OpenIDEA: The IntelliJ IDEA workflow, rebuilt in Rust

IntelliJ IDEA users know the cost of the ceremony: on a mid-size Python project, IDEA 2026.2.3 takes 3.1 seconds to show a window and 13.2 seconds to settle, holding 2 GB of memory. OpenIDEA is an open-source project created on October 21, 2026 — ten days before this writing — that rebuilds the IDEA way of working (its keymap, tool windows, and Search Everywhere) as a native app with a Rust core. On the same benchmark it opens a window in 0.9 seconds, settles in 1.1, and uses 169 MB. The repository had 2,330 stars on November 1, 2026, is Apache-2.0 licensed, and shipped v0.1.33 the same day.

Benchmarks

The README comparison opens freqtrade (a Python project of about 770 files) with warm caches on Windows 11, a 32-core AMD with 62 GB RAM, taking the median of 5 runs: window at 0.9 s versus 3.1 s, ready at 1.1 s versus 13.2 s, memory at 169 MB versus 2,011 MB, quit at 0.3 s versus 5.9 s. The author notes the honest caveat themselves: IDEA analyzes Python more deeply, so “ready” is not the same amount of work on both sides. The numbers still carry weight — the repo ships a perf/compare script so you can rerun the measurement on your own machine and projects instead of trusting a screenshot.

Core features

Editor, code insight, debugger, Git, terminal, database tools, and HTTP clients live in one app, with support for 60+ languages and builds for macOS, Windows, and Linux. The pitch for IDEA users is migration cost: the keymap, tool-window layout, and search habits deliberately mirror IDEA, so switching does not mean relearning your editor.

Typical use cases

• Developers who grumble about IDEA’s startup time and memory but live in its keymap and Search Everywhere — switching costs almost nothing.
• Backend engineers on modest laptops who still need database tools and HTTP clients alongside the editor.
• Tech leads evaluating alternatives to JetBrains: run perf/compare on your own projects first and decide from data.

Quick start

Grab the installer for your platform from GitHub Releases (macOS, Windows, Linux, plus a separate Linux server build); v0.1.33 is current. Open a project and the IDEA-style keymap is already active. Run the bundled perf/compare against your own project before deciding to move over.

Summary

OpenIDEA fits IDEA users who value interaction habits over plugin ecosystem depth. Stay clear-eyed about its age — under a month old, its code-insight depth, plugin ecosystem, and long-term stability are nowhere near two decades of IDEA, and the author is explicit that the project is unaffiliated with JetBrains, whose trademark IntelliJ IDEA remains. Try it as a lightweight second editor or on personal projects before moving production work; the Linux server build also gives you an isolated way to evaluate it. GitHub data verified November 1, 2026.