Moho Forum

Hi guys,

It would be great if ASP was made available to all users as a service (SaaS).
Just like Adobe is doing, and Unity3d, and others.
So, for instance, instead of US$ 199,99, user could choose paying, say, US$ 25,00 per month.
You could also offer team options, like, for instance, US$ 40,00 per month for three users, US$ 50 for 3 users, etc...
That would be great.

I am saying that because I am going to have to purchase two licenses.
Don't get me wrong - it is not n expensive software.
It's just that I think it would be great for companies with 3 or more users.

Cheers!

1st: They would have to keep the current purchase and upgrade policy in place or people would riot.

2nd: There is no way they would charge 25 dollars a month. That's 300 dollars a year which is insane.

3rd: You're talking about the Anime Studio team diverting development time from making the program better and more stable to developing a subscription system that very few people are likely to want. This move could easily backfire badly.

Finally: Adobe has an advantage in that their programs are taught in universities and schools all over the world so they can be over-priced and smug due to their incumbency, but Anime Studio is an under-dog and heavily relies on a dedicated user base to keep them going and spreading the word.

I'm not saying that they shouldn't try this out, but I am saying that they would need to tread very carefully and start a conversation with the community about the idea before implementing it. I hope the Anime Studio team learned from Microsoft and Valve who misread their audience and quickly had to back-peddle on bad ideas. In short, they should test the water before thinking about taking the plunge into subscription models.

Yep it already ships with more than one licence.

synthsin75 wrote:
More info on license and activations:

AS10 allows three devices to be activated.
AS10 can be used on all those devices at the same time, by the one user (like using one device to render while working on another).
A device can be deactivated through the Help menu, and if that is not available (hard drive crash, no access to device, etc.) you can contact SM support.
Hopefully there are plans to make an automated website to manage activations remotely.

Subscriptions services I refuse to use especially if there is a native format involved.I won't have my data held to ransom, it is inherently immoral and should be illegal.
When Animation master switched to subscription alone, they received my last dollar and will receive no more.
If the format is open like PSD then it's not so bad.

Subscriptions usually end up costing more than just a perpetual license. I don't mind a subscription license as long as there is a perpetual license also. I try to avoid any program that is subscription license only.

The advantage of subscriptions:
Your able to try out the full software with out any tricks that are use to get you to buy it.
If you need the software for a short period of time. Like 20 days out of the year.

The downside:
It is not on your machine until you pay for it again. So files that you need are not available.
You can't forget about the software and just leave it on a machine and use it in, say a few years.
Most 'art' software takes a very long time to really get the full use of it.

Dale

I wouldn't use a subscription service. I'm disappointed that Adobe did, so I'm sticking with my old Adobe products. I would like to upgrade when I feel the product improved enough to warrant my need to purchase.

Many folks are opposed to subscription plans. I'm not. In the case of Adobe, I think it makes sense. However, for something at the price level of AS Pro, I don't think it makes sense.

I do, though, understand that there are folks who are itching to get started, but cannot fork out the full amount all at once. Perhaps for this situation, a payment plan would make more sense? IE, you could buy it outright at, say, $299, or do $25/mo. for 18 months. The trade off would be you put out about 50% more money, but it only takes $25 to get started - and for SM, the incentive would be making more money over time.

A subscription from SM might make sense if it were for bundling some of their software, like you pay one monthly price for Manga Studio, Anime Studio, and Poser. But I don't think that there is enough overlap in users for these products to warrant the effort (unlike Adobe Products).

At the end of the the day, though, the price isn't too bad, and if you really want it, you can set up your own payment plan by saving money each month toward it, or using a credit card.

I like using Adobe CC on subscription. It is very convenient. That said, as a freelancer, if my income ever dries up I'm screwed. Completely screwed. I think a better model would be to have the subscription price, maybe even a little higher if necessary, but after a certain amount of monthly payments you get to keep the current version activated forever. That way if you fall on hard times, you still have something to work with. I think that would be the best of both worlds.

jayfaker wrote:I like using Adobe CC on subscription. It is very convenient. That said, as a freelancer, if my income ever dries up I'm screwed. Completely screwed. I think a better model would be to have the subscription price, maybe even a little higher if necessary, but after a certain amount of monthly payments you get to keep the current version activated forever. That way if you fall on hard times, you still have something to work with. I think that would be the best of both worlds.

Agreed!

I do not care whether a subscription option is offered, as long as it is an OPTION. I prefer to purchase a license that allows me to keep the software running for as long as I wish.

When Adobe switched to the Digital Serfdom only, I stopped using their products, and I am now a very happy user of alternatives.

Seeing the pricing of AS, I don't really see the point. And it would definitely take away from development time.

ruibjr wrote:So, for instance, instead of US$ 199,99, user could choose paying, say, US$ 25,00 per month.

I don't pretend to be a math wiz but isn't that quite a bit more expensive?

In the case of Adobe Cloud, I've been mostly okay with subscription because I'm getting a full suite of applications that I actually use all the time and not just a single program that I may use occasionally, but after a couple of years of being a Cloud subscriber and not seeing a great deal of development in that time, I'm wondering if I shouldn't go back to my old perpetual licenses.

Just my two-cent opinion.

G.