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JetBrains Space is an all-in-one software development platform that is integrated with JetBrains integrated development environments (IDEs) and offers collaboration, project management, team management, source code management, code reviews, CI/CD capabilities, and more.
While JetBrains Space has plenty to offer developers and project managers, that does not necessarily mean it is the ideal software development platform for you. To help you decide if JetBrains Space is the right fit, we will break it down in terms of its features, pricing, pros, and cons. We will also reveal some of the top JetBrains Space alternatives to give you options when searching for the top all-in-one programming tool.
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Overview of JetBrains Space
JetBrains Space was initially announced in 2019 in response to the need for an all-in-one software development platform that combined collaboration, project management, and more.
Space was officially released to the public toward the end of 2021. Since hitting the market, Space has become popular with software development teams needing a comprehensive collaboration tool that offers project management, code review, and other capabilities while integrating with JetBrains’ integrated development environments.
Features of JetBrains Space
JetBrains Space has an incredibly long list of features for project managers of development teams and programmers. Here are some of its highlights:
- Code editing
- Source code management
- IDE integration
- Code reviews
- CI/CD
- Dev environments
- Project management
- Team management
- Collaboration
- External integrations
JetBrains Space’s software development features start with source code management that includes Git hosting, quality gates, CI integrations, and integrations with multiple IDEs. Connect Space to IntelliJ IDEA, for instance, and you can quickly get access to all of your projects, teams, repositories, and more. The developer tool lets you review code via the Space UI, JetBrains IDEs, or on the go via mobile, and it also has CI/CD capabilities and automation out of the box. And, with cloud dev environments, developers can start coding in seconds and overcome limitations presented by lethargic laptops and or legacy local machines.
JetBrains Space offers project management (project dashboard, issue tracking, issue boards, checklists for top-down project planning, to-do-lists, calendars, etc.), team management (meetings, manage vacations, locations, member profiles, permissions, team calendar, etc.), and collaboration (chat, notifications, share articles, notifications, collaborative editing, and documents). Lastly, Space has external integrations with tools in the JetBrains Marketplace and from third-party vendors.
JetBrains Space Pricing
JetBrains offers software development teams plenty of Space pricing plans to choose from. The developer tool’s plans are split into two categories: cloud and on-premises. Here are Space’s cloud plans with yearly pricing listed. By choosing the yearly option, you can save two months of costs:
- Free: No cost for unlimited members and projects.
- Team: $8 per active member, per month.
- Organization: $20 per active member, per month. JetBrains’ best value.
- Enterprise: $99 per active member, per month.
The Free plan offers 10 applications, 20,000 searchable messages, 2,000 monthly computation credits, 10GB of storage, 50 GB of monthly data transfer, one guest member, one custom issue field, one active or hibernated dev environment per member, Git hosting, private Git repositories, code reviews, merge requests, automation, CI/CD, IDE integration, issue tracker and boards, internal projects, a built-in authentication module, checklists, chats, internal blogs, collaborative editing, a built-in calendar, meeting management, absence and vacation management, plus email and community support.
The Team plan offers everything from the Free plan, plus higher usage caps, time tracking, private meetings, package repository mirroring, protected branches, authentication modules for GitHub and Google accounts, customization of predefined roles, and quicker support.
The Organization plan unlocks custom roles, fields, and absence types, advanced reporting, multi-repo code reviews, multi-project repositories, public package repositories, quality gates, push restrictions for repositories, data residency, and same-day support.
Lastly, the Enterprise plan unlocks the JetBrains All Products Pack (IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate, dotUltimate, etc.), multi-team dashboards, a company-wide knowledge base, absence approvals, SCIM, compliance exports, enterprise-grade account administration and management, scheduled upgrades, onboarding, and a dedicated account and success manager.
JetBrains Space’s on-premises plans include the following with annual billing:
- Free: No cost for up to 10 members, one guest member, and unlimited projects.
- Organization: $25.00 per member, per month, starting from 11 members at $3,300 per year.
- Enterprise: $125 per member, per month, starting from 50 members at $75,000 per year.
Space’s Free on-premises plan offers 10 applications, 20,000 searchable messages, three concurrent automation workers, and one custom issue field. It also offers Git hosting, code reviews, merge requests, private Git repositories, chats, checklists, internal blogs, collaborative editing, an issue tracker and boards, package management, automation, CI/CD, meeting management, a built-in calendar, and email and community support.
The Organization plan offers unlimited applications, custom issue fields, and searchable messages, plus 10 concurrent automation workers, quality gates in merge requests, time tracking, custom roles, Git push restrictions, protected branches, multi-repo code reviews, multi-project repositories, private meetings, advanced reporting, same-day support, and more.
The on-premises Enterprise plan offers 50 concurrent automation workers, the JetBrains All Products Pack, multiple-team feeds, absence approvals, enterprise administration and management, onboarding, same-day support, live upgrade assistance, disaster recovery, and a dedicated account and success manager.
Learn more about JetBrains Space’s pricing here.
Advantages of JetBrains Space
JetBrains Space offers several advantages that make it an attractive developer tool. Some of its biggest pros include:
- Tons of functionality in one spot
- Integration with JetBrains IDEs
- Comprehensive collaboration tools
- Project management features built-in
By having so much functionality and features under one roof, such as collaboration, project management, CI/CD, code review, etc., JetBrains Space streamlines software development and eliminates the need to have several separate developer tools. Space integrates seamlessly with JetBrains integrated development environments like IntelliJ IDEA, WebStorm, and PyCharm, making it ideal if you already use those IDEs.
JetBrains Space gives developers several ways to collaborate, such as chat, notifications, documents, collaborative, editing, etc., and it also has plenty of project management features, such as dashboards, issue boards, issue tracking, and more.
Disadvantages of JetBrains Space
While JetBrains Space excels in many areas as a comprehensive software development platform, it does have some disadvantages. Here are Space’s biggest areas for improvement:
- Steep learning curve
- Choppy performance
- Can be pricey
- Mobile app issues
The list of features in JetBrains Space is quite long. Although the programming tool has an intuitive interface, learning how to use all of its features may take a while and seem overwhelming to beginners. Beyond the steep learning curve, some have experienced slow performance at times.
Space does have free plans, but as you aim to unlock more advanced features, you may find it to be pricey if you are on a limited budget. And while having a mobile app is a plus, some users have experienced issues with its notifications.
Alternatives to JetBrains Space
If you find that JetBrains Space’s cons outweigh its pros and want to shop around since you want to avoid its steep learning curve, choppy performance, and potentially high price, here are some of the programming tool’s top alternatives:
Microsoft Azure DevOps
Version control, CI/CD, and project management are just some of the capabilities of this comprehensive software development tool. Azure DevOps is a solid pick for developers already locked into the Microsoft ecosystem and seeking an all-in-one solution.
Learn more about Microsoft Azure DevOps.
Jira
Jira is a popular project management tool for developers that offers workflow management, Agile boards, issue tracking, and more. Integrate Jira with other Atlassian products like Bitbucket and Confluence, and you can secure added version control and documentation functionalities. Jira is an excellent pick for project managers and developers needing flexibility and robust PM features. It has a free plan, and its premium plans start at $7.75 per user, per month.
You can learn more about Jira in our Jira Project Management Tool Review.
GitHub
GitHub offers project management, code hosting, and version control and has a vast community of followers. Teams focusing on code collaboration and version control may find it the ideal JetBrains Space alternative. GitHub has a free plan, and its Team plan starts at $3.67 per user, per month.
Check out our GitHub Review for more information.
Final Thoughts on JetBrains Space
JetBrains Space is one of the top all-in-one software development platforms around. However, if you find it may not be the ideal fit for your needs, try one of its alternatives listed above.