-
Vegas Pro Subscription vs Perpetual License
I’ve always gone for the perpetual upgrade license myself + often skipped some versions. Always saw that as the cheapest, most cost-effective approach, but there are now some new options that might make me reconsider and switch to the subscription. I’ve added a round-up image of all the current plan prices for me + what it would cost yearly to always have latest version.
Sorry for the wall of text – it’s a 3 minute read at most and I’m curious to hear your thoughts here.First to compare both:
When you go for any subscription you get some extra goodies that aren’t a part of the perpetual license, depending on which version you get: 20-100GB cloud storage, free upgrades, Limited HD-Unlimited 4K stock footage, Text-2-Speech, Speech-2-Text, Quick Upload, File Drop.Sounds like a lot, but here’s why I personally haven’t found the subscription useful:
Don’t use stock footage often/can easily find it elsewhere.
Don’t need cloud storage – already have google drive.
Don’t need every version upgrade – have other apps that already do the same if not better.
Don’t need file drop/quick upload – neat, but don’t use phone in production workflow, have everything locally.
Text-2-speech and speech-2-text is the only thing I’d find useful. Both can also be outsourced, but having them in vegas would really streamline the whole process.So in my case the perpetual license has always made way more sense, because if I can skip versions it’s simply much cheaper + you keep the older versions (if you cancel subscription you don’t keep the app).
Now the new option: the 2-year SmartScription.
In short: pricing exactly the same as 1-year subscription, but for the longer commitment you get to keep your last version perpetually when contract ends.What makes this a potentially good option?
If you always upgrade yearly – the 1 year subscription is already slightly cheaper than a perpetual upgrade (~$10). However, if you were to use this new SmartScription option – you get the best price for latest version + the option to cancel after 2 years and keep the latest version perpetually.
If you time it right and cancel after 2 years you’d go through 2 versions + secure a 3rd one perpetually for no extra cost. You would still lose the subscription benefits of course, but this specific approach is what puts me on the fence…
Latest version for roughly 3 years for the cost of 2 essentially, but the later you go for it, the worse this deal gets.I was hoping that Vegas Pro would eventually just stop at one full “Vegas Pro” release with updates & patches, ditching the versions, but it’s now clear that we can expect yearly version iterations just like with Adobe. Checking the wiki – the current trend is August of every year since VP15, very close to precisely 1 year in-between.
So what option are you going for?
Still sticking with an older perpetual version or going for an upgrade?
Which upgrade path would you take or have taken already?
Because I’m still undecided.P.S. Hope my numbers are mistake free… Also keep in mind pricing might change in the future, so these are more like estimate costs.
-
3 Replies
-
Sorry, for me personally, subscription can never be a good thing in my book, no matter how you spin it….. If there is no Perpetual offer, i am thru the door!
-
Yeah, same here, except in this case you actually have the option to get a perpetual license after cancelling.
-
Well, that is true.
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up