Among the Java IDEs for AI coding in 2026, IntelliJ IDEA is the best pick when the team already pays for it, and VS Code with GitHub Copilot is the best free option. Cursor and Devin Desktop are the better pick when we want agents that work on their own in parallel, and Eclipse makes sense only when a project already depends on it.
An agent is an assistant that edits files and runs commands for us, not one that only suggests the next line. We use it to change code across several files and to write and run JUnit tests, and some agents also run in GitHub Actions and fix a failing build. Every IDE below except Eclipse documents models from more than one provider, and no single model wins every task, so we list providers instead of recommending a model.
After the comparison table, each IDE gets one fact table with its AI tools, prices, testing and CI/CD support. The last sections cover the official plugins from model vendors (see section 7) and which IDE fits which situation.
1. Java IDEs for AI Coding Compared
All five IDEs have a free plan, so we can try each one before paying. Prices are monthly for one developer, taken from each vendor’s pricing page in October 2026, and they change often, so we check the vendor page before buying.
| IDE | AI agent | Model providers | Free tier | Paid from | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate | Junie, AI Assistant | OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI, local models | Community edition (no agent) | $19.90 IDE + $10 AI Pro | Spring Boot and Maven/Gradle teams |
| VS Code | GitHub Copilot | OpenAI, Anthropic and others | Copilot Free (limited) | $10 (Copilot Pro) | Free start, code on GitHub |
| Eclipse | GitHub Copilot | Model picker, list not published | Copilot Free (limited) | $10 (Copilot Pro) | Teams already on Eclipse |
| Cursor | Agent, cloud agents | Composer and xAI; Anthropic, OpenAI, Google on Pro | Hobby (Composer only) | $20 (Pro) | Agent-first workflow |
| Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) | Local and cloud agents | OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI, open-source | Free (limited models) | $20 (Pro) | Many agents in parallel |
The agents in this comparison work in two places. An agent inside the IDE edits our files and runs the tests on our machine, whereas a cloud agent works on a remote machine or a GitHub Actions runner and returns a pull request, so the CI/CD row in each IDE table refers to the cloud agent.
2. IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate
IntelliJ IDEA gives its agent, Junie, the same project index and Maven project model that the IDE uses for refactoring. That index helps most on multi-file changes in a Spring Boot application. The AI plan is a separate subscription from the IDE license. AI credits limit how much we use the agent, where 1 credit equals 1 US dollar of model usage, and when the credits run out we either buy a top-up or wait for the next 30-day period.
| AI tools | Junie agent, AI Assistant chat, plus third-party agents (Claude Agent, Codex) |
| Model providers | OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI; our own OpenAI or Anthropic API key; local models through Ollama or LM Studio at no extra cost |
| Free tier | Community edition is free but has no Junie; Ultimate includes AI Free (3 AI credits every 30 days) |
| Paid plans | Ultimate $19.90/month; AI Pro +$10/month (10 credits); AI Ultimate $300/year, about $25/month (35 credits) |
| Testing | Built-in JUnit and TestNG runner; Junie writes, runs and fixes tests |
| CI/CD | Junie on GitHub runs in GitHub Actions, opens pull requests and fixes failing CI builds |
| Other AI plugins | GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, plus Gemini Code Assist for existing subscribers only |
| Links | Download | IDE pricing | AI pricing |
Pick IntelliJ IDEA if the team already pays for Ultimate and works mostly on Spring Boot applications with Maven or Gradle.
3. VS Code With GitHub Copilot
VS Code is free, and with the Extension Pack for Java and GitHub Copilot it becomes a complete Java setup. VS Code needs more setup than IntelliJ IDEA, but it costs nothing until we use up Copilot Free.
| AI tools | Copilot completions, chat, agent mode and the Copilot cloud agent |
| Model providers | OpenAI, Anthropic and others; the same models on every plan, with higher limits on paid plans |
| Free tier | VS Code is free; Copilot Free has limited chat and agent usage |
| Paid plans | Pro $10, Pro+ $39, Max $100 per month; Business and Enterprise through sales |
| Testing | Java Test Runner extension; agent mode writes the tests and runs them |
| CI/CD | The Copilot cloud agent works in its own GitHub Actions environment, runs the build and tests, and opens a pull request (Pro and above) |
| Other AI plugins | Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, plus Gemini Code Assist for existing subscribers only |
| Links | Download | Copilot pricing |
Pick VS Code if we want to start free and our code is already on GitHub.
4. Eclipse With GitHub Copilot
Eclipse still runs many enterprise Java codebases. Microsoft made the Copilot plugin for Eclipse open source in April 2026, and the plugin has an agent mode, but GitHub does not publish which models its model picker offers in Eclipse.
| AI tools | Copilot completions, chat (Ask mode), agent mode, a planning agent and MCP tools (connections to outside tools and data sources) |
| Model providers | Model picker available; Eclipse-specific list not published |
| Free tier | Eclipse is free; Copilot Free has limited usage |
| Paid plans | Same Copilot plans as VS Code, from $10/month |
| Testing | Agent mode writes the tests, and we run them with Eclipse’s JUnit runner |
| CI/CD | No CI features in the IDE; the Copilot cloud agent runs on GitHub for any IDE |
| Other AI plugins | Claude Code and Codex have no Eclipse plugin, so we run their command-line (CLI) tools in the terminal |
| Links | Download | Copilot pricing |
Pick Eclipse only if internal plugins or an existing Eclipse RCP desktop app tie the team to it.
5. Cursor
Cursor is a VS Code fork (an editor built from the VS Code source code) designed around its agent. Cursor has no Java tooling of its own, so we install the Java extensions ourselves, and the agent runs our Maven or Gradle test task the same way it runs any other build command.
| AI tools | Agent, inline completions, cloud agents that run in parallel on remote machines while we keep working |
| Model providers | Cursor’s own Composer models and xAI Grok, plus Anthropic, OpenAI and Google on Pro and above |
| Free tier | Hobby plan with limited agent requests and Composer models only |
| Paid plans | Pro $20, Pro+ $60, Ultra $200 per month; Teams $40 per developer per month |
| Testing | After we install the Java extensions, the agent runs the Maven or Gradle test command |
| CI/CD | Cloud agents build, test and open pull requests on remote machines |
| Other AI plugins | Claude Code and OpenAI Codex both list Cursor as supported |
| Links | Download | Pricing |
Pick Cursor if the agent workflow matters more to us than Java-specific tooling.
6. Devin Desktop (Formerly Windsurf)
Cognition, the company behind the Devin agent, bought Windsurf and renamed it Devin Desktop. Devin Desktop installs extensions from Open VSX (an open extension registry used by VS Code forks), and its documentation names the Java extensions it supports, which makes its Java support the clearest among the VS Code forks here.
| AI tools | Local agents and Devin Cloud agents, managed from one command center |
| Model providers | OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI and open-source models on Pro and above |
| Free tier | Light agent quota, limited models, unlimited inline completions |
| Paid plans | Pro $20, Max $200 per month; Teams $80/month team fee plus $40 per developer |
| Testing | Java Test Runner (JUnit, TestNG), Maven and Gradle extensions from Open VSX |
| CI/CD | Devin Cloud agents work on remote machines and return the changes for review (Pro and above) |
| Other AI plugins | Claude Code (through Open VSX) and OpenAI Codex both list it as supported |
| Links | Download | Pricing | Java extensions |
Pick Devin Desktop if we want several agents working in parallel with documented Java support.
7. Official AI Vendor Plugins by IDE
Model vendors ship their own coding agents as IDE plugins, so we are not limited to the assistant that comes with the IDE. Amazon Q Developer and Gemini Code Assist are being retired, and we keep them in the table so nobody starts a new project on them.
| Plugin (vendor) | IntelliJ IDEA | VS Code | Eclipse | Cursor | Devin Desktop | Requires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot (GitHub) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | GitHub account, Copilot Free or paid plan |
| Claude Code (Anthropic) | Yes (plugin plus CLI) | Yes | CLI only | Yes | Yes | Paid Claude plan, or a Claude Console account billed per API use |
| Codex (OpenAI) | Yes | Yes | CLI only | Yes | Yes (listed as Windsurf) | ChatGPT account; included on all plans, including Free, with plan-based limits |
| Gemini Code Assist (Google) | Yes | Yes | No | Not listed | Not listed | Existing business subscriptions only; the individuals tier ended June 18, 2026 and new business purchases ended October 9, 2026 |
| Amazon Q Developer (AWS) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Existing users only; plugins lose support April 30, 2027 |
A vendor plugin makes sense when we already pay for that vendor’s plan and want the same agent in every editor. The cost is a second AI subscription next to the one bundled with the IDE, so we pick one main agent instead of paying for three.
8. Other AI IDEs Worth Knowing
AWS and Google replaced their retiring plugins with full agent-first IDEs. Neither one is in our top five for Java work, but both show up in other comparisons, so we list the facts that matter when choosing.
| IDE | Replaces | Model providers | Free tier | Paid from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiro (AWS) | Amazon Q Developer plugins | Anthropic, OpenAI and open-weight models (models anyone can download and run) | 50 credits/month | $20/month (Pro) |
| Antigravity (Google) | Gemini Code Assist for individuals | Mainly Gemini; the pricing page does not name others | Individuals plan with weekly limits | Google AI Pro subscription; Business from $30/seat |
9. Which One Should We Pick
Each row starts from a situation we are in. If two rows fit, trying both free tiers for a week on the same project shows which one fits better.
| Situation | Pick |
|---|---|
| We want to pay nothing to start | VS Code with Copilot Free |
| The team already has IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate licenses | IntelliJ IDEA with Junie |
| We want an agent that works on GitHub issues and fixes failing builds in GitHub Actions | IntelliJ IDEA (Junie on GitHub), or any Copilot IDE with the Copilot cloud agent |
| We want to run local models only | IntelliJ IDEA with Ollama or LM Studio |
| We want many agents working in parallel | Cursor or Devin Desktop |
| We already pay for Claude or ChatGPT | Any IDE except Eclipse, with the Claude Code or Codex plugin |
| The company standardized on Eclipse | Eclipse with Copilot |
Read from the top, the first question we answer with yes decides the IDE, and the last box is the default when every answer is no.
10. Java IDE for AI Coding FAQs
Most of these questions come from developers who either already pay for a model vendor’s plan or want to avoid paying at all.
10.1. Do I Need to Replace My IDE to Use Claude Code or Codex?
No. Both have plugins for IntelliJ IDEA, VS Code, Cursor and Devin Desktop, as the table in section 7 shows. In Eclipse we run their command-line tools in the terminal instead.
10.2. Is Cursor Better Than VS Code for Java?
Not for Java tooling, because both use the same Java extensions. Cursor adds cloud agents and models from several vendors in one paid plan, whereas VS Code with Copilot Free costs nothing.
10.3. Which Java IDE Has a Free AI Assistant?
VS Code and Eclipse with Copilot Free cost nothing, within monthly limits. Codex is also included on the free ChatGPT plan with lower limits, and IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate runs local models at no extra AI cost.
10.4. Can I Use an AI Assistant Without Sending Code to the Cloud?
Yes, with IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate, which has the clearest documented local model support of the five. IntelliJ IDEA connects to Ollama or LM Studio on the free AI plan, but local models give weaker results than hosted models on large refactorings.
10.5. What Happened to Windsurf and Amazon Q Developer?
Windsurf became Devin Desktop after Cognition bought it. AWS blocked new Amazon Q Developer sign-ups on May 15, 2026 and points users to Kiro, and Google stopped the Gemini Code Assist individuals tier on June 18, 2026 in favor of Antigravity.
11. Conclusion
All five IDEs have a free plan and a paid plan between $10 and $30 a month for one developer, and four of them document models from several providers. IntelliJ IDEA has the deepest Java support, while VS Code is the cheapest way in.
Cursor and Devin Desktop go furthest with agents that work on their own. Whichever IDE we choose, we review every change the agent makes and let our own CI pipeline decide whether it merges.
12. References
- JetBrains AI Assistant supported LLMs
- JetBrains AI plans and pricing
- Junie on GitHub
- GitHub Copilot plans and pricing
- Copilot coding agent in VS Code
- GitHub Copilot for Eclipse
- Cursor models and pricing
- Devin Desktop pricing
- Claude Code for JetBrains IDEs
- Codex IDE extension
- Gemini Code Assist release notes
- Migrating from Amazon Q Developer to Kiro
- Kiro pricing
- Antigravity pricing
Happy Learning !!
