21 Best IntelliJIDEA Plugins for 2019 (100% Free)

Like other IDEs or CMSs before it, IntelliJ has quickly become more than an IDE. With its vast plugin marketplace, IntelliJ has turned into a full-fledged platform for all Java related coding. Have no doubt, JetBrain’s decision to open source and allow external developers to develop solutions on top of it is a strategic one.
Keep that in mind because if you use IntelliJ this will affect you. In fact, at Codota we like to consider ourselves data based swamis and are therefore predicting that in about 2 years from now, you’ll be staring at your IDE wondering how did IntelliJ become all about the plugins so quickly?!
We also like to help our users stay ahead of the curve and that’s why we put together this comprehensive list of all the plugins that will lead this shift. We based our choices on a variety of different factors — be it the plugin’s popularity in the JetBrains directory, the search volume that the problem they look to solve gets or their aggregated review score. All these factors and others were taken into consideration when putting together this list.
Top 21 JetBrains IntelliJ Plugins for 2019

Scala
The Scala plugin adds support for the Scala language. Scala combines object-oriented and functional programming into one high-level language. If you aren’t already familiar with Scala — you should definitely check it out.
Codota
Shameless plug — got to do it but before you judge listen in… the Codota plugin helps you code faster and with fewer pesky errors. Codota completes lines of code based on millions of Java programs, along with your own unique context (open it from within the IDE using Ctrl + Shift + O). You can also find commonly used open-source Java code snippets for the class or method you’re using in the code search.
Symfony
Symfony is a PHP web application framework & a set of reusable PHP components used to build high-performance complex web applications. The Symfony plugin is available for IntelliJ IDEA & PhpStorm.
String Manipulation
This plugin is pretty straightforward. Use String Manipulation to — well, manipulate strings. Perform a variety of different tasks on strings such as converting to camel case, capitalizing, escaping string in Java, and more.
Grep Console
Grep Console enables you to define a series of regular expressions which will be tested against the console output. Every expression that matches a line will change the style of the whole line/parts of it.
JS GraphQL
GraphQL is one of the most modern ways of building and querying APIs and this plugin adds support for the JS GraphQL language. GraphQL is a syntax that describes how to ask for data and is generally used to load data from a server to a client.
NodeJS
This plugin adds support for NodeJS projects in IntelliJ. Use it to run projects and debug them using the built-in IntelliJ debugger. It also comes with code completions for NodeJS APIs, along with some other cool features.
Rainbow Brackets
I love Rainbow Brackets / Parentheses for IntelliJ. This useful tool saves you the confusion of selecting which bracket needs to be closed. Each pair of brackets/parentheses has a different color. Pretty simple, but cool. Plus, this plugin adds some color to your otherwise pale code.
Kotlin
The Kotlin plugin provides Kotlin language support in IntelliJ IDEA and Android Studio. Kotlin is an open source, general-purpose language that combines object-oriented programming with functional programming. So until the dark prophecies that kill off object-oriented languages have been fulfilled we still recommend this plugin.
AWS Toolkit
AWS Toolkit is an open-source plugin used to make AWS application development easier. Use the toolkit to create, test, and debug apps built on AWS.
EduTools
You don’t have to be Joshua Bloch or Herbert Schildt to teach Java. EduTools helps you teach (and learn) IntelliJ based programming languages right in your IDE. This is done in the form of coding tasks with instant verification and feedback.
BashSupport
Bash language support for IntelliJ. The open source software supports run configurations, rename refactoring, quick fixes, documentation lookup, syntax highlighting, inspections, and plenty more.
Python
The Python plugin adds full-scale functionality for Python development. Integrate Python into your IntelliJ platform. What more could you ask for?!
JRebel for IntelliJ
JRebel enhances developer productivity — by reloading code changes instantly. It skips the rebuilding, restarting, and redeploying cycle that is common within Java development.
Docker Integration
This plugin allows you to download and build Docker images, create and start Docker containers, and do other related tasks. Docker lets developers deploy applications inside containers for testing code in an environment identical to production.
CSV Plugin
Lightweight CSV plugin that allows you to edit files in CSV/TSV format.
Eclipse code formatter
Basically exactly what it sounds like. Use Eclipse Code Formatter to fix the problem of maintaining a common style for environments including Eclipse & IntelliJ developers.
Laravel plugin
Laravel is a PHP framework that aims to “take the pain out of development by easing common tasks used in the majority of web projects, such as authentication, routing, sessions, and caching.” The Laravel plugin is compatible with IntelliJ IDEA & PhpStorm.
Lombok Plugin
This plugin adds support for Project Lombok — a Java library designed to reduce boilerplate code for model/data objects. For example, it can generate getters and setters for an object automatically by using Lombok annotations. Pretty nifty if you ask me.
Zero Width Character Locator
We’re getting close to the end of our very comprehensive list of IntelliJ plugins. I really like plugins like this one that offers a simple solution to a very common problem. The Zero Width Character Locator plugin adds an inspection that prevents some hard to find bugs related to invisible zero-width characters in source code and resources.
IdeaVim
Finally, the IdeaVim plugin also made our list. IdeaVim provides Vim emulation in IntelliJ based IDEs. It includes many of the popular features Vim has to offer: normal/insert/visual modes, motion keys, deletion/changing, marks, registers, some Ex commands, Vim regexps, and much more.
Thanks for making it all the way down! It may seem like a long list but with the thousands of plugins available for IntelliJIDEA, it was not an easy list to compile. So, if we left out your favorite plugin please let us know in the comments below. Happy coding!
If you want to learn IntelliJIDEA, here are some useful resources
Refactoring Java with IntelliJ IDEA
IntelliJ IDEA Tricks to Boost Productivity for Java Devs
Java and Android IntelliJ Wizardry with Heinz Kabutz (FREE)