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Developer Tools · head to head

Earthly vs WebStorm

Earthly logo

Earthly

Developer Tools

Engineering guardrails for the AI era

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
WebStorm logo

WebStorm

Technology

The JavaScript and TypeScript IDE

From
$12.9/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Earthly has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Earthly pricing model not published; requires sales contact; WebStorm jetBrains WebStorm is sold as an annual subscription rather than a one-time purchase: commercial price is $199 per year (USD), and personal price starts at $299 in year one, dropping to $239 in year two and $179 from year three onward with continuous renewal.
  • They diverge on capability: Earthly covers Policy as code, WebStorm covers Smart JavaScript editor.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Earthly and WebStorm actually diverge.

Attributes where Earthly and WebStorm differ
AttributeEarthlyWebStorm
Starting priceFree$12.9/month
Pricing modelNo pricing published on websitesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, CLIWindows, Macos, Linux
CategoryDeveloper ToolsTechnology
Founded20202000

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Earthly

  • Policy as code
  • Multi-stage enforcement
  • AI agent governance
  • Repository-wide policies
  • Incident response automation
  • Compliance management
  • Earthfiles build tool
  • Satellites

Only in WebStorm

  • Smart JavaScript editor
  • TypeScript support
  • Node.js development
  • Modern framework support
  • Built-in debugger
  • Unit testing
  • Version control
  • Live templates

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Earthly

  • Enforcing engineering standards across AI and human developersnot WebStorm
  • Automating incident response procedures across all repositoriesnot WebStorm
  • Embedding compliance requirements into development workflowsnot WebStorm
  • Standardizing build processes with Earthfilesnot WebStorm

WebStorm

  • Web application developmentnot Earthly
  • React/Angular/Vue developmentnot Earthly
  • Node.js backend developmentnot Earthly
  • TypeScript projectsnot Earthly
  • Frontend testingnot Earthly

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Earthly

  • Pricing model not published; requires sales contact
  • Earthly Lunar is a recent launch (2025) with limited track record
  • Primarily GitHub-focused; limited integration with other platforms
  • No public documentation on pricing or feature tiers

WebStorm

  • JetBrains WebStorm is sold as an annual subscription rather than a one-time purchase: commercial price is $199 per year (USD), and personal price starts at $299 in year one, dropping to $239 in year two and $179 from year three onward with continuous renewal.
  • If the subscription lapses, use of new versions stops; JetBrains grants a fallback license only for the last version used while the subscription was active, per its published buy page.

Pricing, plan by plan

Earthly

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Earthly review.

WebStorm

$12.9/month
  • Individual$12.9/month
    • Intelligent JavaScript & TypeScript editor
    • Debugging and testing
    • VCS integration
  • Organizations$25.9/month
    • All Individual features
    • Commercial use license
    • Centralized license management

Which should you pick?

Choose Earthly if

  • You need policy as code.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, CLI.
  • You also want multi-stage enforcement.
Earthly review

Choose WebStorm if

  • You need smart javascript editor.
  • You work on Windows, Macos, Linux.
  • You also want typescript support.
WebStorm review

Questions people ask

Is Earthly or WebStorm better?
Neither clearly leads. Earthly starts at Free and WebStorm at $12.9/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Earthly or WebStorm?
Earthly has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Earthly and $12.9/month for WebStorm.
Does Earthly or WebStorm run on more platforms?
Earthly runs on Web, CLI. WebStorm runs on Windows, Macos, Linux.
Can I use Earthly for free?
Yes. Earthly has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. WebStorm starts at $12.9/month.
What is Earthly best used for?
Earthly is most often used for enforcing engineering standards across ai and human developers, automating incident response procedures across all repositories, embedding compliance requirements into development workflows, standardizing build processes with earthfiles. Of those, enforcing engineering standards across ai and human developers and automating incident response procedures across all repositories are not what WebStorm is typically brought in for.
What can Earthly do that WebStorm cannot?
Earthly covers Policy as code, Multi-stage enforcement, AI agent governance, Repository-wide policies. WebStorm covers Smart JavaScript editor, TypeScript support, Node.js development, Modern framework support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Earthly: What is the difference between Earthfiles and Earthly Lunar?

Earthfiles is an open-source build tool that reached 12,000 GitHub stars and is used by companies like NVIDIA, Intel, and Databricks. Earthly Lunar is a separate governance platform launched in 2025 for enforcing standards across development workflows.

Source
WebStorm: Is there a free version of WebStorm?

Yes, WebStorm is free for non-commercial use and includes access to JetBrains AI with a free tier.

Source
Earthly: How does Earthly Lunar enforce standards?

Lunar converts engineering standards, compliance requirements, and processes documented in AGENTS.md files, wikis, and incident postmortems into enforceable guardrails that apply consistently across repositories and development stages.

Source
WebStorm: What is the cost of a commercial WebStorm license?

The page references a testimonial mentioning 70 euros as a cost, though specific current pricing requires visiting the dedicated pricing page.

Source
Earthly: What is the pricing for Earthly Lunar?

Pricing is not published on the website. Interested customers should contact Earthly's sales team for current pricing and feature tiers.

Source
WebStorm: How does JetBrains AI licensing work?

Users can pay with JetBrains AI credits, bring their own AI subscriptions and API keys to avoid vendor lock-in, or use the free tier included with WebStorm.

Source
WebStorm: What features does the free tier include?

The free tier includes the smart code editor, navigation tools, integrated developer tools, and customization options.

Source
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