Home Designer 2026 and beyond will be subscription based

[BalutFX]

Well, I guess it was inevitable, but I’m still not happy that the 2026 and beyond Home Designer line will no longer be offered as a one time purchase. Especially since the upgraded features will likely still be extremely minimal and severely limited from the Chief Architect Premium version. Here is the the text from today’s sales email:

 

Update: From the products page, looks like their 10% off sale for the 2025 versions ends August 4th, so that os probably right before the release date for the 2026 version. 

 

We are excited to announce the new version of Home Designer 2026 will be available later this summer. Our 2025 product line (Suite, Architectural, Professional) will consolidate into a single product that will be subscription based either monthly or annually.  This is your last chance to purchase Home Designer 2025 Suite, Architectural, or Professional

Edited July 18 by BalutFX
Added probable date for 2026 release

[y-g-m-n]

I hate subscriptions even though I tend to upgrade every year but it was always my choice...

 

Subscriptions force one to upgrade basically every year - I find the updates come more often but tend to be rushed and most updates are fixing issues from last updates.

 

I understand why software companies like subscriptions as they feel they get a more consistent revenue stream but I would have to guess it is less then before since some just say NOPE.

 

but if the subscription is cheaper per year then the upgrades from years past then OK.

But when I stop the subscription I feel the software should stay on computer and work but never get updated again.

 

Remember the only reason Software companies do updates/upgrades etc is to get you to send in more $$$$.

 

Sad day when 2026 comes out.

[wildnut]

I have been doing away with some of my subscriptions, including Adobe's suite, for instance.  I find that I can do plenty with the open source or other free versions.  Fortunately, I did the rent-to-own for the 2024 version of Home Designer Pro and did receive the 2025 version at no cost.  So, that was nice.  I do understand the frustration with believing a new perpetual version will be coming out, only to find out it won't, as some are experiencing.

 

But regarding the subscription, this isn't software that I need.  In fact, unlike some of the Adobe applications I ultimately cancelled, I barely even use the much more niche Home Designer Pro.  I, of course, have no idea the number of customers who use Home Designer Pro professionally, but I'm sure there are at least some.  But for existing customers like me, who aren't in the business of designing homes, the only reason I would consider the subscription on an on-going basis would be if it's similar to the same price as upgrading once a year.  Otherwise, if it's much higher, then this software, given my usage and the pretty underwhelming number of updates to justify even it's current yearly price, just isn't worth subscribing to as a non-professional, casual user of Home Designer Pro.  But, even if the price is attractive, so many of these companies love to keep raising the price that I'm sure I'll be a Home Designer Pro 2025 user until the year 2125, at the earliest.   

[mthd97]

Subscription Perpetual Vs Subscription timed out ? Who wins the future home design software business ? We will see the results in time. My guess is that those that stay perpetual and give good value will win in the long run. Open source software is growing and so is AI automated rendering. At least some of those companies could reconsider scrapping perpetual subscription. I personally may not choose to buy a subscription timed out CAD software in the future. At least Chief Architect Premier still has legacy SSA perpetual available for those who keep paying the yearly fee.

[jwbassgarl]

I've purchased HD Pro every year since 2014. I will not go to a subscription service.

I do not make my living by designing homes, the software is strictly for my personal enjoyment. There are other non-subscription options available. Chief Architect has seen the last of my money.

[HDuserdave]

True bummer. Bought HD Pro precisely because subscriptions are simply a way to make more money off the same product. It has been a lot of fun, for both me and my son, and I (we) will definitely miss it.

[Savuti]

Been a user since 2021 version, and have upgraded every year to 2025. I cannot for the life of me understand what has CA so excited about the launch of Home Designer 2026.

 

"We are excited to announce the new version of Home Designer 2026 will be available later this summer."

 

Being launched into space aboard the Space Shuttle is exciting. This is simply another HD upgrade they have been doing for years.

 

Good that they are excited because I don't think I am with this new subscription announcement. Question I have is WHY, what reasons are there to change from annual upgrades as has been the case from the first version of HDP.

 

Who does this benefit, what is the main benefit to the consumer? I am sure we will get the usual sales pitch from CA as to why this decision they made became reality.

 

I read that 2026 is going to feature Real Time Ray Tracing, okay, that's good but that could very easily be included in a regular upgrade.

Obviously the subscription costs have not been announced, but for some reason I believe they are going to be higher than the cost of the yearly upgrades.

 

If the costs of the subscription are what I feel too high then I will continue to use HDP2025 for the meantime and look at other software options.

 

The fact that I have spent around $1000 with the purchase of the original HDP2021 plus the yearly subscriptions, is any cost consideration given to me

as opposed to someone who starts using HD2026 for the first time.

 

Anyway that's my say on this matter, I hope I am wrong about a few things.

 

 

  

[jwbassgarl]

I absolutely hate subscription services. The idea that I would have to continually pay for software every year, or it will stop functioning, really sticks in my craw. I will not do it.

 

I sincerely hope this decision comes back to bite them in the you know what. 

[som1else]

If price of subscription is higher than yearly upgrade, I'm done with Home Designer. As is, the yearly upgrades have rarely given enough improvements to justify the cost. I've been with HDPro since 2017, upgraded nearly every year, and seen the measly additions they've made each year. Yes, there definitely have been some key improvements, but come on, where's a layer function to turn on and off multiple views? This feature alone would justify a higher cost, but not to the extent of Chief which is far to high for DIYer or small company. We'll see, but I think the move to subscription model is a poor one. I have yet to find a person who prefers an ongoing subscription. 

[jwbassgarl]

Even if the subscription price is at, or lower than normal upgrade costs, keep in mind that if you go subscription, and then decide to unsubscribe, you will loose access to the program.

This is a deal breaker to me, and I suspect many more folks are of like mind. 

[ishoultz]

I hope they don't treat this as just recurring revenue opportunity. The thing that bothers me the most about this is that they are switching to a SaaS model, but only offering 2 different options. I think they are blowing a major opportunity for both increasing revenue and to expand the opportunities for the users. I have a feeling if they continue down the path they are heading, they will actually end up losing money instead of increasing revenue.

I believe that if they offered monthly access to additional features such as rendering, larger number of drawing sheets, drawing blocks, etc. (for a fee of course) Ability to download the other libraries and use them?  Maybe offer different tiers of the software for different rates that offer more than what the current offerings?

I think they could actually make this a good thing if they approach it from the customer perspective. I know everyone is getting super tired of having to pay monthly subscription fees for things we used to be able to own outright, but if they actually increase the value to the users instead of just trying to increase revenue, I think this could be a win-win.

[Robborito]

Looks like the yellow brick road to meet the Wizard of CA.

Eventual dismissal of the HD line altogether may be the outcome.

Why have the HD line at all, so called for DYI, as a subordinate to Chief?

Subscription is a competitive opportunity with other software and likewise with their marketing.

Revit has an LT version - its subscription based.

Version 2024 of HDPro will do me to retirement for what I use it for.

All the best.

It's not all doom and gloom with this - just a few extra bucks.

 

( I wish the mouse function could be sorted properly for CAD tools at least )

[mthd97]

The good thing is that our older versions will still work until our computers become redundant in the future. I have a new PC that runs XP pro natively and I can still run all my older versions no problems.

[y-g-m-n]

I would try the subscription but I want to keep my 2025.

Also want ability to save files in 2025 format in case I do not think it is worth it I always have 2025 to fall back on.

 

That is what sucks with subscription... you stop paying they turn it off and you cannot sue anymore so everything you have done is DEAD...

 

Like a MAFIA thing --- you have to pay the juice to keep living.

[BalutFX]

On 7/29/2025 at 5:47 PM, som1else said:

If price of subscription is higher than yearly upgrade, I'm done with Home Designer. As is, the yearly upgrades have rarely given enough improvements to justify the cost. I've been with HDPro since 2017, upgraded nearly every year, and seen the measly additions they've made each year. Yes, there definitely have been some key improvements, but come on, where's a layer function to turn on and off multiple views? This feature alone would justify a higher cost, but not to the extent of Chief which is far to high for DIYer or small company. We'll see, but I think the move to subscription model is a poor one. I have yet to find a person who prefers an ongoing subscription. 

I agree with you. The current monthly cost of renting Home Designer Pro 2025 is $59/month. That equates to $708/year. Sure, it is less to purchase HD Pro, but at least you get to keep using it as a perpetual license. I’m sure Chief Architect will set the subscription price much higher than I think it’s worth, but I also think they don’t really care about the Home user and are focusing their attention and pricing strategy on Chief Architect Premium and professional architects, who can afford the cost by passing it along to their clients. Home DIY folks are probably not enough of an income stream to matter. I used Home Designer (and then Chief Architect Premium) to help me design our kitchen cabinets and visualize our fixture/hardware, flooring and color selections. I didn't need or want to pay someone an hourly rate to go through the many changes my wife and I went through during the design and build process. It was something that I was happy to do myself with this software and made our build much easier and less stressful. But I can’t imagine someone with the same use case as me paying what will likely be a huge subscription cost rather than a 1-time purchase and probably at least 1 upgrade to get through the design and build process. It was almost 3 years from initial plans from our draftsman to the final decisions on what we put in the house. I guess we we all see how limited and expensive the Home Designer line becomes. Too bad for the non-professional DIY’r.