The switch to the current pricing model was anything but smooth. The uproar was so bad they had to come back with a revised plan. A lot of people were still upset with the revised plan after it launched.
In they end they listened to their customers. I use clion regularly for personal work. It's not eggregiously expensive and new features are always comming in so I feel like I get my money's worth and it's not cost prohibative.
Hint: deliphi, take note