I pay for the Jetbrains all products pack, $250 a year. I spend on average 3-4 hours a day in their products. That $250 is pennies compared to the amount of value I create with the various JB IDEs.
Good software - like IntelliJ, GoLand, etc. - don’t just act as a tool to get the job done, they act as a force multiplier enabling vastly better UX, tooling, etc. compared to competing software. I can’t imagine relying on Eclipse or VSCode for my work nowadays - I could do it fine, but it would feel like cutting an arm off.
One thing that a lot of people don't know about the jet brain subscription is that the all product price goes down each subsequent year that you continue to subscribe, which is a great incentive. At this point, for me it's only $150 a year.
JetBrains is increasing pricing in October (for example $150 to $173 for All Products pack with that discount) but they announced this over three months in advance, on their blog and on Twitter, and are allowing everyone to prepay for around three years to lock in current rates.
I agree - my employer pays for IDEs and developer tools without question, and the main benefit goes to them. Some of it comes back to me in promotions and bonuses, but not all or most of it.
Me paying for tools to increase my productivity at work might still make sense if it helps my pay increase, but it's even more worth it for the employer to do it.
Surely depends on how things work out. Even though ultimately my employer is who saves money (and they pay for my work license), I end up benefiting because I have to work less , I’m therefore less stressed to hit deadlines and I’m seen as higher performing.
This same thing comes up anytime the topic of paid IDEs comes up, and people will act surprised that people pay for Jetbrains IDEs
I think it's understandable when we consider most people struggle to meet ends meet, especially in their college and formative years.
However really if something provides value to your life, it should be rewarded , especially if that value is higher than the cost.
E.g Jetbrains IDEs pay for themselves every week in time saved. Many apps I subscribe to easily provide higher value to me than they cost.