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  1. Stackups
  2. DevOps
  3. Build Automation
  4. IDE
  5. IntelliJ IDEA vs Xcode

IntelliJ IDEA vs Xcode

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

Xcode
Xcode
Stacks19.3K
Followers14.7K
Votes213
IntelliJ IDEA
IntelliJ IDEA
Stacks44.0K
Followers36.9K
Votes1.5K

IntelliJ IDEA vs Xcode: What are the differences?

  1. Code Completion: One key difference between IntelliJ IDEA and Xcode is the code completion feature. In IntelliJ IDEA, the code completion is considered to be more powerful and advanced compared to Xcode. It includes smart suggestions and predictive recommendations, which can significantly speed up the coding process and improve productivity.

  2. Language Support: Another significant difference between the two IDEs is the language support they provide. IntelliJ IDEA supports a wide range of programming languages, including Java, Kotlin, Scala, Python, and JavaScript, making it suitable for multi-language development. On the other hand, Xcode is primarily focused on iOS and macOS development, supporting languages like Objective-C and Swift.

  3. Version Control Integration: IntelliJ IDEA offers robust integration with version control systems such as Git, Mercurial, and Subversion. It provides a comprehensive set of features for seamless collaboration and efficient code management. Xcode, on the other hand, primarily supports Git for version control, but the level of integration and functionality may not be as extensive as in IntelliJ IDEA.

  4. Project Structure: The project structure and organization in IntelliJ IDEA differ from Xcode. IntelliJ IDEA follows a flexible and customizable project structure, allowing developers to easily manage and arrange files and directories within the project. Xcode, on the other hand, has a specific project structure for iOS and macOS development, which may be more rigid in terms of file organization.

  5. Plugins and Extensions: IntelliJ IDEA has a vast ecosystem of plugins and extensions, which can enhance its functionality and support additional features and languages. This makes it highly customizable according to individual preferences and project requirements. While Xcode also supports plugins, the number and variety of available extensions may be comparatively limited.

  6. User Interface: The user interface of IntelliJ IDEA and Xcode differ in terms of layout, design, and overall user experience. IntelliJ IDEA has a more versatile and customizable interface that allows developers to personalize their working environment. Xcode has a more streamlined and iOS/macOS-centric interface, designed specifically for Apple development.

In Summary, IntelliJ IDEA and Xcode differ in terms of code completion, language support, version control integration, project structure, plugins/extensions, and user interface.

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Advice on Xcode, IntelliJ IDEA

Jonas
Jonas

Jun 22, 2022

Decided

When I work with Java, I use IntelliJ IDEA. When I want super-b Refactoring and Search/Replace Functionality, I use IntelliJ.

When working on anything else, I've chosen to adopt Visual Studio Code - a IDE that implements many features important and interesting to the developer experience and doesn't make me miss many things from Jetbrains while being so lightweight that I install it everywhere, even when I would've just wanted to install Notepad++.

I install it everywhere, and if it's my machine, I sign into my GitHub Account to sync all Extensions and Settings and unlock all GitHub seamlessness-capabilities.

The browser-only capability is awesome and allows for extremely seamless and fast ad-hoc development from anywhere just by signing in to GitHub.

I only really use the GUI/Side-Bar Tools "Project Manager", "GitLens", "Git Graph" and "Git History". But i do have installed many other Developer Experience changing extensions as well. For the interested, you can take a look at my VS Code Extensions I documented over at my GitHub

[Addendum 2022/08] I recently found out about that VSCode also has Live Share Extension, similiar to the one Jetbrains added in one of the newer versions. Very neat and nicely implemented over SSH too. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/liveshare/


My Jetbrains History:

IntelliJ is an awesome tool. It does everything for you, without even noticing - i.e. automatic Gradle dependency installation or adding Gradle dependencies through GUI.

I really got to use most Shortcuts and enjoyed the Weekly Tips.

I can't emphasize enough how well it's Quick Fixes and Refactoring work.

It allows you to generate all kinds of boilerplate (e.g. Getter/Setter/Constructor, toString, JavaDoc). It has a ByteCode Previewer. It has an awesome Debugger.

Also: During my 4 years in apprentice as an IT-Technician in which I also worked on some Grails (Spring) Projects it also was nice that IntelliJ IDEA ULTIMATE, which I got for free thanks to an all-time available offer for students, had Grails-aware functionality. The primary functionality I'm talking about is the ability to automatically generate a graphical database diagram for by a click on the Domain Class. Experimenting with this I quickly understood all the Relation Database Paradigms and how to implement them with GORM, or how GORM translates to database through IntelliJ's Database Tab Integration.

70.6k views70.6k
Comments
christy
christy

Program Manager

Jul 1, 2020

Needs adviceonPythonPythonEclipseEclipseIntelliJ IDEAIntelliJ IDEA

UPDATE: Thanks for the great response. I am going to start with VSCode based on the open source and free version that will allow me to grow into other languages, but not cost me a license ..yet.

I have been working with software development for 12 years, but I am just beginning my journey to learn to code. I am starting with Python following the suggestion of some of my coworkers. They are split between Eclipse and IntelliJ IDEA for IDEs that they use and PyCharm is new to me. Which IDE would you suggest for a beginner that will allow expansion to Java, JavaScript, and eventually AngularJS and possibly mobile applications?

2.03M views2.03M
Comments
Manabu
Manabu

CEO, Co-Founder at WinguMD

Jun 13, 2020

Decided

I originally chose IntelliJ over Eclipse, as it was close enough to the look and feel of Visual Studio and we do go back and forth between the two. We really begin to love IntelliJ and their suite of IDEs so we are now using AppCode for the IOS development because the workflow is identical with the IntelliJ. IntelliJ is super complex and intimidating at first but it does afford a lot of nice utilities to get us produce clean code.

551k views551k
Comments

Detailed Comparison

Xcode
Xcode
IntelliJ IDEA
IntelliJ IDEA

The Xcode IDE is at the center of the Apple development experience. Tightly integrated with the Cocoa and Cocoa Touch frameworks, Xcode is an incredibly productive environment for building amazing apps for Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

Out of the box, IntelliJ IDEA provides a comprehensive feature set including tools and integrations with the most important modern technologies and frameworks for enterprise and web development with Java, Scala, Groovy and other languages.

Source Editor;Assistant Editor;Asset Catalog;OpenGL Frame Capture;Version Editor;Interface Builder Built In;iOS Simulator;Integrated Build System;Continuous Integration;Instrument Library;Command Line Tools
Smart Code Completion;On-the-fly Code Analysis;Advanced Refactorings;Database Tools;UML Designer;Version Control Tools;Build Tools
Statistics
Stacks
19.3K
Stacks
44.0K
Followers
14.7K
Followers
36.9K
Votes
213
Votes
1.5K
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 130
    IOS Development
  • 33
    Personal assistant on steroids
  • 29
    Easy setup
  • 17
    Excellent integration with Clang
  • 3
    Beautiful
Cons
  • 6
    Massively bloated and complicated for smaller projects
  • 3
    Horrible auto completiting and text editing
  • 1
    Very slow emulator
  • 1
    Slow startup
Pros
  • 301
    Fantastically intelligent
  • 242
    Best-in-class ide
  • 190
    Many languages support
  • 158
    Java
  • 121
    Fast
Cons
  • 20
    Large footprint required to really enjoy (mem/disc)
  • 16
    Very slow
  • 8
    Bad for beginners
  • 7
    UI is not intuitive
  • 5
    Constant reindexing
Integrations
Cocoa Touch (iOS)
Cocoa Touch (iOS)
Cocoa (OS X)
Cocoa (OS X)
Java
Java

What are some alternatives to Xcode, IntelliJ IDEA?

PhpStorm

PhpStorm

PhpStorm is a PHP IDE which keeps up with latest PHP & web languages trends, integrates a variety of modern tools, and brings even more extensibility with support for major PHP frameworks.

Visual Studio

Visual Studio

Visual Studio is a suite of component-based software development tools and other technologies for building powerful, high-performance applications.

WebStorm

WebStorm

WebStorm is a lightweight and intelligent IDE for front-end development and server-side JavaScript.

NetBeans IDE

NetBeans IDE

NetBeans IDE is FREE, open source, and has a worldwide community of users and developers.

PyCharm

PyCharm

PyCharm’s smart code editor provides first-class support for Python, JavaScript, CoffeeScript, TypeScript, CSS, popular template languages and more. Take advantage of language-aware code completion, error detection, and on-the-fly code fixes!

Eclipse

Eclipse

Standard Eclipse package suited for Java and plug-in development plus adding new plugins; already includes Git, Marketplace Client, source code and developer documentation. Click here to file a bug against Eclipse Platform.

Android Studio

Android Studio

Android Studio is a new Android development environment based on IntelliJ IDEA. It provides new features and improvements over Eclipse ADT and will be the official Android IDE once it's ready.

RubyMine

RubyMine

JetBrains RubyMine IDE provides a comprehensive Ruby code editor aware of dynamic language specifics and delivers smart coding assistance, intelligent code refactoring and code analysis capabilities.

CLion

CLion

Knowing your code through and through, CLion can take care of the routine while you focus on the important things. Boost your productivity with the keyboard-centric approach (Vim-emulation plugin is also available in plugin repository), full coding assistance, smart and relevant code completion, fast project navigation, intelligent intention actions, and reliable refactorings.

Pharo

Pharo

A pure object-oriented programming language and a powerful environment, focused on simplicity and immediate feedback.

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