If you use PHPStorm, chances are, you’ve either heard of or are using the Laravel Idea plugin. Laravel Idea makes developing with Laravel within PHPStorm so much better. Here’s a few things it can do:
- Smart Laravel-aware autocompletion – Completes routes, views, config keys, translations, Eloquent fields, request data, validation rules, Blade components, and more with deep understanding of Laravel projects.
- Powerful code generation – Quickly create controllers, models, migrations, requests, events, tests, Livewire components, Blade components, policies, and many other Laravel artifacts from the IDE.
- Advanced navigation and refactoring – Jump between routes, controllers, views, models, Blade components, Livewire components, events, listeners, and related code with intelligent “go to” and usage tracking.
- Deep Eloquent ORM support – Understands model attributes, relationships, scopes, factories, request fields, and database structures to provide accurate type inference, inspections, and helper code generation.
- Laravel ecosystem integration – Supports popular packages and tools such as Livewire, Inertia, Filament, Dusk, Laravel Modules, Nova, and custom project conventions, making PhpStorm a fully Laravel-focused IDE.
Well, up until now, there was a cost for this plugin. It was definitely worth the price but Jetbrains announced last month that the plugin is now free! You can read the official announcement below:
The Laravel Idea Plugin Is Now Free for PhpStorm Users | The PhpStorm Blog
Starting July 30, 2025, we’re making Laravel Idea free for PhpStorm users. If you have the Laravel Idea plugin installed, you get full access to all plugin features at no extra…
Hanna Yakush
Now there is no excuse to not try out Laravel Idea!
