Another SSA Price Increase!

[Rex Maximilian]

I've been off the boards for a bit, so I'm not sure this has been discussed previously, but...

There is another SSA price increase! For anyone doing the math, in 2022, 2023 and now 2024, in the span of 24 months, that is a 25% price increase.

Why Graphisoft?

I am still crashing on my MacTel machine. Even on the Apple Silicon version I have to restart every now and then when strange anomalies arise, only in ArchiCAD, and one that tech support says they can't solve.

How can there be justification for raising the price AGAIN when you've just put out a perpetually buggy version of ArchiCAD? Maybe the buggiest one to date. We Mac users to wait months after release for solutions to the crashing. This is seriously bordering on a breach of contract or lack of good faith on GS's part. We paid for software that we had a reasonable expectation of stability for, but to date, there seems to not be a crash proof version... and then you raise the price.

Graphisoft ( @Marton Kiss   @Akos Pfemeter) we need a legitimate explanation and most likely a repeal of this price increase. Again, this is the third price increase totaling around 25% in the past 24 months.

My suspicion is that this is a tactic by GS to force perpetual license holders (their most loyal of customers) onto their subscription model.

Operating system used: Mac Apple Silicon 14.4.1

[torben_wadlinger]

Habe an eye on that: https://motif.io/blog.html

[Jp1138]

Motif sounds nice, but also seems to be a cloud based solution, therefore, subscription based and not cheap, at least for small practices. At least that´s my impresion, I don´t know if I´m wrong 🤔

[spastor]

Reding thos blog, I can't figure out what is Motif and what it's for. 

[gavinNZz]

I get the feeling this will be a 'next gen' solution that may not even conform to the current AEC processes. It wll be a way off being anything useful for day to day work.

Most of the other options out there are just too similar to AC in so much as they are legacy software with a 'drafting' mindset. The Cype family of solutions looks like a good approach but the architectural side is just to young.

We are all just caught in a transitional period where the current solutions are falling behind, but the next gen solutions aren't here yet. Not a huge issue here in NZ as the majority of our industry is lagging behind the curve anyway so even older versions of AC can still produce a quality product.

[rm]

The shipped has sailed. Most here complaining about this, including myself, are not going to get perpetual licenses and SSA's extended much longer. For big firms with larger IT budgets, that may not be a problem. Graphisoft doesn't give a shYft about what you, me or anyone else with small-to smaller-ish firms may not be able to continue on as customers. They just don't care, it's that simple.

My suggestion to the majority of smaller firms, start learning to model in Sketchup and drafting in AutoCad LT.  Clearly not an elegant one stop solution. However, look at how large the Sketchup libraries are, they dwarf ArchiCAD libraries. Here in the US, the ArchiCAD libraries, especially doors and windows have been buggy since day 1 and they have never put out a complete bug free window and door library......NEVER! Worse, they refuse to partner with Door and Window manufacturers to help them come to the ArchiCAD market. What 2 types of objects are used in EVERY model - doors and windows. Tech support is almost useless anymore, except if you are big firm, then they will help you.

Graphisoft is only interested in doing one thing now, increasing fees by offering more and more services, just like Revit, and ignoring the core problems with the architectural tools.

Say good-bye to your memories of what was, it's not coming back.

[jl_lt]

Hi Robert, thanks for the advice!  eventhough i would rather walk on red-hot charcoal while hand-drafting before ever using Sketchup again. Fortunately for my feet, there are better options, so I suggest Rhino or even Form Z instead, both of which still offer perpetual licenses at reasonable prices.  As for the 2d software, the are plenty of alternatives too.

Its too bad for Graphisoft that, thanks to global economic turnmoil, the big fancy projects they are hoping big offices will be doing with Archicad instead of Revit are actually going to diminish rather than increase in the following years, and the ones getting built will surely be done in Rhino+Revit or some other fancier software.   No big office in their right mind who is already using Revit will change to Archicad with what it currently has to offer at the prices they want to offer it.

[ryejuan]

Guys, I understand everyone's sentiment here small firms, solo practices in terms of what Graphisoft did but of course the only permanent thing here in the world is change...😐

We can still use the older versions of Archicad if we really want to use the software since they are running perpetual license until it will stops working and yes we won't get all the benefits of the all the other tools Ai and future upgrades which is unfortunate but we managed to make us of Archicad even those tools weren't  available in the early versions. 😁

It doesn't matter what tools we use out dated or latest what matters is the output we get.. 😊

Even windows 10 have an expiration date until October 2025. 😅

[jl_lt]

the guys from digitalbluefoam started out like this, and they have delivered big time on their promises. So i wouldnt discount these Motif people just yet

[PB]

Just received our renewal notice for SSA / Forward at a £930 ex. tax per seat (it was £605 in 2021) with the opening paragraph stating "Please be informed that this will be the last year you can renew your SSA - Forward contract in line with our announcement last year that support contracts would be discontinued as of 2026".

Having just looked at the subscription pricing, the per seat cost of having an ArchiCAD based practise will more than double, at a minimum cost of £1,908 or £2,256 per seat, to which we also have to add the cost of add-ons because ArchiCAD is still poor at key areas of architectural modelling (point cloud import, terrain, coverings, cabinetry, etc. ...). So, if we continue SSA this year and are forced onto subscription next year, we will have gone from £605 to upwards of £2,256 per seat in 5 years.

Please remind me, what does ArchiCAD offer now that it did not in 2021 that warrants a 372% price increase in annual cost (bear in mind the licences were purchased at a not inconsiderable cost)?

[switching discounts offered by local resellers not included]

[rm]

Put a fork in it, it is done!

There a few options, none that will be favorable to long time perpetual license holders, but the die has been cast by greed, set forth at corporate GS.

Go out and buy the fastest computer you can afford to run, after the last AC version is released. Keep that computer and OS as long as you can, and run AC on it for at least 2-4 years ahead.

Next, swallow the pill and learn Revit ( cough, cough ). They have clearly won the BIM battle in my part of the world ( USA ), I suspect in many Asian markets as well - I have even heard Pres Trump has stated Revit will be called AmeriCADD moving forward 🤣. 

Lastly, though I don’t think losing small firms matters to GS. Walk with your wallet and finally tell GS, you don’t need them, they need YOU! Other BIM solutions are coming forward - GS is quickly coming to its own demise!

Its really sad, corporate greed F’s up so many companies and alienates long time loyal customers.