Home Designer 2026 and beyond will be subscription based

[BACLLC]

Such a bad idea, do they not understand how this measure alienates their current and past customers !! I've used HD Pro for over 7 years and am currently using HD Pro 2021, I will not upgrade nor will I become part of a subscription based service, it is completely to expensive !! I think ,they think, that their customers upgrade every year, which in my case is not true, as I find that minimal yearly upgrades / improvements are not all that they are cracked up to be. Sorry guys no subscription's for me !! Will be looking elsewhere, besides unfortunately AI will crush them if they are not careful !! 

[dlmcilvain]

I have been using Home Designer since it was part of Better Homes and Gardens.  I have gone from the architectural version to pro about 9 years ago.  I use it constantly to designer custom modular homes in which I general contract.  Not happy with the subscription model.  I will keep my Pro 2025 since it will always work and do what I need it to do or at least until it will not work with a new OS.  I am not interested in having to "rent" the software and lose everyting if I can't pay for it.  I think I will be able to use it until I retire in about 10 to 12 years and then it won't matter.  It has been a good run but I am out for the subscription.

[TheMadCadder]

Well hell...

 

For several years I've been figuratively 'trapped' in another company's pile of garbage modeling software. I've been wanting to migrate to CA for decades. Since it first came out on Fred Meyer store shelves. I almost pulled the trigger a couple years ago (in a fit of rage over the previous platform's random bugginess) when the full version CA could be had for a one-time fee of $2800. Unfortunately I decided to wait given the economic times.

 

When I did get to a better position and was more than ready to drop my wad down and move on over to CA I found they had gone to a SaaS price model...same price, now yearly, and I don't own the software. Holy hell was I disappointed as I refuse to pay that mount of cash for a product that I don't own outright. 

 

So I waited again...and gave up on the CA dream.

 

Then I recently stumbled across CA's Home Designer Pro 2025...a standalone, stripped down version of CA...for $800?? Hell yes, take my money!! At least I won't have to use that other garbage anymore going forward. That alone will keep me onboard for quite a while but I seriously doubt I will ever sign on for a SaaS version and I'm very disappointed that I've finally got aboard the CA train only to find out I'll have to pay at every stop just to get to my destination.

 

Not cool...not cool at all.

 

[TBrown66]

As a legacy user this is complete BS, 

Thanks for invalidating every license I own.

And no I wont ever be updating again.

[cgrafx]

Just realized that 2026 is a subscription. I have both cancelled my 2026 subscription and guess I will be using 2025 until its not viable anymore.

 

I have also sent an email to the sales dept expressing my disappointment with what I believe to be a short sighted decision to move to a subscription revenue model.

 

It's not about the money, it's entirely about putting access to my work product in the hands of a 3rd party that can decide at any time to cut me off. 

 

I've started moving away from adobe, Microsoft and any other software project that is a subscription only offering. 

 

I don't rent tools!

[JamieRI]

This "DIY" subscription pricing CUTS ME OUT, after 26 years of shoveling tolerable amounts of money toward CA for a product that I just want to own, not one I need. 

 

I am truly DIY, not a contractor. I have been using this software since 1999 and have paid annual upgrades for many years.

 

Why would any DIY buy this??

• Over time I designed an addition to my house and a couple of renovations. I used it to arrange furniture in my gazabo.
• My wife and tried to design our dream home, but after time the kids grew up and moved away. I assumed that when we got serious and wanted to actually create construction drawings, I would either upgrade or find an architect that uses CA. (Now we see several really smart stock plans from builders available and they provide customization services_
• Some years I don't even open it, or open up a plan just to get some measurements.
• Most of my use is to visualize moving my furniture around, adding shelves, etc. 
• Recently, I roughly captured my daughter's house to brainstorm renovations with her and help with furniture purchases. 

3D Home Architect WAS a DIY product, with a DIY price!  My receipt below is April 1999:  3D Home Architect® Deluxe 3.0 Win9x CD $49.95 ($97.62 in today's dollars). With all upgrades over time I have spent about $550... just to have this DIY designer. 

 

I bought many of my annual upgrades are just to make Home Designer Suite perform better, do 3D better, to support Windows 7, 10 and 11, or to avoid the bigger cost to re-purchase if I didn't upgrade. The price was low enough for me to just do it. It was annoying at times, but I just wanted to be able to use it on my new computers and open old files. A quick review shows I have spent almost 

 

 

Home Designer is not really a DIY product anymore, it has enough to market professional services, yet as I read, it seems that it is just a frustrating version of Chief Architect. Now you are pricing it for small shop professionals.  

 

If I was a small shop pro making money on the 2025 perpetual license, I would just do it, without upgrading ever. It really seems like CA is killing a market segment, instead of creating one that pulls users toward the higher priced versions when they need it.