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It looks like they started by selling a Java tool called IntelliJ Renamer. Likely just bootstrapped that and then reinvested the profits.

They only switched over to the SaaS model maybe five or six years ago, before that you'd buy one copy the application and then buy a newer version when you felt like it. Now you're basically buying a new copy every year no matter what, just like everything else.

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No, their current licensing thing becomes the other one after a year. For instance if I stopped paying I'd have IntelliJ IDEA 2019 forever.

There was a huge controversy when they switched and the backlash made them re-evaluate to this which I think is a fair license.

I've been paying for it for a while and I didn't actually know that. I thought after I stopped paying it would be unlicensed and bricked. Either way though I think the upgrades are probably worth paying for.

If you login and look, they'll say "Perpetual Fallback License for X". That X is what you'll be able to use for life.

And I agree with you on the upgrades.

I wouldn't say it is SaaS model. You own a licensed copy pinned at version forever without extra pay and also for offline use. I would rather call it annual upgrade subscription software.

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