I’ve been a paying customer of JetBrains PyCharm Ultimate and always thought it was one of the best IDEs out there. The debugging tools, inspections, and overall polish are top-tier.

But the recent experience with their AI Assistant has pushed me away. Despite paying for the Ultimate plan, you’re hit with restrictive AI quotas that run out far too quickly. Once you hit the cap, you’re locked out for weeks unless you pay extra. That’s not “Ultimate,” that’s rationing.

What makes it worse is you can’t just use your own GPT or Claude subscription keys like you can in VS Code. JetBrains forces you through their pipeline and keeps you under their limits. It feels less like a productivity tool and more like an Apple-style ecosystem where they control everything.

I shouldn’t be paying for premium software and still have to worry about being cut off mid-work. Because of this, I’ve cancelled my subscription and moved back to VS Code where I can plug in my own AI keys without fear of hitting quotas.

JetBrains makes great software, but until they remove the artificial restrictions or allow users to bring their own AI keys, I can’t recommend it.