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🦉 WE READ 151 OWNER COMMENTS
JetBrains AI Assistant: what owners actually say
Long-time JetBrains customers feel nickel-and-dimed by an AI addon that's bundled by default, can't be fully removed, and underperforms GitHub Copilot — though its chat integration earns genuine praise.
What owners complain about
- Installed by default, can't be fully removed COMMON
The AI Assistant plugin is bundled and enabled by default in IDE updates. Users can disable it but cannot completely remove it from their device. For companies with strict IT policies, mere presence of the plugin — even disabled — can get the IDE banned, because IT handles 'installed/not installed' but not 'installed but not sending data.'
- Pricing exceeds the IDE itself COMMON
At $100/year billed annually, the AI subscription costs more than WebStorm and other JetBrains IDEs. Multiple users find it unreasonable to pay more for a helper tool than for the main product.
- Inferior code completion vs Copilot SOME
Users report auto-completion fails badly compared to GitHub Copilot, especially on repetitive code patterns like unit tests. Copilot appears to use project context better.
- Negative reviews removed by JetBrains FEW
A user reported their critical review was removed by JetBrains moderation, which they say undermines trust in open feedback. JetBrains reportedly asked authors to update reviews after fixes were released.
- Fails at mundane tasks, lacks project context SOME
Even simple tasks like generating documentation from method signatures fail. Refactoring suggestions ignore project conventions, such as recommending getter patterns in projects that don't use them.
What owners love
- Chat functionality beats Copilot
Multiple users prefer JetBrains AI's chat feature over GitHub Copilot's chat, calling it 'really good' and noting the assistant has improved over time.
- Deep IDE integration
Users appreciate seamless inline integration directly in the editor window, with the AI working within JetBrains' existing tooling rather than as a separate panel.
- Reduces context switching
Having AI inside the IDE means users stay in flow without jumping to external tools or browsers for AI assistance.
Surprising patterns
- The mere presence of the plugin — even disabled — can get JetBrains IDEs banned at companies with strict AI/cloud policies, because compliance teams treat 'installed' as a binary risk factor.
- Several users are more upset about the new JetBrains UI hiding buttons until hover than about the AI feature itself, suggesting the AI backlash compounds existing frustration with UI changes.
- Some users perceive the bundled, persistently visible plugin as essentially a built-in advertisement for a paid upsell inside a product they already subscribe to — a first for JetBrains.
WHO SHOULD SKIP IT
Anyone working in a company with strict AI or cloud data policies, or anyone expecting GitHub Copilot-level code completion — the chat is strong but autocomplete reportedly falls short.
Synthesised from 151 real owner comments across 6 platforms. Every point is grounded in the comments — no marketing, no AI guessing. How we do it →