RubyMine Is Now Free for Non-Commercial Use

Read this post in other languages:

Hold on to your helper methods – RubyMine is now FREE for non-commercial use! Whether you’re learning Ruby and Rails, pushing open-source forward, creating dev content, or building your passion project, we want to make sure you have the tools to enjoy what you do even more… for free.

Another chapter in the story

We recently introduced a new licensing model for WebStorm, RustRover, Rider, and CLion – making them free for non-commercial use. RubyMine is now joining the party! For commercial use, our existing licensing model still applies.

Why are we doing this?

We believe developers do their best work when the right tools are accessible. We’ve been listening closely to the Ruby and Rails community – their feedback, success, challenges, and passion for building with joy. Now, we’re making a change that reflects what we’ve heard.

By making RubyMine free for non-commercial use, we hope to lower the barrier to starting and help more people write clean, confident Ruby code from day one. It’s our way of supporting the unique Ruby community – from those who choose Ruby for their projects to maintainers of gems and frameworks who contribute to the Ruby ecosystem. Whether you’re debugging at midnight, crafting clever DSLs, or launching your first Rails app, RubyMine is here to help you build smarter (and crash less).

Commercial vs. non-commercial use

As defined in the Toolbox Subscription Agreement for Non-Commercial Use, commercial use means developing products and earning commercial benefits from your activities. However, certain categories are explicitly excluded from this definition. Common examples of non-commercial uses include learning and self-education, open-source contributions without earning commercial benefits, any form of content creation, and hobby development.

It’s important to note that, if you’re using a non-commercial license, you cannot opt out of the collection of anonymous usage statistics. We use this information to improve our products. The data we collect is exclusively that of anonymous feature usages of our IDEs. It is focused on what actions are performed and what types of functionality of the IDE are used. We do not collect any other data. This is similar to our Early Access Program (EAP) and is in compliance with our Privacy Policy.

FAQ

Below are answers to the most common questions. Check out the full FAQ for more information.

Licensing

What features are included under the free license?

With the new non-commercial license type, you can enjoy a full-featured IDE that is identical to its paid version. The only difference is in the Code With Me feature – you get Code With Me Community with your free license.

Which license should I choose if I want to use RubyMine for both non-commercial and commercial projects?

If you intend to use RubyMine for commercial development for which you will receive direct or indirect commercial advantage or monetary compensation within the meaning of the definitions provided in the Toolbox Subscription Agreement for Non-Commercial Use, you will need to purchase a commercial subscription (either individual or organizational). This license can then also be used for non-commercial development.

How do renewals and upgrades work now?

Non-commercial subscriptions are issued for one year and will automatically renew after that. However, for the renewal to happen, you must have used the assigned license at least once during the last 6 months of the subscription period. If it has been more than 6 months since you last used an IDE activated with this type of license and the renewal did not occur automatically, you can request a new non-commercial subscription again at any time.

Am I eligible for a refund if I’ve already bought a paid subscription but do non-commercial development?

If you’re unsure whether you qualify for a refund, you’ll find full details of our policy here. Please note that if you also work on projects that qualify as commercial usage, you can’t use the free license for them.

Anonymous data collection 

Does my IDE send any data to JetBrains?

The terms of the non-commercial agreement assume that the product may also electronically send JetBrains anonymized statistics (IDE telemetry) related to your usage of the product’s features. This information may include but is not limited to frameworks, file templates used in the product, actions invoked, and other interactions with the product’s features. This information does not contain personal data.

Is there a way to opt out of sending anonymized statistics?

We appreciate that this might not be convenient for everyone, but there is unfortunately no way to opt out of sending anonymized statistics to JetBrains under the terms of the Toolbox agreement for non-commercial use. The only way to opt out is by switching to either a paid subscription or one of the complimentary options mentioned here.

Getting a non-commercial subscription 

What should I do to apply for this subscription? 

It can be easily done right inside your IDE:

1. Install RubyMine and run it.
2. Upon startup, there will be a license dialog box where you can choose the Non-commercial use option.
3. Log in to your JetBrains account or create a new one. 
4. Accept the Toolbox Subscription Agreement for Non-Commercial Use.
5. Enjoy development in your IDE.

If you’ve already started a trial period or have activated your IDE using a paid license, you still can switch to a non-commercial subscription by following these steps:

1. Go to Help | Register.
2. In the window that opens, click on the Deactivate License button.
3. Choose Non-commercial use.
4. Log in to your JetBrains account or create a new one. 
5. Accept the Toolbox Subscription Agreement for Non-Commercial Use.
6. Enjoy development in your IDE.

I don’t see the Non-commercial use option in my IDE. What should I do? 

The most likely explanation for this is that you’re using an older version of RubyMine. Unfortunately, we don’t support obtaining the non-commercial license for any releases prior to RubyMine 2025.2.1.

That’s it for today! If you don’t find an answer to your question, feel free to leave a comment or contact us at sales@jetbrains.com.

The RubyMine team

JetBrains

Make it happen. With code.

Subscribe to RubyMine Blog updates

Keep your files stored safely and securely with the SanDisk 2TB Extreme Portable SSD. With over 69,505 ratings and an impressive 4.6 out of 5 stars, this product has been purchased over 8K+ times in the past month. At only $129.99, this Amazon’s Choice product is a must-have for secure file storage.

Help keep private content private with the included password protection featuring 256-bit AES hardware encryption. Order now for just $129.99 on Amazon!

Help Power Techcratic’s Future – Scan To Support

If Techcratic’s content and insights have helped you, consider giving back by supporting the platform with crypto. Every contribution makes a difference, whether it’s for high-quality content, server maintenance, or future updates. Techcratic is constantly evolving, and your support helps drive that progress.

As a solo operator who wears all the hats, creating content, managing the tech, and running the site, your support allows me to stay focused on delivering valuable resources. Your support keeps everything running smoothly and enables me to continue creating the content you love. I’m deeply grateful for your support, it truly means the world to me! Thank you!