JetBrains AI Review 2026: Pricing, Credits & Junie

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Last verified: October 12, 2026. This is an editorial research review — how we review. Prices and plans change often; confirm on the vendor’s site.

JetBrains AI is the subscription that powers AI features inside IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, GoLand, Rider and the rest of the JetBrains family. It covers two main products: AI Assistant, which provides chat, code completion and AI actions throughout the IDE, and Junie, JetBrains’ own coding agent. Both draw on the same pool of AI Credits and can work alongside third-party agents and your own model keys.

The appeal for anyone already using a JetBrains IDE is that the AI sits on top of the IDE’s own code intelligence, inspections and refactorings. The open questions are cost and complexity: JetBrains uses a credit-based quota in which each credit equals $1 of usage, and in September 2026 it introduced JetBrains Air, a new umbrella for agent-driven development that sits alongside AI Assistant and Junie.

This editorial research review is based on JetBrains’ documentation, pricing and FAQ pages, blog posts and public feedback on JetBrains’ support forum. It is aimed at developers and team leads working in JetBrains IDEs.

Quick verdict

For JetBrains users, JetBrains AI is the most tightly integrated option available, and its free tier is genuinely useful: unlimited code completion, unlimited local models and a small cloud allowance. The paid tiers are less straightforward. AI Pro includes 10 credits per 30 days, or $10 of model usage, and agent work can spend that quickly. Developers who plan to use Junie or other agents daily should budget for AI Ultimate, top-ups or their own API keys.

Pro: Deep integration with IntelliJ-based IDEs, including AI actions for commits, tests, documentation, SQL and error explanations.
Pro: Code completion and next edit suggestions do not consume AI Credits, even on the free tier.
Pro: Bring-your-own-key support for Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and OpenAI-compatible endpoints, plus local models via Ollama and LM Studio.
Pro: Choice of agents: Junie plus third-party agents such as Claude Agent, with more available through the Agent Client Protocol (ACP).
Con: Small credit allowances on AI Pro; users on JetBrains’ forum report credits running out faster than expected.
Con: A crowded product line (AI Assistant, the Junie plugin, Junie CLI, Air in IDEs) that is changing quickly.
Con: Limited to JetBrains IDEs, Android Studio and, in preview, Visual Studio via ReSharper, with regional restrictions.

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What is JetBrains AI?

JetBrains describes AI Assistant as “a collection of AI-powered features and coding agents integrated into JetBrains IDEs.” It runs in CLion, DataGrip, DataSpell, GoLand, IntelliJ IDEA, PhpStorm, PyCharm, Rider, RubyMine, RustRover and WebStorm, as well as Android Studio and, through ReSharper, Visual Studio. Junie is JetBrains’ coding agent, used from the IDE’s AI Chat, a separate plugin, Junie CLI in the terminal, or GitHub and GitLab integrations.

Access normally comes through a JetBrains AI license tier (AI Free, AI Pro, AI Ultimate or AI Enterprise), each of which provides a quota measured in AI Credits. Organizations are being moved to a pooled model in which credits from every license go into one shared balance. In September 2026, JetBrains renamed that organizational console from JetBrains Central to Air Governance as part of JetBrains Air.

Key features

AI Chat with your choice of models

AI Chat answers questions using context from open files, selections and recent changes. With a subscription, JetBrains’ supported-models page lists current Claude, GPT and Gemini models, many with 1M-token context windows. You can also connect your own keys for Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and OpenAI-compatible endpoints, or run local models through Ollama or LM Studio. With BYOK you can use supported features without a JetBrains AI subscription, though not every feature works with every third-party model.

Code completion and next edit suggestions

Code completion and next edit suggestions run on JetBrains’ own models, including Mellum. JetBrains’ FAQ states that they “do not consume AI quota,” and AI Free includes unlimited code completion, so everyday autocomplete does not depend on your credit balance.

Junie, JetBrains’ coding agent

Junie plans a task and then executes it: running terminal commands, editing files, running tests and checking the result. JetBrains highlights a plan mode that writes editable plans to .junie/plans, planning with one model and implementing with another, mid-task steering, and persistent guidelines and skills. JetBrains also offers Junie Lite, a free, cost-efficient model for anyone signed in with a JetBrains Account, with terms and models that may change.

Third-party agents and Air in IDEs

JetBrains’ FAQ says you can work with multiple agents in the IDE, including Junie and third-party agents such as Claude Agent, and AI Assistant supports the Agent Client Protocol for connecting other agents. Air in IDEs, in early access since October 2026, goes further: it detects agents on your machine, including Codex, Gemini, GitHub Copilot, Claude Agent and Junie, and runs several sessions in parallel with temporary worktrees. JetBrains says AI Assistant remains supported as a separate plugin.

AI actions across the IDE

AI Assistant adds features throughout the workflow: commit messages, AI self-review before committing, Git conflict resolution, pull request descriptions, unit tests, documentation, explanations for runtime, build and log errors, SQL fixes and Jupyter help. Availability varies by IDE.

Controls for organizations

With pooled credits, administrators grant or revoke AI access, set default and per-user usage limits, and can restrict which providers developers connect with their own keys. AI Enterprise is sold as part of JetBrains IDE Services.

Who should use JetBrains AI

Developers who already work in IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, Rider or another JetBrains IDE and want AI that uses the IDE’s own analysis.
All Products Pack or dotUltimate subscribers, who already have AI Pro included.
Privacy-minded developers who want local models or their own API keys.
Teams that want to try several agents, including Junie and Claude Agent, from one IDE.

Who should skip it

Developers who work mainly in VS Code or another non-JetBrains editor.
Heavy agent users who want a large, fixed allowance without managing credits or top-ups.
Teams that need a stable, settled product line before rolling it out widely.

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

IDE-native context. AI Assistant and Junie run inside an IDE that already understands your project’s structure, tests and build, and AI actions appear where you already work: the commit dialog, the database console and the editor.

A free tier that stays useful. Unlimited completion and local models on AI Free give everyday value without paying.

Flexibility on models and agents. BYOK, local models, Junie Lite and third-party agents let you control where prompts go and what you pay. For agents run through Air with your own subscription, JetBrains says data goes directly to that provider.

Clear credit unit. One credit equals one dollar of usage, which makes comparison with direct API spending easy.

Limitations

Allowances are small for agent work. AI Pro provides $10 of model usage per 30 days and AI Ultimate $35. Long agent sessions with frontier models can use much of that quickly. Users on JetBrains’ support forum have repeatedly reported credits depleting faster than they expected, and JetBrains itself recommends AI Ultimate rather than AI Pro for regular Junie use.

Product sprawl. AI Assistant, the Junie plugin, Junie CLI, Junie Lite, Air in IDEs and Air Governance overlap, and installing Air from the AI Assistant prompt disables AI Assistant until you re-enable it. Expect the setup to keep changing.

JetBrains-centric. AI Assistant does not run in VS Code, and Junie in Visual Studio via ReSharper was still a preview in July 2026.

Availability gaps. JetBrains AI is limited to territories its model providers allow. AI Free is not available in Android Studio, in Community editions of IntelliJ IDEA and PyCharm, or with licenses issued through a License Server, and the exact AI Enterprise quota is not disclosed.

Pricing (as of October 2026)

Plan	Price	What you get
AI Free	$0	3 AI Credits per 30 days; unlimited code completion; unlimited local models
AI Trial	Free, 30 days of AI Pro	10 AI Credits (individuals) or 20 (organizations)
AI Pro (individual)	$10 per month, or $8.33 per month billed annually	10 AI Credits per 30 days; top-ups available; included with All Products Pack and dotUltimate
AI Ultimate (individual)	$30 per month, or $25 per month billed annually	35 AI Credits per 30 days; recommended by JetBrains for regular Junie use
AI Pro (organization)	$20 per user per month	20 AI Credits per 30 days
AI Ultimate (organization)	$60 per user per month	70 AI Credits per 30 days
AI Enterprise	$60 per user per month	Organizations only, via IDE Services; quota “on par with AI Ultimate quota, or higher”

Each AI Credit equals $1 of usage, charged in your local currency. Top-up credits are valid for 12 months and are used only after the monthly quota runs out; unused plan credits reset every 30 days. These figures come from JetBrains’ plans documentation and Junie pricing page, so confirm them on the JetBrains AI pricing page before buying.

See JetBrains AI plans

Prices verified on October 12, 2026 against the official JetBrains AI (AI Assistant and Junie) pricing page. Plans change often — confirm on the vendor’s page before you buy.

Use cases

JetBrains AI makes the most sense for developers who already spend their day in a JetBrains IDE. The scenarios below are based on JetBrains’ documentation and pricing pages as of October 2026, along with the credit and availability caveats that apply to each.

Free everyday completion in IntelliJ IDEA or PyCharm

A developer who mainly wants better autocomplete can use AI Free, which includes unlimited code completion, next edit suggestions that do not consume AI Credits, unlimited local models and a small cloud allowance for chat. That covers a lot of daily value without a subscription. AI Free is not available in the Community editions of IntelliJ IDEA and PyCharm, in Android Studio, or with licenses issued through a License Server.

Keeping prompts on your own machine or your own API account

Developers and teams with strict data rules can connect local models through Ollama or LM Studio, or bring their own keys for Anthropic, OpenAI, Google or OpenAI-compatible endpoints, and BYOK works without a JetBrains AI subscription. The trade-offs are that not every feature works with every third-party model, and JetBrains’ documentation notes that AI Assistant does not currently support MCP tools when using local models. In organizations, administrators can restrict which providers developers are allowed to connect.

Delegating multi-step tasks to Junie

A developer who wants an agent to implement a change, run the tests and check the result can use Junie from AI Chat, the Junie plugin or Junie CLI. Plan mode writes editable plans to .junie/plans, and Junie can plan with one model and implement with another. Agent sessions can use AI Credits quickly, and JetBrains itself recommends AI Ultimate rather than AI Pro for regular Junie use. Junie Lite, a free model for anyone signed in with a JetBrains Account, is an option for lighter tasks, although its terms and models may change.

Comparing several coding agents from one IDE

Teams deciding between agents can run Junie alongside third-party agents such as Claude Agent, with others connected through the Agent Client Protocol. Air in IDEs, in early access since October 2026, detects agents on your machine, including Codex, Gemini, GitHub Copilot, Claude Agent and Junie, and runs several sessions in parallel in temporary worktrees. Because it is early access, expect changes, and note that installing Air from the AI Assistant prompt disables AI Assistant until you re-enable it.

Rolling out AI across an engineering organization

JetBrains is moving organizations to pooled credits, in which every license feeds one shared balance. From Air Governance (formerly JetBrains Central), administrators can grant or revoke AI access and set default and per-user usage limits. Organizations that use JetBrains IDE Services can buy AI Enterprise through it, although JetBrains describes its quota only as “on par with AI Ultimate quota, or higher.”

Alternatives

GitHub Copilot supports JetBrains IDEs and adds GitHub-native agents and code review, though some features are still in preview in JetBrains.
Augment Code offers a JetBrains plugin built around a context engine for large codebases.
Claude Code is a terminal-first coding agent that can run alongside any IDE, including JetBrains ones.
Cursor suits developers willing to move to an AI-first editor.

Final verdict

If you already work in a JetBrains IDE, JetBrains AI is the natural place to start: the free tier covers completion and local models, and AI Assistant’s actions fit into the IDE more neatly than any third-party plugin. The paid tiers make the most sense when you understand your usage. Light chat users will be fine on AI Pro, while regular Junie or agent users should plan for AI Ultimate, top-ups or their own API keys. Expect the product line to keep shifting as JetBrains Air develops.

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FAQ

Is JetBrains AI free?

Partly. AI Free includes unlimited code completion, unlimited local models and 3 AI Credits per 30 days for cloud features, and Junie Lite is free for anyone signed in with a JetBrains Account, with terms and models that may change. AI Free is not available in the Community editions of IntelliJ IDEA and PyCharm, in Android Studio, or with License Server licenses. AI Pro is included with the All Products Pack and dotUltimate subscriptions.

How do JetBrains AI Credits work?

Each AI Credit equals $1 of usage, charged in your local currency, and each plan includes a set number of credits per 30 days that reset if unused. Top-up credits are valid for 12 months and are used only after the monthly quota runs out. Code completion and next edit suggestions do not consume credits, while cloud chat and agent work such as Junie do. Users on JetBrains’ support forum have reported credits running out faster than expected, so heavy agent users should budget for AI Ultimate, top-ups or their own API keys.

Does JetBrains AI work in VS Code?

No. AI Assistant runs in JetBrains IDEs such as IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, GoLand, Rider and RustRover, in Android Studio, and in Visual Studio through ReSharper, but not in VS Code. Junie in Visual Studio via ReSharper was still a preview as of July 2026. VS Code users should look at GitHub Copilot or at Claude Code, which runs in the terminal alongside any editor.

Can JetBrains AI use local models?

Yes. You can connect Ollama or LM Studio, which run models on your own machine, and AI Free includes unlimited use of local models. Local models can be assigned to chat and to features such as commit message generation, but JetBrains’ documentation notes that general-purpose chat models usually lack the fill-in-the-middle support needed for code completion, and that MCP tools are not currently supported with local models. Standard code completion runs on JetBrains’ own models, including Mellum.

Does JetBrains use my code to train AI models?

According to JetBrains’ data collection FAQ (version of December 16, 2025), detailed code-related data is collected for training only when data sharing is enabled, and sharing is off by default on all license types except the individual non-commercial license. On a non-commercial license it is on by default and can be turned off under Settings | Appearance & Behavior | System Settings | Data Sharing, separately on each device and in each IDE. With organizational licenses, data is shared only if an admin enables sharing at the company level. JetBrains says shared data is used to improve its tools and train its own models, such as Mellum, is never shared with third parties, and is kept for one year.

JetBrains AI vs GitHub Copilot: which is better in a JetBrains IDE?

In our assessment, JetBrains AI has the edge on IDE integration, because AI Assistant’s actions sit in the commit dialog, database console and editor and build on the IDE’s own code analysis. GitHub Copilot also supports JetBrains IDEs and adds GitHub-native agents and code review, though some Copilot features are still in preview in JetBrains. Teams whose workflow centers on GitHub may prefer Copilot, while developers who want the deepest IDE integration and local-model options may prefer JetBrains AI. The two can also run side by side, since Air in IDEs detects GitHub Copilot as one of its supported agents.

JetBrains AI Review (2026): AI Assistant, Junie and the Credit System