- What changed with the unified IntelliJ IDEA
- What's free in IntelliJ IDEA now
- Can you use free IntelliJ for commercial work?
- How to get IntelliJ IDEA free, step by step
- Who should pay for IntelliJ Ultimate?
- IntelliJ IDEA and PyCharm: the same change
- Free IntelliJ for a small development team
- My advice
- Frequently asked questions
Yes, IntelliJ IDEA is free: since version 2025.3 there's a single IntelliJ IDEA whose core features are free, with no licence or activation needed, and JetBrains says you can use it to build commercial software. You only pay for an Ultimate subscription if you want the advanced tooling, and every new user gets a free 30-day trial of it.
If you've searched this before, you'll have seen answers about "Community Edition vs Ultimate". That split is gone. JetBrains merged the two, and the change made the free version better, not worse, which is unusual enough that it's worth explaining.
What changed with the unified IntelliJ IDEA
JetBrains' documentation says IntelliJ IDEA used to come as two products: the free Community Edition and the paid Ultimate. Starting with IntelliJ IDEA 2025.3, they're one product called IntelliJ IDEA. The core stays free, and Ultimate is now a subscription you can switch on inside the same app.
| Before 2025.3 | From 2025.3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Free version | Separate Community Edition download | Core features of the one IntelliJ IDEA |
| Paid version | Separate Ultimate product and licence | Ultimate subscription in the same app |
| Trial | Ultimate trial | Free 30-day Ultimate trial for every new user |
| If paid access ends | Back to Community Edition | Keep using the free core in the same install |
| Updates for the old Community Edition | Yes | No: 2025.2 and earlier still work but won't get new features |
What's free in IntelliJ IDEA now
JetBrains' release blog says everything from the Community Edition stays free, and using IntelliJ IDEA for free doesn't need any authorisation or activation. It also added features that used to be paid, including:
- Basic syntax highlighting for Spring, Jakarta EE and templating engines such as Thymeleaf.
- A Spring Boot project wizard.
- Creating and configuring database connections, plus basic database tools.
- Support for non-JVM languages and Kubernetes integration, according to the JetBrains documentation for former Community users.
For Java and Kotlin development, JetBrains says the free version has everything you need.
Can you use free IntelliJ for commercial work?
Yes. JetBrains' sales FAQ says you can use the free IntelliJ IDEA and PyCharm to build proprietary and commercial software. It does recommend reviewing the licence terms for any bundled proprietary plugins and the full JetBrains terms, so if you're a business with a legal team, send them that link.
How to get IntelliJ IDEA free, step by step
- Download IntelliJ IDEA from JetBrains. There's now only one download to choose.
- Start the free 30-day Ultimate trial if you'd like to test the advanced features. JetBrains says this is available to all new users.
- When the trial ends, carry on with the free core features, or subscribe to Ultimate. You don't need to reinstall anything.
- If you were on Community Edition, update to the latest version. JetBrains says Community users are moved to the unified IntelliJ IDEA automatically, keeping everything they used.
- If you'd rather stay fully open source, JetBrains says you can build the open-source edition from GitHub, which it maintains alongside the unified version.
Who should pay for IntelliJ Ultimate?
Pay if your daily work depends on the advanced frameworks and tooling Ultimate covers, and the trial shows you'd miss them. If your Ultimate subscription ever lapses, JetBrains says you won't be locked out: paid features simply become unavailable and the free core keeps working. Students and teachers should look at education access first, because JetBrains says Ultimate has always been free for educational use.
If you're still choosing an editor, here's my roundup of the best code editors, and if you want a lighter free option, I've covered whether Visual Studio Code is free too.
IntelliJ IDEA and PyCharm: the same change
JetBrains made the same move with PyCharm. Its sales FAQ says the fully unified distribution model started with IntelliJ IDEA 2025.3 and PyCharm 2025.1, and the same answer applies to both: you can use the free versions to build proprietary and commercial software. If your team uses both IDEs, the rules are now the same.
Free IntelliJ for a small development team
- Install the one IntelliJ IDEA on every machine. There's no separate free edition to choose.
- Use the free core for Java and Kotlin work, including client projects.
- Let one developer trial Ultimate on a real project for the 30 days.
- Only buy Ultimate subscriptions for the people whose work needs the advanced tooling.
If you've paid for Ultimate in the past, JetBrains says your Ultimate licence moves to an Ultimate subscription automatically, with no action needed from you, and you keep full access while the subscription is active.
My advice
Download the one IntelliJ IDEA and use it free. For Java and Kotlin work, the free core is more generous than the old Community Edition ever was, and you can use it for client and commercial projects. Run the 30-day Ultimate trial on a real project before deciding whether to pay, and don't stay on Community 2025.2 just out of habit, because it won't get new features.
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Frequently asked questions
Is IntelliJ IDEA free?
Yes. Since 2025.3, IntelliJ IDEA is one product with free core features that need no licence or activation. Ultimate is an optional paid subscription.
Is IntelliJ Community Edition still available?
Not as a separate product for new releases. JetBrains says Community 2025.2 and earlier still work but won't get new features, and you can build the open-source edition from GitHub.
Can I use free IntelliJ for commercial projects?
Yes. JetBrains' sales FAQ says the free IntelliJ IDEA can be used to build proprietary and commercial software, though it recommends checking the terms for bundled plugins.
What happens when my IntelliJ Ultimate trial ends?
You can subscribe or keep using IntelliJ IDEA for free with its core features, without installing a separate edition.
Do I need to activate the free IntelliJ IDEA?
No. JetBrains' release blog says using IntelliJ IDEA for free doesn't require any authorisations or activations.
Is IntelliJ Ultimate free for students?
JetBrains says IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate has always been free for educational use and it remains committed to giving educators and students access.
Will my IntelliJ Community settings carry over?
Yes. JetBrains says Community Edition users are moved to the unified IntelliJ IDEA automatically, keeping everything they already use for Java and Kotlin development.
What happens to my old IntelliJ Ultimate licence?
JetBrains says existing Ultimate licences transition to an Ultimate subscription without any action on your part.
