Curious About Pricing: Perpetual License vs. Subscription—Which Is Better Value in Long Run?

[babyandtoysus]

Hi everyone,

I’m evaluating whether to purchase a perpetual license or switch to a subscription model for Home Designer. I’d really appreciate insights from those who have done both especially parents balancing design projects with family life (as I have from running Baby and Toys). Does the ongoing cost of a subscription feel justified compared to the one-time cost of a perpetual license? Have you noticed any difference in access to updates, features, or support over time?

Thanks in advance your real-world experience could help a lot!

[Rookie65]

Now that HD 2026 is out, your decision may already be made for you. I'd suggest contacting support to see if you can even get access to an earlier version that isn't subscription based.

[Darkhorse41]

Well, I dropped Adobe because they went subscription based only. Now it looks like I will have to do the same thing here. I just upgraded to 2025 not too long ago and now it looks like that will be my last version.

[HaroldL]

I generally don't like subscription pricing since it seems generally, depending on the software company and product involved, to increase the cost of the software. However, looking at the pricing switch-a-roo for Home Designer it appears that for an upgrade you actually get a price break at least for the first year.

 

And it also appears that they did away with the Pro version and are just naming it Home Designer. 

 

 

[Rookie65]

Yes, they got rid of all 3 versions and now it's just Home Designer. No more Suite, Architectural, or Pro. They also eliminated several features that I wish they hadn't. 

[lksnider]

Unfortunately it looks like I'll be dropping HD as well.  Upgrading each year for ~$100 is doable but now to only get one year upgrade at half price?  I'm sorry, $500 a year for something that I use only periodically to dream about what my house could look like isn't worth it.  Come on folks, just think of the customers who have helped get you to where you're at, to drop us unceremoniously for profit?  

 

[GlasgowGrip]

This stinks.  I bought an HD Arch 2025 "perpetual" license less than a year ago, and I was considering an upgrade to HD Pro because of the crippled features in HD Arch..  only to just now find out that's no longer an option.  I'm designing for my own personal home, I need to be able to pick it up and put it down as time permits and as new ideas come up.  I'm not using this for a business so how could I justify an ongoing subscription?  Ridiculous.