IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate vs IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition — A Comprehensive Comparison

4 min readJun 14, 2023

Introduction

IntelliJ IDEA, a product of JetBrains, has established itself as one of the premier Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) for Java. It is available in two versions, the Community Edition, which is free, and the Ultimate Edition, which is a paid version.

Understanding the differences between these two versions can help developers and businesses make informed decisions about which one to adopt. The goal of this article to draw a comparison between IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition and IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate.

Core Features

Both editions of IntelliJ IDEA provide an array of features that make the developer’s life easier. These include smart code completion, on-the-fly code analysis, advanced refactoring tools, and a reliable debugging tool. They also both support version control systems like Git, Mercurial, and SVN.

Supported Languages

IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition supports a handful of languages such as Java, Kotlin, Groovy, and Scala. This makes it a fantastic choice for pure Java developers or those who want to experiment with Kotlin and other JVM languages.

On the other hand, IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate Edition goes above and beyond, offering support for numerous other languages. This includes but is not limited to PHP, JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Ruby, Go, and SQL. The Ultimate Edition is, therefore, more suitable for polyglot developers and full-stack web development.

Frameworks

When it comes to the supported frameworks, IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate again takes the lead. While the Community Edition supports basic Java frameworks like JavaFX and Swing, the Ultimate version supports a vast range of web, mobile, and enterprise frameworks.

For web development, it supports frameworks like Spring, JSF, Struts, Play, and more. Mobile developers get Android support, and enterprise developers benefit from support for J2EE, Spring Boot, Micronaut, Quarkus, and many others.

Database Tools

For developers who interact with databases in their day-to-day work, IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate has built-in tools that make this task seamless. You can view databases, run SQL scripts, export data, and perform many other database-related tasks, right inside your IDE.

Let’s take a simple example. Suppose you want to connect to a PostgreSQL database and run a query. In Ultimate Edition, this would be done as follows:

import java.sql.Connection;
import java.sql.DriverManager;
import java.sql.ResultSet;
import java.sql.Statement;

public class Main {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        try {
            Class.forName("org.postgresql.Driver");

            Connection connection = DriverManager.getConnection(
                    "jdbc:postgresql://localhost:5432/testdb", "testuser", "password");

            Statement statement = connection.createStatement();
            ResultSet resultSet = statement.executeQuery("SELECT * FROM testtable");

            while (resultSet.next()) {
                System.out.println(resultSet.getString("columnname"));
            }

            resultSet.close();
            statement.close();
            connection.close();
        } catch (Exception e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }
}

In IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate, you could directly connect to the PostgreSQL database using the Database window, run the SQL query using the SQL editor, and view the results within the IDE itself, without writing the boilerplate Java code.

Unfortunately, the Community Edition does not have these database tools. However, developers can use standalone tools like DBeaver or DataGrip alongside IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition.

DevOps and Cloud Support

IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate also offers built-in tools for modern DevOps practices like Docker and Kubernetes. You can manage Docker containers and Kubernetes clusters directly from your IDE. Moreover, it supports cloud platforms like AWS and Google Cloud, allowing you to interact with your cloud resources without leaving your IDE.

Version Control Systems (VCS)

IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate Edition provides strong support for numerous Version Control Systems, including Git, Mercurial, Perforce, and SVN. These tools are vital for managing changes to source code over time, especially in team-based or large scale projects. With IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate, developers can view the version history, compare differences, and rollback changes directly from the IDE.

Here’s a simple Git integration:

# Initialize a new Git repository
$ git init

# Add files to the repository
$ git add .

# Commit the changes
$ git commit -m "Initial commit"

With IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate, you can run these Git commands directly within the IDE, and you can also view the commit history, create new branches, and perform other VCS operations.

Build Tools

Both IntelliJ IDEA Community and Ultimate versions support popular build tools and artifact repositories like Maven, Gradle, and Ant, making the build and deployment process seamless and integrated.

For instance, you could define a Maven project using a pom.xml file. Here's a basic example:

<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
         xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0
                             http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
    <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>

    <groupId>com.example</groupId>
    <artifactId>demo</artifactId>
    <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>

    <dependencies>
        <!-- Add your dependencies here -->
    </dependencies>

</project>

The Ultimate version also supports additional build tools and artifact repositories like sbt, npm, yarn, and more.

Plugins

One of the biggest advantages of IntelliJ IDEA is its extensibility via plugins. Both Community and Ultimate Editions offer numerous plugins that can expand your IDE’s capabilities. These plugins range from language packs and frameworks to version control systems and cloud integrations.

While the Ultimate Edition comes pre-bundled with an array of useful plugins, the Community Edition allows developers to install these plugins as required, giving them the freedom to customize their IDE.

Conclusion

Choosing between IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition and IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate largely depends on your specific needs. For beginners, students, or developers mainly focusing on Java or Kotlin, the Community Edition’s comprehensive array of features provides an efficient, cost-effective solution. However, for professional or enterprise developers, especially those in full-stack web development, the Ultimate Edition’s broader language support, advanced frameworks, built-in database tools, and DevOps integrations make it a worthy investment, potentially boosting productivity significantly. In any case, both versions affirm IntelliJ IDEA’s standing as a versatile and strong IDE, catering to a vast spectrum of development requirements.