What it is
JetBrains AI is the umbrella for the AI features in JetBrains IDEs such as IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm and Rider. AI Assistant handles code completion, chat and in-editor edits. Junie is JetBrains' own coding agent: it plans and carries out multi-step tasks in the IDE, and since March 2026 also as Junie CLI, which runs in the terminal, on GitHub and GitLab, and in CI pipelines and is not tied to one model vendor.
Air is JetBrains' newer workspace for agents. It launched in March 2026 as a separate macOS app, and on October 2, 2026 an Early Access version arrived inside JetBrains IDEs. Air ships with no agents of its own; it runs Junie, Codex, Claude Agent, Gemini, GitHub Copilot, Cursor and other agents that support the Agent Client Protocol (ACP), side by side, showing their progress, cost and diffs.
All paid usage is measured in AI Credits, where one credit is worth $1.
Our review
JetBrains' advantage is depth in its own IDEs. Junie and AI Assistant can call the IDE's inspections, refactorings and test runners directly, and Air gives other agents the same tools for debugging, profiling and semantic search. According to JetBrains, Air works with Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Junie and other Agent Client Protocol (ACP) agents, plus a Claude subscription in its terminal, and needs no JetBrains AI subscription to do so.
The credit plans are still small for agent work. AI Pro gives 10 credits per 30 days and AI Ultimate 35, at $1 of model usage per credit; JetBrains' own docs warn that heavy agent use burns through them quickly and recommend Ultimate for Junie. The way out is now official: Junie's bring-your-own-key mode bills at the provider's rate with no markup, ACP agents need no subscription, and Junie Lite, a free agent on a cheaper model, comes with every JetBrains account. A $20 Claude or ChatGPT plan plugged into Air will usually go further than AI Pro.
Check the data defaults by licence type. JetBrains' data collection notice says detailed code-related data, including full prompts, responses and code snippets, is collected by default on non-commercial individual licences, with an opt-out; on commercial, organisational and free community licences it is opt-in, and organisations must enable it centrally. Where collected it is kept for a year in the EEA and may be used to train models. With a third-party agent in Air, code goes to that provider under your existing agreement, not through JetBrains.
The packaging keeps moving. Air went from a standalone macOS app in March 2026 to an IDE plugin in Early Access in October, installing it from the AI Assistant prompt switches AI Assistant off, and cloud agent runs are limited to organisations with AI seats. The JetBrains AI service has been unavailable in China since 13 July 2026, though BYOK and ACP agents still work there. Next to Cursor or Copilot, the pitch is no longer a better model deal but a better place to review what any agent did.
Where it earns its place
A 50-developer Kotlin and Java team standardised on IntelliJ IDEA
Give everyone an agent without a second editor
Organisation AI Ultimate at $60 a seat is $3,000 a month for 70 credits each; admins can cap top-up use per subscription. Teams that already pay for Claude or Codex can run those in Air instead and keep JetBrains AI to completion and chat.
A senior engineer with an Anthropic API account
Run Junie on large refactors without hitting the credit wall
Install Junie CLI and point it at your own key; JetBrains adds no markup and the IDE's code intelligence still applies. Junie's plan mode writes requirements and stages to .junie/plans for review before it edits.
A security lead at a consultancy with mixed personal and company licences
Keep client code out of JetBrains' training data
Move staff onto organisational licences, where detailed data sharing is off unless an admin enables it. Non-commercial personal licences collect prompts and code snippets by default, kept for a year.
Before you commit
- Setup
- AI Assistant ships with JetBrains IDEs; Air installs from JetBrains Marketplace or the 2026.3 EAP builds; Junie CLI installs with one command on macOS, Linux or Windows.
- Integrations
- Junie runs in the IDE, terminal, GitHub Actions and GitLab CI; Air hosts ACP agents such as Codex, GitHub Copilot and Cursor; BYOK and local models are supported.
- Data and privacy
- Detailed code-related data is opt-out on non-commercial individual licences and opt-in elsewhere, kept one year in the EEA; third-party agents in Air send code straight to their provider.
- Cost at scale
- Organisations pay $20 a seat for 20 credits or $60 for 70; extra credits are $1 each and last 12 months; AI Enterprise is $60 a seat with an undisclosed quota on par with Ultimate or higher.
- Limits
- Quotas reset every 30 days from first use; one credit buys roughly 10 chat requests or 40 in-editor generations; AI Free is not available in Community editions or Android Studio.
What's good
- Agents can use JetBrains' inspections, refactoring and test runners
- Air runs Codex, Copilot, Cursor and other ACP agents without a JetBrains AI plan
- Junie bring-your-own-key at provider rates with no markup
- Free Junie Lite and unlimited completion on AI Free
- AI Pro included in the All Products Pack
What's not
- Only 10 to 35 included credits a month on individual plans
- Air in the IDE is still Early Access
- Detailed code data collected by default on non-commercial licences
- Product names and packaging change often
- Not available in China since July 2026
Best for
Teams that work in IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm or Rider and want agents built into those IDEs.
Alternatives
JetBrains AI (Junie, AI Assistant, Air): common questions
- Is JetBrains AI (Junie, AI Assistant, Air) worth it?
- JetBrains has stopped insisting you buy its AI: Air and Junie now run on your own keys or other vendors' agents, which makes the thin credit plans optional rather than fatal. We rate it 3.9 out of 5.
- How much does JetBrains AI (Junie, AI Assistant, Air) cost?
- Individuals: AI Free (3 credits per 30 days, unlimited completion and local models); AI Pro $10/month (10 credits); AI Ultimate $30/month (35 credits). Organisations: AI Pro $20/user (20 credits), AI Ultimate $60/user (70 credits), AI Enterprise $60/user via IDE Services. One credit is worth $1; top-up credits last 12 months. AI Pro is included in the All Products Pack. Junie Lite and bring-your-own-key are free of JetBrains charges.
- What are the downsides of JetBrains AI (Junie, AI Assistant, Air)?
- Only 10 to 35 included credits a month on individual plans; air in the IDE is still Early Access; detailed code data collected by default on non-commercial licences; product names and packaging change often; not available in China since July 2026.
- Who is JetBrains AI (Junie, AI Assistant, Air) best for?
- Teams that work in IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm or Rider and want agents built into those IDEs.
- How much does JetBrains AI (Junie, AI Assistant, Air) cost for a team or in production?
- Organisations pay $20 a seat for 20 credits or $60 for 70; extra credits are $1 each and last 12 months; AI Enterprise is $60 a seat with an undisclosed quota on par with Ultimate or higher.
- Is JetBrains AI (Junie, AI Assistant, Air) safe for company data?
- Detailed code-related data is opt-out on non-commercial individual licences and opt-in elsewhere, kept one year in the EEA; third-party agents in Air send code straight to their provider.
- What are the best JetBrains AI (Junie, AI Assistant, Air) alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Cursor and Zed.
Answers checked Oct 22, 2026.