JetBrains subscription licensing is how JetBrains s.r.o. licenses its IDEs, .NET tools and the All Products Pack. Since 2 November 2015, most JetBrains products, including all IDEs and .NET tools, have been sold as monthly or yearly subscriptions.[8] Each subscription is assigned to one user, and that user may run the product on several machines.[1] JetBrains sells two kinds of paid licence. Commercial licences are owned by an organization and can be reassigned within it. Personal licences are bought by individuals with their own funds and cannot be transferred.[9] After 12 months of uninterrupted payment, a subscriber keeps a perpetual fallback licence to an earlier version.[1][7] For the general model, see named user licensing and subscription and consumption licensing.
Editions
JetBrains publishes a separate Toolbox Subscription Agreement for each type of licensee. The comparison matrix sets them side by side.[6]
| Subscription option | Available to | Purpose of use | Multi-user? | Fallback licence | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For Organizations | Any legal entity, including non-profits and government | General commercial | Yes, but concurrent users cannot exceed purchased subscriptions | Yes, after 12 months of uninterrupted payments | See store |
| For Individual Customers | Private individuals paying with their own funds | General commercial | No, only the purchaser may use it | Yes, after 12 months of uninterrupted payments | See store |
| Non-commercial use | Private individuals using the covered IDEs | Non-commercial | No | No | Free, no approval |
| Educational pack / classroom | Students and instructors; accredited institutions | Non-commercial education | No | No | Free, requires approval |
| OSS development licence | Non-commercial open source projects | Non-commercial OSS development | No | No | Free, requires approval |
All six columns come from the comparison matrix.[6] The All Products Pack bundles 10 IDEs, three extensions, two profilers and JetBrains AI Credits in one subscription.[17] Starting with PyCharm 2025.1 and IntelliJ IDEA 2025.2, users can switch to a free core feature set after a trial or subscription ends.[8] This catalog does not record list prices: the JetBrains store renders them client-side, and no static price list was retrieved.
Metrics
Three catalog rows, all using JetBrains’ own terms.
| JetBrains name | Catalog row | Unit | What JetBrains says |
|---|---|---|---|
| User | User | Individual | Any employee, independent contractor or other individual who obtains access to a Product from Customer, including its Affiliates. Products are provided “per user”.[1] |
| Machine | Machine | Device | A computing device a User runs the Product on. Through a Floating License Server, the Product is provided per machine.[1][19] |
| Authorized User | Authorized User | Individual | A developer or other member of an open source group whom the group authorizes to use Products for developing an open source project.[4] |
Counting / floors
Per user, no concurrent use (effective 2024-07-16). The customer must assign each subscription to a specific User, who may deploy the product on multiple Machines. The same subscription may not be used concurrently by more than one User unless it is provided through a Floating License Server.[1] Catalog proof: Commercial subscription assigned per user; no concurrent use (backs Commercial subscription assigned per user; no concurrent use).
No site licences (as of 2026-08-13). JetBrains does not sell company-wide licences, or single licences for multiple users. Companies must buy a separate commercial subscription for each user.[13] Catalog proof: No site licenses: one commercial subscription per user (backs No site licenses: one commercial subscription per user).
Personal licences: sole user and own funds (effective 2024-10-10). A personal subscription can run on multiple machines as long as the purchaser remains the only user.[2][14] The grant is invalid and void if a third party pays the fees, or if the individual expects or receives reimbursement.[2] A company that wants to provide a licence must buy a commercial one.[10] Catalog proof: Personal subscription void if paid or reimbursed by a third party (backs Personal subscription void if paid or reimbursed by a third party).
Perpetual fallback (contract effective 2024-07-16; FAQ updated 2026-08-21). The Fallback Date is 12 months before the subscription expires. The Fallback Version is the most recent Product Version publicly available before that date, plus bug-fix updates.[1] After expiry, the customer keeps a perpetual right to use the Fallback Version, provided it has paid the preceding 12 months of fees in full and without interruption.[1][2] The fallback FAQ says the licence is earned by a yearly subscription or 12 consecutive monthly renewals. It is lost if the subscription is cancelled or downgraded within a year, for example from the All Products Pack to a single product.[7] Catalog proof: Fallback Version: 12 months before expiry, contingent on 12 months’ uninterrupted payment (backs Fallback Version: 12 months before expiry, contingent on 12 months’ uninterrupted payment); Perpetual fallback forfeited on cancellation or downgrade within a year (backs Perpetual fallback forfeited on cancellation or downgrade within a year).
Reassignment and transfer (as of 2026-08-13). Organization or team admins can revoke a commercial licence from a user who no longer needs it and assign it to someone else. It can be reassigned within the company as long as only one person uses it at a time.[11][9] Personal licences cannot be shared, transferred or reassigned.[9] Under both agreements the right of use is non-transferable, and the Product may not be sold or transferred to a third party.[1][2] Catalog proof: Commercial licenses reassignable within the company (backs Commercial licenses reassignable within the company); Personal licenses cannot be shared, transferred or reassigned (backs Personal licenses cannot be shared, transferred or reassigned).
Term and renewal (effective 2024-07-16). Each subscription runs for the period in the Subscription Confirmation and renews automatically. If the customer cancels mid-period, the agreement continues to the end of that period, with no refund of prepaid fees except as the JetBrains purchase terms provide.[1] The retrieved agreements contain no audit clause. When a licence is activated through JetBrains Account, the Product periodically connects to JetBrains servers to confirm the User’s right to use it.[1] Commitments like these are what a license compliance review tests.
Virtualization & partitioning
Floating License Server (effective 2024-07-16). Through a Floating License Server, the Product is provided per machine. The server allocates the subscription to a specific Machine, which one User at a time may use. JetBrains offers this option at its sole discretion, on written request.[1] Under the License Server’s per-machine model, a user running IDEs on different machines at the same time needs one licence per machine.[19] Catalog proof: Floating License Server allocates per machine, on request (backs Floating License Server allocates per machine, on request).
License Server discontinued (effective 2026-01-01). The legacy License Server (FLS) was discontinued on 1 January 2026, and License Vault, part of JetBrains IDE Services, is now the default. License Vault cannot distribute expired or perpetual fallback licences, so those are assigned directly through JetBrains Account. Educational institutions distributing classroom licences can keep using License Server.[18] Catalog proof: Legacy License Server (FLS) discontinued 2026-01-01; License Vault is the default (backs Legacy License Server (FLS) discontinued 2026-01-01; License Vault is the default).
License Vault Floating mode (as of 2026-08-13). In Floating mode, a licence becomes available to someone else within 20 minutes after its user stops using the product. License Vault is only available to companies with 50 or more active subscriptions.[13] Users who share a licence must not work at the same time.[12] Catalog proof: License Vault Floating mode: 50+ active subscriptions, no simultaneous use (backs License Vault Floating mode: 50+ active subscriptions, no simultaneous use).
Cloud / BYOL
The retrieved JetBrains documents publish no bring-your-own-license or cloud mapping. The agreements allow use on any operating system the Product supports. All deliveries are electronic, and the customer downloads Products from the JetBrains website.[1]
Programs
- Perpetual fallback license. Included with JetBrains IDE and .NET tool subscriptions, the All Products Pack and dotUltimate.[7]
- Non-commercial use (agreement effective 2025-12-16). Free for CLion, Rider, RubyMine, RustRover, WebStorm and DataGrip, and only for individuals, not organizations. Commercial Use means developing commercial products or providing paid services. Demonstrating the Product in audiovisual content does not count as Commercial Use.[3][15] Each subscription lasts one year and renews only if the licence was used at least once in the last 6 months of the period.[15] Catalog proof: Free non-commercial license: individuals only, no Commercial Use (backs Free non-commercial license: individuals only, no Commercial Use); Non-commercial subscription renews only if used in the last 6 months (backs Non-commercial subscription renews only if used in the last 6 months).
- Student and Teacher Packs (agreement effective 2024-05-01). Free, and for non-commercial educational use only, for one year.[5][16] Students get a 40% graduation discount on a personal subscription, valid for 2 years after the student licence expires. Institutions can apply for free classroom licences.[16] Catalog proof: Educational license: non-commercial educational use only, one year (backs Educational license: non-commercial educational use only, one year).
- Open source development licence (agreement effective 2026-09-01). A one-year right to use the Product solely to develop non-commercial open source projects that meet the Open Source Definition. Each subscription is assigned per Authorized User, with no concurrent use.[4] Catalog proof: OSS license: non-commercial OSD projects only, one year (backs OSS license: non-commercial OSD projects only, one year).
- Startup Program (as published 2026-09-26). 50% off up to 10 IDE subscriptions, 10 paid team or learning tool subscriptions and 10 JetBrains AI subscriptions over five years. Open to privately owned companies that can show they were established within the last five years and have a website or other discoverable online presence.[17] Catalog proof: Startup Program: 50% off up to 10 IDE subscriptions, companies under five years old (backs Startup Program: 50% off up to 10 IDE subscriptions, companies under five years old).
- Continuity discount. Personal subscriptions can save up to 40% on renewal.[8]
Out of scope
- JetBrains Team Tools (Space, Code With Me, YouTrack, TeamCity, Datalore, Hub). The Toolbox agreements exclude them from “Product”.[1] TeamCity On-Premises uses perpetual licensing with an upgrade subscription.[8]
- Redistributable Products (SDKs, APIs, command line tools), which carry their own terms.[1]
- JetBrains AI subscriptions and credits, and IDE Services pricing.
- List prices and SKU codes, which were not retrievable as static vendor pages on 2026-09-26.
- Transfers between legal entities. The retrieved FAQ covers only merging a company’s own organization profiles.
- How to prepare for a software audit. The retrieved JetBrains agreements have no audit clause.
Catalog rows
Catalog rows for this article, grouped by table.
- Metrics
- Programs
- Rules
- Commercial subscription assigned per user; no concurrent use
- No site licenses: one commercial subscription per user
- Floating License Server allocates per machine, on request
- Legacy License Server (FLS) discontinued 2026-01-01; License Vault is the default
- License Vault Floating mode: 50+ active subscriptions, no simultaneous use
- Commercial licenses reassignable within the company
- Personal licenses cannot be shared, transferred or reassigned
- Personal subscription void if paid or reimbursed by a third party
- Fallback Version: 12 months before expiry, contingent on 12 months’ uninterrupted payment
- Perpetual fallback forfeited on cancellation or downgrade within a year
- Free non-commercial license: individuals only, no Commercial Use
- Non-commercial subscription renews only if used in the last 6 months
- Startup Program: 50% off up to 10 IDE subscriptions, companies under five years old
- OSS license: non-commercial OSD projects only, one year
- Educational license: non-commercial educational use only, one year
- Evidence