Can I use free versions of IntelliJ IDEA and PyCharm for developing commercial proprietary software?

Yes, you can use free IntelliJ IDEA and PyCharm to build proprietary and commercial software.

However, we still recommend to review the license terms for any bundled proprietary plugins and the full JetBrains Community Edition Terms if you’re planning to create derivative products or commercialize the software. 

More about unified distribution

We introduced a fully unified distribution model starting from versions 2025.3 of IntelliJ IDEA and version 2025.1 PyCharm. The IDEs now include a set of free core features, eliminating the need to install free Community editions when your license or trial expires. Refer to Subscription-based licensing to learn more.

At the same time, Community Editions are no longer distributed as a separate product but still remain available via GitHub.