An AI coding agent built by JetBrains, the company behind IntelliJ IDEA and PyCharm. Give it an instruction and it reads your codebase, drafts an implementation plan, edits files, and runs tests. What sets it apart is that it works not only inside JetBrains IDEs but also in the terminal (CLI), on GitHub issues and pull requests, and in GitLab CI/CD — which makes it usable for automating reviews and routine tasks as well. Since its early access release in January 2025, it has added MCP integration, sub-agents, and custom guidelines.
Key Features
- Plans before it implements: Instead of rewriting code straight away, it first presents a plan of what it intends to change and how. You can approve it, or redirect it before execution begins
- Course correction mid-task: You can issue additional instructions while it is working and change the approach. When it starts heading in the wrong direction, you don’t have to start over
- Human approval for important actions: Impactful operations such as file rewrites and command execution are designed to ask for confirmation
- Runs in the IDE, CLI, GitHub, and GitLab: In addition to the main JetBrains IDEs, there is a CLI version for the terminal and support for execution via GitHub Actions and GitLab CI. You can hand work to the agent starting from an issue
- Teach it your team’s rules: Write naming conventions and coding standards as custom guidelines and it generates changes that follow them. Routine procedures can also be packaged as skills
- MCP integration and sub-agents: It connects to external tools and data sources through the Model Context Protocol, and can use sub-agents to divide up work
- Model choice and BYOK: You can pick which model to use — for example a powerful model for planning and a faster, cheaper one for implementation, to keep costs down. The CLI version supports bringing your own API key (BYOK), paying your LLM provider directly instead of going through JetBrains credits
Pricing
Junie is not billed on its own; it is included in the JetBrains AI plans. Usage is managed with “AI credits,” and when you run out you can buy more through top-ups.
| Plan | Price | AI credits | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Free | $0 | A small free allowance | A free tier to try it out on basic tasks |
| AI Pro | $10/month (about $8.33/month billed annually) | 10 per 30 days | For individuals using AI assistance and Junie day to day |
| AI Ultimate | $30/month (about $25/month billed annually) | 35 per 30 days | For developers who use Junie frequently |
| AI Enterprise | Contact sales | Higher allowance | For organizations, including management features |
Pricing is as of August 2026. Please check the official site for the latest information.
Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Everything happens inside the JetBrains IDE you already use, so there is no need to switch editors
- Presenting a plan and asking for approval makes it easier to see what the agent is about to do
- Because it runs in the CLI and on GitHub/GitLab as well as the IDE, you can use the same agent for local work and CI automation
- Custom guidelines let you encode team conventions, reducing review comments
- BYOK support gives you an option when you want to manage model costs yourself
⚠️ Cons
- The credit model means large tasks in succession tend to push you toward a higher plan or top-ups
- Depending on how you use it, consumption can be hard to predict, and cost management takes some getting used to
- Generated changes still need review, and it is hard to delegate safely on existing code without tests
- The design assumes the JetBrains ecosystem, which makes it a harder fit for teams that mainly use other editors
Comparison with Similar Services
| Criteria | Junie | GitHub Copilot | Cursor | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | JetBrains | GitHub (Microsoft) | Anysphere | Anthropic |
| Where it runs | JetBrains IDE / CLI / CI | VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, etc. / GitHub | Dedicated editor | Terminal |
| Agent execution | Plan → approve → implement | Agent mode available | Agent mode available | Terminal delegation |
| Billing model | AI credits | Monthly (premium requests) | Monthly plus usage | Monthly plan or API usage |
| BYOK | Supported in the CLI | Partially supported | Supported | Can use an API key |
Who Is It For
- Developers who use JetBrains IDEs such as IntelliJ IDEA or PyCharm every day
- People who want to delegate to an agent but confirm what will change before it proceeds
- Teams that want to automate reviews and routine fixes starting from issues and pull requests
- Development leads who want the agent to follow their team’s coding conventions
- Anyone who wants to control costs by mixing models or using BYOK
Summary
Junie is a natural choice for developers who want to adopt an AI agent while staying in their JetBrains IDE. Its strengths are the plan-and-approve flow and the ability to use the same agent across the IDE, CLI, and CI, letting you introduce automation without disrupting your existing workflow. Because the cost of the credit model depends heavily on how you work, it is worth starting with the free allowance to see how it behaves and how fast credits are consumed, then choosing a plan that matches your actual workload.