France-based Allegorithmic, developers of innovative tools such as Substance Painter and Substance Designer, have announced that they’ll be implementing Substance LIVE, a new licensing system that combines a subscription system with a permanent licensing one. The system allows to access Allegorithmic software with a low cost monthly fee, but the payments go down to covering the cost of the full license, which belongs to the customer permanently once the full price has been paid. It even gives the choice to pause the payments and resume them at any time.
Reactions have been notably positive, with comments such as “Looks like you guys found the recipe for magic potion, the holy grail of customer satisfaction” and “I LOVE THIS. I WISH ALL SOFTWARE WAS LIKE THIS.” More information will be disclosed soon. Read the announcement and head over to the company’s Facebook page to read the comments.
I have to agree, great licensing solution for everyone, the company gets it’s permanent cash flow and if they create value in following release they will maintain the cash flow, and the user gets a permanent license.
BTW finally they’ve raised the Indie license for the pack to 100.000k/year!!! GREAT!
Congrats Allegorithmic!
This is a great plan. Glad someone is doing the right thing.
Looks like a great solution.
GREAT !!! This is how it should look, Autodesk, wake up !!!!!!
this is how its done. and its how every company that cites subscription as a cost beneficial option for users should actually do it.
It seems innovation can happen at every stage.
A short question:
– what about updates? Once i have payed 15 Months x $ 65,- and obtain the full permanent version, there is no guarantee a new Substance Version X will not pop-up, with $ 399,- upgrade fee. At this moment the whole system becomes like AD and Adobe leasing. During this long financing time (15 months) it is very likely new updates will become available – do you obtain at the end the last version, or the one i have purchased 15 months ago, or do i get the free updates at all?
Else, a great system and payment concept, thanks a lot!
As I understand you get to keep the latest version you had when you paid your last fee.
Of course if after that they release a new version you will have to keep paying or pay for the upgrade, the key thing is that if you don’t keep paying you can still keep working.
Right now you can also skip the montly payment, and do a cheaper one time payment and keep your license, wich is another diference against greedy companies.
Cheers!
Wow… thats a really cool system…
Wow this is a really cool system. I hope other companies adopt it.
That is a fair system, that takes the problem of the need for constant cash, the problem of the need of elevated prices, the problem of the cost entrance, and solve them thinking not just in their own benefit but in everyone benefit, so a user can rest assure that he won’t be forced to stop working if he runs out of money or he can work over rented software for specific projects, but the two options co-exist to give service to everyone whyle being honest and with goodwill for sure.
Cheers and congrats again guys!