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Business Intelligence · head to head

Evidence vs PhpStorm

Evidence logo

Evidence

Business Intelligence

Business intelligence as code for teams and AI agents

From
$2500/month
Free plan
No
Visit EvidenceFull review
PhpStorm logo

PhpStorm

Developer Tools

JetBrains IDE for PHP web development

From
$24/month
Free plan
No
Visit PhpStormFull review

The short version

  • Evidence starts at $2500/mo, PhpStorm at $24/mo.
  • Only Evidence lists analytics Agent; only PhpStorm lists PHP-aware coding assistance.
  • Where Evidence falls short: high starting price at $2,500/month limits small team adoption.
  • Where PhpStorm falls short: requires an ongoing paid subscription with no free tier for commercial use.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Evidence and PhpStorm actually diverge.

Attributes where Evidence and PhpStorm differ
AttributeEvidencePhpStorm
Starting price$2500/month$24/month
Pricing modelFlat team pricing with no per-user feesSubscription
PlatformsWeb, EmbeddedWindows, macOS, Linux
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceDeveloper Tools

Identical on both: free tier (No).

Not yet recorded: founded for Evidence.

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 Evidence

  • Analytics Agent
  • Code-based infrastructure
  • Development environment
  • Visualization tools
  • Embedded analytics
  • Enterprise security
  • Multi-channel access

Only in PhpStorm

  • PHP-aware coding assistance
  • Integrated debugger
  • Front-end tooling
  • Database tools
  • Version control integration
  • Docker and remote deployment

What people use each for

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

Evidence

  • Building version-controlled analytics infrastructurenot PhpStorm
  • Enabling AI agents to answer business questionsnot PhpStorm
  • Delivering analytics through multiple channels (web, Slack, ChatGPT)not PhpStorm
  • Embedding white-labeled analytics in productsnot PhpStorm

PhpStorm

  • Building PHP web applications with Laravel or Symfonynot Evidence
  • Debugging PHP code with Xdebugnot Evidence
  • Working across PHP, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript in one projectnot Evidence
  • Managing databases alongside application codenot Evidence

Where each one falls short

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

Evidence

  • High starting price at $2,500/month limits small team adoption
  • No freemium option for evaluation or learning
  • Code-based approach has steeper learning curve than visual tools
  • AI credits limited on Team plan; additional credits cost extra
  • Requires Git workflow familiarity for effective collaboration

PhpStorm

  • Requires an ongoing paid subscription with no free tier for commercial use
  • Heavier and slower to start than lightweight code editors
  • Some advanced framework-specific tooling requires additional configuration or plugins
  • Renewal pricing rises for lapsed subscriptions after the grace period

Pricing, plan by plan

Evidence

$2500/month
  • Team$2,500/mo
    • Unlimited users
    • Monthly billing
    • Analytics Agent
  • EnterpriseOn request
    • All Team features
    • SSO/SAML authentication
    • SCIM directory sync

PhpStorm

$24/month
  • Individual$24/mo
    • Personal use license
    • Access to PhpStorm
    • Free for students and open-source maintainers
  • Organization$34/mo
    • Business use license
    • Access to PhpStorm
    • Volume and renewal discounts

Which should you pick?

Choose Evidence if

  • You need analytics agent.
  • You work on Web, Embedded.
  • You also want code-based infrastructure.
Evidence review

Choose PhpStorm if

  • You need php-aware coding assistance.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want integrated debugger.
PhpStorm review

Questions people ask

Is Evidence or PhpStorm better?
Neither clearly leads. Evidence starts at $2500/month and PhpStorm at $24/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Evidence or PhpStorm?
Evidence starts at $2500/month and PhpStorm at $24/month.
Does Evidence or PhpStorm run on more platforms?
Evidence runs on Web, Embedded. PhpStorm runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
What is Evidence best used for?
Evidence is most often used for building version-controlled analytics infrastructure, enabling ai agents to answer business questions, delivering analytics through multiple channels (web, slack, chatgpt), embedding white-labeled analytics in products. Of those, building version-controlled analytics infrastructure and enabling ai agents to answer business questions are not what PhpStorm is typically brought in for.
What can Evidence do that PhpStorm cannot?
Evidence covers Analytics Agent, Code-based infrastructure, Development environment, Visualization tools. PhpStorm covers PHP-aware coding assistance, Integrated debugger, Front-end tooling, Database tools.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Evidence: Does Evidence have per-user pricing?

No, Evidence offers one flat price for unlimited users at $2,500/month on the Team plan with a 30-day free trial.

Source
PhpStorm: How much does PhpStorm cost?

PhpStorm is sold via JetBrains Toolbox subscription starting around $24/month for individuals and $34/month for organizations, with free licenses for students and open-source maintainers.

Source
Evidence: How many AI credits come with Team plan?

Team plan includes 20,000 AI credits monthly at $0.01 per additional credit. Enterprise offers custom credit packages.

Source
PhpStorm: Is there a free trial?

JetBrains offers a free trial of PhpStorm so developers can test it before subscribing.

Source
Evidence: What is included in the Enterprise plan?

Enterprise adds SSO/SAML, SCIM directory sync, row-level access rules, embedding capabilities, and custom deployment options at custom pricing.

Source
PhpStorm: What platforms does PhpStorm support?

PhpStorm is a desktop IDE available on Windows, macOS, and Linux via JetBrains Toolbox.

Source
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