Autodesk has stopped selling the perpetual license for a while now. We all know many customers don’t accept this well, including me. In short, the term based subscription is a good option. But it must not be the only option.
Autodesk keeps saying that the new subscription model is better than the old one. And they can’t keep offering two different licensing models.
But I still don’t see why the new model is better. The only answer I keep getting is to look at this: Why Move to a Subscription. No, it doesn’t answer my question. We get all the benefits in the past too, as long as we have the subscription active.
Well, I keep my mind open. If you do think the new licensing model is better, I would like to know why. Please share your thoughts in the comment section. If you are reading this in the email newsletter, please do not reply the email.
If anyone from Autodesk wants to answer this, please do. Maybe you can explain it better than the others before.
I am not excited about the future changes. We can switch now and avoid the price increases over the next 3 years by getting the discount.After that, there is no benefit to our company continuing with AutoCAD. I like BricsCAD with the exception of it’s current inability to work with 2018 CAD files and dynamic blocks with lookup tables. I am sure that by the time we are ready to switch, they should have those issues resolved and we can just use them for our future 2D construction drawings.
It makes no sense. It’s extortion.
Having only one licensing mode is not an “option” it is the only choice. However, one “option’ is to option out of AutoCAD and into Bricscad. And that is not a bad choice.
Dear Frankie
I, myself don’t think the new license method is any better, especially when they are trying hard to get you to exchange the perpetual one with the yearly subscription one, I think it is the ultimate theft and I called it “Grand Theft Autodesk”. They make you spend tens of thousands of dollars and after that they offer you this rotten deal. The least they can do is to offer to buy the perpetual license back and then offer a deal on the new rental deal. We are currently switching to brickscad, now I can install cadworx on brikscad just like autocad.
That GTA term seems a bit strong :D
Might be but I think that is a good thing. We have to face the truth.
I am also quite sick of all the big enterprises that were able to convert themselves into the standard of the industry, thanks to the support we gave them during all those years. We invested thousands of dollars in them and now in return, they make us subject to their monthly fee. If there is anything on this earth that is limiting the freedom of people and creating a modern form of slavery than it must be monthly fees.
Moreover, I spend thousands of dollars on their products in 2015 and now all these investments are worthless because I have to subject myself to the new model anyway because I cannot upgrade my product anymore. With the knowledge I have now I would have never bought their product, it really feels like theft.
No exaggeration used here.
Do not believe it’s better. We’ve paid for the software and a subscription to keep it up to date. That’s enough. If we do not like what will be released we do not have to pay subscription. We can keep our software, which was paid for. Do not like the idea of having to continually pay Guito protection money to be able to do our design work. Possibly pay for functions and features we do not need and or functions or features that are not there. They have pushed the limit with us. Had a need to upgrade two unused, purchased/subscribed seats of design suite to ultimate. We have have to go to the new model in order to get the seats of ultimate. Leaving us with 2 perpetually licensed, unused seats. AutoDesk does not want perpetual licenses without a revenue stream. I do not like AutoDesks perpetual monthly gravy train. We will keep our perpetual seats until they drive the cost of subscription higher to keep them – which they will/are. Then Solidworks is looking better. They can give us the “ya but’s – you could do this – or you could do that —- no.
No. Next question?
Lol! I think I asked a wrong question.
This is just a way to extort more money from Autodesks customers (victims) while charging more and providing less of their bug-ridden software. I wouldn’t be surprised if somewhere in the microprint of their Terms & Conditions they restrict negative comments about them with the threat to cut off the the offender from access to their product. Not to mention the opportunity for them to allow the theft of customers intellectual property through poor or non-existent security. Finally, aspects of their user interface and changes to it over the years evidence a contempt for their established user base and a subtle sabotage of users workflow.
I think the new subscription model is not good. I have a small business where I do shop drawings in my home. I barely make enough money to keep the bills paid and pay taxes. I can’t afford the subscription year after year and make a decent amount of money.
The only advantages that I see of moving to subscription have been artificially created by Autodesk other than a few additional tools that we really don’t need. The greater access, flexible controls, and valuable insights that they list on the site you reference could be available within existing maintenance plans if Autodesk chose to put them there. I’ve also seen reference to better support as well, which implies that they will be less responsive to businesses on maintenance. This is simply a play by Autodesk to force businesses into a subscription model that will ultimately put them into a higher degree of control over their customers (aka “victims”). I understand the goal of stabilizing revenue streams but we’re ultimately looking at paying dramatically more for a subscription after the three year guarantee than we are for maintenance. Of course, Autodesk’s ramping up of maintenance plan renewals will drive businesses to subscription at some point. I’m very disappointed with Autodesk.
Of course the Autodesk subscription model is better! For Autodesk.
In the past, Autodesk had to come up with new features every year in order to get people to purchase the upgrade. Heck, they did it for so long there are features in AutoCAD 2011 I still haven’t used (much less know about!). As an example, I work with alongside one part-time designer who STILL doesn’t use Multileaders, much less Multitext. I myself have only recently used the Array function to simplify certain tasks, and I hardly ever need to use it.
So, Autodesk needs and wants to keep the public captured, remaining the de facto standard of the industry. However, at $1470 a pop PER YEAR for plain AutoCAD, it’s difficult for my employer to justify three licenses just for a couple new features. We’ve been running on AutoCAD 2011 since two years of its release and I don’t think anything will justify going up.
To tell the truth, if we need new features, we’ll just change to the competition. At $99 per license and full compatibility with our older drawings, it’s justifiable.
I don’t see a nice future for Autodesk without state intervention. Wish we could abandon all federal and local government contracts; their demands are designed to maintain their “contributors” with work for years to come.
Exactly, it it better for AutoDesk !
Personally, I really detest the general direction computer technology these days. Everything is moving to subscriptions & cloud services. Maybe that works…if you have excellent internet connections. But not everybody is living/working in Silicon Valley.
The never-ending stream of upgrades to keep pace with techology is exasperating, as well as expensive. Simple computer programs like word processing & drafting haven’t really changed much over the past 20 years. Yet you already have to shell out $$$ to keep up with upgrades, new releases, & hardware every few years.
With everything on monthly subsrciptions, companies like AutoDesk can simply raise extra money at will and consumers have no recourse except to opt out completely. These digital enterprises are morphing into feudal empires right before our eyes now. We are supposed to be professionals (engineers, architects, etc) and instead we are being duped into a career of serfdom paying taxes to our corporate overlords.
Good grief…this stuff drives me so crazy when I start thinking about it that I am tempted (quite seriously) to revert back to paper & T-square.
Having said all that, it is worth remembering that in spite of AutoDesk grandiose proclamations, they are not the default standard. We do still have some choices.
Couldn`t agree more. All those fucking monthly fees can convert you into a slave instead of a professional.
Keep your eyes open for reasonable alternatives without monthly fees.