Shift to a subscription model - your questions are welcome

[Akos Pfemeter]

Dear Community,

You may have already read the press release or the Insights post about our strategic shift to a subscription model. 

Here is a quick summary of the news:

BUDAPEST, April 2, 2024—Graphisoft, the leading Building Information Modeling (BIM) software solution developer for architecture and multidisciplinary design, today announced that, as part of its strategic shift to a sustainable subscription software delivery model, perpetual licenses will be gradually phased out by the end of 2025. This change does not affect the delivery of Software Service Agreement (SSA)/Forward subscription services to existing customers. 

Archicad perpetual and SSA/Forward licenses will be available for new customers through December 31, 2024, and to existing customers through December 31, 2025. Starting in 2026, Archicad will be available only through subscription. Active SSA/Forward contracts will continue to be serviced beyond 2025. Alternatively, SSA/Forward customers can convert to Archicad Collaborate subscriptions at the same price as SSA/Forward. This offer is designed to help existing SSA/Forward subscribers take full advantage of the Archicad Collaborate subscription, which combines award-winning Archicad for architectural design with BIMx and BIMcloud SaaS for fast, efficient, secure, real-time access to shared projects.

Please ask your questions and share your thoughts here -- Graphisoft's expert team will try and provide answer to all sorts of questions you may have!
Thank you.
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Edit by Moderator:  here is the link to the evolving information/FAQ page about this announcement:

https://graphisoft.com/convert-ssa-forward-to-archicad-collaborate/

[snow]

Can't we just agree that we are everything else than amused about this step?

What will be the real advantage for users (comparing to sea/forward)?

Has anyone made calculation of the real cost through years?

Why is it not possible anymore to buy a license for lifetime?

Could find no satisfying answers to such questions...

[mthd]

Still possible to the end of this year but I agree that they should always be available. If their product is good enough and they trust their future users, they can still offer perpetual licensing indefinitely. They do not have to follow the current trend because they can make their product more attractive by having both types of licensing available for both types of users.

They have made this decision now and technically it is not impossible to once again offer perpetual licenses if they decided to do so. Why follow crowd of other CAD/BIM competitors ?

In the long run you would think that they would gain many more users by having both options available ?

[Erik Bjornhage]

Considering the existing SSA/Forward contracts will be supported - there is probably not any good reason why they can't continue to sell perpetual licenses...if they want...if the financial department will let them...

[Barry Kelly]

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@Erik Bjornhage wrote:

Considering the existing SSA/Forward contracts will be supported - there is probably not any good reason why they can't continue to sell perpetual licenses...if they want...if the financial department will let them...

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There probably is no reason why Graphisoft couldn't continue to sell perpetual licenses into the future.

Except that Graphisoft have said they will stop selling them by the end of 2024.

Unless you happen to already own a perpetual license, and then you will have until the end of 2025 to buy any more.

From 2026, Graphisoft have said they will not be available to anyone.

As to why this is, it is simply a decision Graphisoft have made - that will affect and upset many users.

Barry.

[Erik Bjornhage]

Exactly!

So it's simply - they don't want to...(or the fninancial department doesn't think that it's maximising revenue and won't let them).

I completely understand why users are frustrated and upset. We just have to wait and see how it develops.

[mthd]

That unfortunately is the sad reality of the decisions they have already made. We just have to learn to live with it and adjust to it.

If current customers want to jump ship because of these decisions they can only blame themselves. Not many viable options out there that don’t require a subscription only policy for new customers these days.

Back to the drawing board by hand if that’s what it takes ?

[leandrolopes]

At this point, I don`t really care if the competitors are good, bad or just another subscription, I will jump off the ship for principles. This was a shade move. I rather give my money away them giving a company making this move. In fewer words: If there is no option for us, maybe we should all just jump out of this boat and make it a no option for them. 

[Eric Milberger]

The Perpetual license is deal and I don't have a problem with the yearly upgrades as we want more features.  The fee though must be relative and not required to upgrade yearly as some may not need those upgrades.

And it has to be competitive with other software or they will be pushed out of business.

[leandrolopes]

Lately, I’ve been asking around, but it seems that no one really knows what qualifies as an “existing customer” for the Nemetschek Group. The Brazilian resellers can’t assure me that I’ll be able to purchase a perpetual license in 2025, given that I’m currently only a subscriber. The forum advises me to check with my local resellers, local resellers tell me to check on the release and forums...it is the dog chasing it`s own tail. So "happy"with this whole situation. 

[leandrolopes]

Brazilian representatives are as usefull as a subscription model for a bad financial year. I ask them about subscribers buying the perpetual in 2025 and they tell me about how great the migration will be for everyone. 

[Eric Milberger]

Still don't have a great answer as this has been made to complicated or confusing.

If you have a Perpetual License, I assume we will have to pay a yearly maintenance fee.

And in the future if I add employees you will have to go onto the monthly program like was available for the last so many years.

And maybe the subscription change means it will be billed monthly and you can no longer stall your subscription?

Do I understand this correctly?

Note please do not become a Autodesk clone.

[leandrolopes]

If you have a Perpetual License you can either pay the maintenance fee or choose to migrate to the subscription plan and lose your perpetual license.
If you already own a perpetual license, you can buy more licenses till the end of 2025, after that you need to pay the rent every year for every employe you have using Archicad, forever.
Subscriptions are like rents, they can change anytime with short warnings periods. It can be rent monthly, yearly or for a period of 3 years right now. I don`t think it will change, I think they will just make the monthly and yearly excrutiating expensive in a couple of years. Like Autodesk did. 

[Eric Milberger]

that is what I assumed, however the questions keep coming and wanted to make sure I was not missing something.

Now it just depends on what the yearly service fee is.

Plus, It will cost me a ton to have new employees trained as they all know Revit.  I cannot hire anyone here that knows Archicad.

At some point firms will be forced to look at migrating to the worst company (Autodesk)  because there is no engineering support here in the U.S.

The engineers I have talked to are across the country and in different directions.  How will they do what they need to so on site and keep us competitive on our fees.

More needs to be done to grow the Engineering and Intern base of users.

[Eric Milberger]

I need a spell checker - sorry

How will Graphisoft grow their Engineer base so that they can compete with Revit firms?  Tis hurts us as Architects as it makes it HARD for Engineers to bring projects to us.  Thy don't want the hastle of translations.

[leandrolopes]

Just a follow up guys, today one of the brazilian resellers told me he was in contact with Graphisoft's representatives and that my impressions were correct only those already owning a perpetual license will be able to buy anything from 2025 January first and ahead. 

After that he gave me a "great" one hour argumentation, "almost" not agressive at all, about how this os the future and how I should embrace software as a service and that the companies are doing me a favor on letting me use their software for a restricted period. 

It was really great... and showed me the real graphisoft mentality.