CursorvsJetBrains IntelliJ

App70

App

Score Comparison

Overall

Pricing

Usability

Performance

Support

Reliability

Onboarding

–

Mobile

Security

Integrations

CursorJetBrains IntelliJ

Signals Comparison

Reliability

Cursor

Updates break functionality and corrupt data(9/10)
File saving failures reported(8/10)

JetBrains IntelliJ

Quality degradation concerns(6/10)

Security

Cursor

Remote code execution vulnerabilities documented(9/10)
Enterprise data privacy concerns(7/10)

JetBrains IntelliJ

No signals

Usability

Cursor

AI makes unwanted code changes autonomously(8/10)
VS Code version lag creates compatibility issues(5/10)
Agent auto-run can cause production disasters(9/10)

JetBrains IntelliJ

Settings migration between devices problematic(5/10)
Plugin compatibility issues after updates(5/10)

Pricing

Cursor

Credit system confusing and controversial(6/10)
$20/month expensive for part-time coders(4/10)

JetBrains IntelliJ

Expensive annual subscription(8/10)
Advanced features locked behind Ultimate edition(6/10)
No monthly payment option for individuals(4/10)

Support

Cursor

Poor customer support and censorship allegations(6/10)

JetBrains IntelliJ

No signals

Performance

Cursor

Quality reportedly declining over time(7/10)
Slows down with large repositories(5/10)

JetBrains IntelliJ

High RAM usage causes system slowdown(8/10)
Frequent indexing freezes the IDE(8/10)
Slow startup compared to lightweight editors(6/10)
Performance issues on low-spec machines(6/10)

Onboarding

Cursor

No signals

JetBrains IntelliJ

Steep learning curve with overwhelming features(5/10)

Integrations

Cursor

No signals

JetBrains IntelliJ

AI features require additional payment(5/10)

Pricing Comparison

Cursor

Hobby (Free)

Free

Users: Individual

Limits: No Composer, limited completions, slow requests only, no premium models

Very limited - depletes quickly with regular use. No Composer access. Slow requests instead of fast processing

Pro

Popular

$20/mo

Users: Individual

Limits: No team features, credit-based for premium models

Credits deplete based on model used. Premium models (GPT-4, Claude Opus) consume credits faster. Overage charges possible. Annual saves 20% ($192/year)

Business

$40/mo

Users: Per user

Limits: Still credit-based, requires commitment to full team adoption

Minimum seat requirements may apply. Per-user pricing scales: 50 users = $24,000/year. SOC 2 available but enterprise security concerns remain

JetBrains IntelliJ

IntelliJ IDEA Community

Popular

Free

Users: Unlimited

Limits: Missing Spring, Jakarta EE, database tools, JavaScript, TypeScript, web frameworks

No web/enterprise frameworks, no database tools, no JavaScript/TypeScript

IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate (Individual)

$149/yr

Users: 1 user

Limits: Personal use only, cannot use for organization work

Price is 1st year only—renews at $119 year 2, $89 year 3+. AI Assistant costs extra.

IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate (Organization)

$499/yr

Users: 1 user

Limits: Annual commitment, volume licensing for large teams

Per-seat pricing—teams of 10 pay $4,990/year. Volume discounts available.

All Products Pack (Individual)

$299/yr

Users: 1 user

Limits: Personal use only

Renews at $239 year 2, $179 year 3+. AI Assistant separate.

All Products Pack (Organization)

$779/yr

Users: 1 user

Limits: Annual commitment required

Per-seat pricing adds up for large teams

Feature Comparison

Feature	Cursor	JetBrains IntelliJ
Core
Multi-file editing (Composer) Signature feature, industry-leading
Inline code completions Tab completions
AI chat interface Chat about code
Development
Advanced refactoring Best-in-class, worth the price alone
Code intelligence Deep understanding of Java/Kotlin code
Debugging Advanced with profiling (Ultimate)
Database tools Ultimate only - full DataGrip
Context
Codebase indexing Indexes entire repo for context
AI
Multiple AI models GPT-4, Claude, etc.
Custom AI models Uses provider models
Frameworks
Spring support Ultimate only - exceptional
Integrations
VS Code extensions Most work, some lag
Git integration Built-in via VS Code
Security
Privacy Mode Business tier, zero data retention
SOC 2 certification Type II certified
Languages
JavaScript/TypeScript Ultimate only
Enterprise
Team management Business tier
Pricing
Free tier Community edition - limited features
Student license Free for students/teachers
Perpetual fallback Keep version after 1 year subscription
Reliability
Offline mode Requires internet
DevOps
Docker/Kubernetes Ultimate only
Deployment
On-premises deployment Cloud only
Platform
Cross-platform Windows, Mac, Linux
Collaboration
Real-time collaboration Not currently available

Signals Comparison

Reliability

Cursor

Updates break functionality and corrupt data(9/10)
File saving failures reported(8/10)

JetBrains IntelliJ

Quality degradation concerns(6/10)

Security

Cursor

Remote code execution vulnerabilities documented(9/10)
Enterprise data privacy concerns(7/10)

JetBrains IntelliJ

No signals

Usability

Cursor

AI makes unwanted code changes autonomously(8/10)
VS Code version lag creates compatibility issues(5/10)
Agent auto-run can cause production disasters(9/10)

JetBrains IntelliJ

Settings migration between devices problematic(5/10)
Plugin compatibility issues after updates(5/10)

Pricing

Cursor

Credit system confusing and controversial(6/10)
$20/month expensive for part-time coders(4/10)

JetBrains IntelliJ

Expensive annual subscription(8/10)
Advanced features locked behind Ultimate edition(6/10)
No monthly payment option for individuals(4/10)

Support

Cursor

Poor customer support and censorship allegations(6/10)

JetBrains IntelliJ

No signals

Performance

Cursor

Quality reportedly declining over time(7/10)
Slows down with large repositories(5/10)

JetBrains IntelliJ

High RAM usage causes system slowdown(8/10)
Frequent indexing freezes the IDE(8/10)
Slow startup compared to lightweight editors(6/10)
Performance issues on low-spec machines(6/10)

Onboarding

Cursor

No signals

JetBrains IntelliJ

Steep learning curve with overwhelming features(5/10)

Integrations

Cursor

No signals

JetBrains IntelliJ

AI features require additional payment(5/10)

Pricing Comparison

Cursor

Hobby (Free)

Free

Users: Individual

Limits: No Composer, limited completions, slow requests only, no premium models

Very limited - depletes quickly with regular use. No Composer access. Slow requests instead of fast processing

Pro

Popular

$20/mo

Users: Individual

Limits: No team features, credit-based for premium models

Credits deplete based on model used. Premium models (GPT-4, Claude Opus) consume credits faster. Overage charges possible. Annual saves 20% ($192/year)

Business

$40/mo

Users: Per user

Limits: Still credit-based, requires commitment to full team adoption

Minimum seat requirements may apply. Per-user pricing scales: 50 users = $24,000/year. SOC 2 available but enterprise security concerns remain

JetBrains IntelliJ

IntelliJ IDEA Community

Popular

Free

Users: Unlimited

Limits: Missing Spring, Jakarta EE, database tools, JavaScript, TypeScript, web frameworks

No web/enterprise frameworks, no database tools, no JavaScript/TypeScript

IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate (Individual)

$149/yr

Users: 1 user

Limits: Personal use only, cannot use for organization work

Price is 1st year only—renews at $119 year 2, $89 year 3+. AI Assistant costs extra.

IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate (Organization)

$499/yr

Users: 1 user

Limits: Annual commitment, volume licensing for large teams

Per-seat pricing—teams of 10 pay $4,990/year. Volume discounts available.

All Products Pack (Individual)

$299/yr

Users: 1 user

Limits: Personal use only

Renews at $239 year 2, $179 year 3+. AI Assistant separate.

All Products Pack (Organization)

$779/yr

Users: 1 user

Limits: Annual commitment required

Per-seat pricing adds up for large teams

Feature Comparison

Feature	Cursor	JetBrains IntelliJ
Core
Multi-file editing (Composer) Signature feature, industry-leading
Inline code completions Tab completions
AI chat interface Chat about code
Development
Advanced refactoring Best-in-class, worth the price alone
Code intelligence Deep understanding of Java/Kotlin code
Debugging Advanced with profiling (Ultimate)
Database tools Ultimate only - full DataGrip
Context
Codebase indexing Indexes entire repo for context
AI
Multiple AI models GPT-4, Claude, etc.
Custom AI models Uses provider models
Frameworks
Spring support Ultimate only - exceptional
Integrations
VS Code extensions Most work, some lag
Git integration Built-in via VS Code
Security
Privacy Mode Business tier, zero data retention
SOC 2 certification Type II certified
Languages
JavaScript/TypeScript Ultimate only
Enterprise
Team management Business tier
Pricing
Free tier Community edition - limited features
Student license Free for students/teachers
Perpetual fallback Keep version after 1 year subscription
Reliability
Offline mode Requires internet
DevOps
Docker/Kubernetes Ultimate only
Deployment
On-premises deployment Cloud only
Platform
Cross-platform Windows, Mac, Linux
Collaboration
Real-time collaboration Not currently available