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PyCharm pros and cons

Vendor: JetBrains
4.3 out of 5
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Pros & Cons summary

PyCharm impresses with its excellent debugging features, smart code analysis, AI-powered completion, and seamless GitHub integration with GitHub Copilot. Automated package installation and extensive plugins enhance its functionality. However, notebook usability is lacking, OpenCV support is incomplete, and high memory usage can slow systems, especially laptops. Customization options may add complexity. Despite these drawbacks, PyCharm's robust tools offer a productive coding experience for developers seeking efficiency.

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Prominent pros & cons

PROS

PyCharm offers a great debugging feature and is a fantastic tool with smart code analysis.
It has a nice environment and extensions that simplify software development.
It provides hints when detecting code issues, aiding in faster and error-free coding.
AI-powered code completion and syntax highlighting enhance its coding capabilities.
Integration with GitHub is seamless, offering plugins for auto code completion and assistance.

CONS

Notebooks in PyCharm are not as intuitive as they could be.
There should be support for the RUST plugin in the Community edition for debugging.
PyCharm's use of system resources can be heavy, affecting its performance, particularly during loading.
There are issues with memory usage; PyCharm can be heavy, especially with many open files, making the system slow.
JetBrains tools, including PyCharm, have heavy resource usage and can be slow to start, particularly when beginning new projects.
 

PyCharm Pros review quotes

EB
Jun 26, 2025
PyCharm is saving me time and money in general.
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Dan Julius - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 31, 2024
The recent AI-powered code completion is pretty cool.
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VinodKumar9 - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 28, 2024
The integrated code structure makes coding more organized and manageable compared to using Python alone.
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Buyer's Guide
Static Code Analysis
August 2025
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Shravan Revanna - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 17, 2024
We have integrated the tool with GitHub. PyCharm provides easy integration with GitHub, allowing us to push changes directly. Many plugins are available on PyCharm for GitHub integration, including GitHub Copilot for auto code completion and GitHub Copilot Chat for assistance with code-related queries.
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Srujan Panuganti - PeerSpot reviewer
Nov 16, 2022
The solution has a nice environment and extensions that make it easy to develop software.
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RM
Jan 20, 2023
The best feature of PyCharm is that it gives you hints whenever it detects any issues while you are coding. This is important because it helps us code faster and without any errors.
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Dan Julius - PeerSpot reviewer
Apr 5, 2022
It is an excellent, fully integrated IDE with smart code analysis capability and a built-in debugger. It is a fantastic tool.
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reviewer1698624 - PeerSpot reviewer
Oct 21, 2021
The solution has a great debugging feature.
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BK
Mar 25, 2025
PyCharm has an excellent user experience, and I appreciate its cross-platform capabilities.
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RicardoDias - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 19, 2024
The automated package installation is helpful. I like the code highlighting features. A huge library of plugins is available, including AI coding tools, though I don't use those myself. The debugging tools are good, showing errors and problem lines.
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PyCharm Cons review quotes

EB
Jun 26, 2025
The refactor facility in PyCharm is not on par with the refactor facility in IntelliJ. It could be improved since IntelliJ offers many more options for refactoring.
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Dan Julius - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 31, 2024
There is room for improvement in memory usage. It uses too much memory. It can get a bit heavy, especially when you have too many open files and the system becomes very slow.
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VinodKumar9 - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 28, 2024
The user interface and overall user experience could be more intuitive to make it easier for users to navigate and utilize the software effectively.
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Buyer's Guide
Static Code Analysis
August 2025
Download Free Report
Find out what your peers are saying about JetBrains, OpenText, Veracode and others in Static Code Analysis. Updated: August 2025.
DOWNLOAD NOW
865,164 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Shravan Revanna - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 17, 2024
The solution is heavy because running it on laptops consumes a lot of memory and power. Typically, a laptop battery might last about eight to nine hours, but with the tool running, it reduces to two hours or one and a half hours at most. It is designed to handle large projects and heavy tasks, making it resource-intensive. For smaller projects, use IDEs like Visual Studio Code.
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Srujan Panuganti - PeerSpot reviewer
Nov 16, 2022
The solution does not support some features of OpenCV even though it is part of a PyCharm package.
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RM
Jan 20, 2023
PyCharm's use of system resources can get pretty heavy. Loading, in particular, takes longer than I would like and I think they should optimize it so that it's a bit lighter on the system.
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Dan Julius - PeerSpot reviewer
Apr 5, 2022
There should be support for the RUST plugin in the Community edition for debugging.
Read full review
reviewer1698624 - PeerSpot reviewer
Oct 21, 2021
Notebooks in PyCharm is not as intuitive as it could be.
Read full review
BK
Mar 25, 2025
One issue with JetBrains tools, including PyCharm, is their heavy resource usage. They can be slow to start, especially when beginning a new project, as it takes some time to index.
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RicardoDias - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 19, 2024
Customizing the tool can make it complicated.
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Show 2 more reviews (out of 12)

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Static Code Analysis

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Product Categories

Product Categories
Static Code Analysis

Popular Comparisons

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