including breakpoints, watches, evaluations, and call-stack inspection. The maker describes support for PHP frameworks and JavaScript libraries such as jQuery, Ext JS, YUI, Dojo, MooTools, and Prototype. Projects can be stored locally or remotely, with FTP/SFTP browsing and management plus Git and SVN integration. Supported operating systems are Windows 10, 8, 7, and XP, and the requirements list 100 MB of disk space and PHP 4.x, 5.x, and above compatibility. A free 21-day trial is available; continued use requires a license. Listed one-time plans include personal, commercial, portable USB, upgrade, and multi-user site licenses, ranging from 20.00 EUR to €6,999, paid once. Personal licenses are limited to private non-commercial use; commercial licenses are required for work. Registered users receive email support and same-version updates, while major upgrades may cost extra.