I’ve been using Java for over 2 years, mostly in college projects, and I’ve been relying on Eclipse so far. However, I’m finding it increasingly frustrating—it feels outdated and clunky for my current needs. I’m now looking to switch to a better Java development environment and I’ve narrowed it down to IntelliJ IDEA and Visual Studio Code, both of which came highly recommended by friends.
I’ve done some research on both, but I’m still unsure which one would suit me better in the long run.
If you’ve used either (or both), I’d love to hear your experience and why you’d pick one over the other—especially for someone still in university but looking to build serious Java applications.
@Jasminepuno If your main focus is Java, IntelliJ IDEA is hard to beat. It’s purpose-built for Java developers, offering deep code intelligence, smart refactoring tools, and excellent Maven/Gradle integration out of the box.
The community edition is more than enough for student projects, and the UI is far more modern than Eclipse.
Over time, you’ll find that IntelliJ helps you code faster and cleaner, especially with features like on-the-fly inspections, automatic suggestions, and excellent JUnit/TestNG support. When you’re building more complex Java applications, IntelliJ handles larger codebases more efficiently.
If you’re interested in automated testing and cross-platform compatibility, IntelliJ also integrates smoothly with cloud testing tools like LambdaTest.
You can connect your test scripts, sync your builds, and even run browser-based Java UIs through LambdaTest without leaving the IDE, which is a massive plus when transitioning from local to production-ready code.
Visual Studio Code is a solid alternative, especially if you like customization and a lightweight feel. It’s not a full IDE out of the box, but once you install Java extensions (like Language Support for Java, Debugger for Java, and Maven plugins), it becomes very capable for Java projects.
The biggest appeal of VS Code is its multi-language support and fast performance. If you’re working in other languages like JavaScript or Python alongside Java, it gives you flexibility without needing separate tools.
However, you’ll have to do more setup and plugin management compared to IntelliJ, which just works out of the box for Java.
It also works decently with external tools, and although the integration isn’t as tight as IntelliJ, you can still hook it up with cloud-based test platforms like LambdaTest to validate frontend components or browser interactions when testing Java-backed applications.
You can try Apache NetBeans for a Simpler, Integrated Java IDE.
If neither IntelliJ nor VS Code fits your workflow, consider Apache NetBeans. It’s a lesser-known but fully featured IDE tailored for Java developers. It comes prepackaged with JavaFX, Swing, Maven, and Gradle support—no extra setup needed.
NetBeans is great for educational and personal use, and while it’s not as modern-looking as IntelliJ, it handles Java quite well out of the box. It’s also completely open-source and doesn’t push any pro licenses.
While it lacks tight integration with platforms like LambdaTest, it can still support external tools through custom build scripts.
Great if you’re looking for a no-frills, Java-specific IDE that just works without much setup.