So how much does it cost to purchase it? Is it yours when you buy it? Or is there a yearly license fee?
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So how much does it cost to purchase it? Is it yours when you buy it? Or is there a yearly license fee?
It depends on which level you buy. (Assuming in the US) The base price for a perpetual license is $4000. A perpetual license means it's yours to use forever, and you'll get whatever version is current at that time. If you want reseller support and access to service packs and future versions you need to purchase a yearly maintenance subscription, which generally runs about 30% of the initial license cost, which for the base version is $1250/year. The maintenance subscription is optional. However, if you decide later that you want to upgrade, you will have to pay for *all* of the time that you weren't on the maintenance subscription. So if you skip a year and then go back on maintenance, it will cost you $2500.
You can get more pricing information from a reseller, such as this one:
SolidWorks Price Comparison
(I bought my license from the above reseller but am not affiliated with them in any other way)
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4-8 K plus 1200 - 2000 (standard at the lower end, pro, then expert) for the first year license. Haggle with them at the end of the year.
You keep the license for the year you bought. Some of my clients are still using 2007 and it works just fine. If I didn't have to keep current for my clients I would be perfectly happy with an old version.
I have used SW since it first came out. Notable updates only happen about 5 years. But with their new licensing they back charge all passed years of subscriptions. It use to just cost a $500 fine to update old versions. Now, SW pissed off all their small clients and will back charge all years of missed subscriptions.
If you are using it for your own stuff (non-commercial) and happen to be a US or Canadian military veteran you can get the student version for $20.
Or if a student you can get the student version for $150. Again, this is for non-commercial use.
This is insane...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Clackneil
Not really. If you're using it for business and it's one of the tools you need to get the job done, it's just the cost of doing business. How much do you pay for a typical milling machine, lathes, tooling, building rent, employees, etc.? As a tool it's not really that expensive in the overall scheme of things. But it is true that for a small business the cost is much more significant. And the new back dating policy is a real kick in the teeth for the little guys (myself included). This makes ADs Fusion look a LOT more attractive.
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I feel like "a real kick in the teeth" is a little understated. They are basically telling anyone that isn't a large professional shop with that kind of disposable income to eat it... Pretty poor business model if you ask me, but I know, my opinion means very little to them, or most. lol
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clackneil
Oh yeah, they've made it pretty clear that they couldn't care less about small businesses. I also won't be surprised if (when?) they eventually start moving to a subscription based model like Autodesk has done. Then you'll see a REAL firestorm.
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on a side note, I feel like, if I could just learn and actually understand G-code creation in freecad I'd be golden.
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There is always Autodesk Fusion 360 which is totally free for hobbyists and for small companies making less than $100k per year.
Cloud Powered 3D CAD/CAM Software for Product Design | Fusion 360
I agree. Dassault doesn't care. Their reasoning is ridiculous as well. They claim if you skip your subscription it is not fair that you can get back on after a few years because the "other guys" paid for the R&D and new features. If a Ford dealer told me I had to buy every model of Ford since I bought the last one I would walk right out of the office. And that's what I'm doing with SW. Autodesk was watching and Dassault did the stupidest thing possible with their new licensing as the market was turning to rental software. I hope Autodesk buries Solidworks with their Fusion offerings. I've had SW for a while but phasing in Autodesk as it becomes more robust. I wish Fusion was available before I bought SW. I needed SW to work with clients and have made a lot of money on it. If I were a new startup or single person shop there is no question to go to Fusion 360. None, zero, nada. Even the pro. version with 5 axis and full simulation is less than SW's subscription.Quote:
Originally Posted by Clackneil
I could see where an engineering r&d team doing model testing in program (i.e. Koenigsegg) would need a program like solid works. But I completely think they should take a step back and really think about what they did to thsir company and how this will impact them in the future.
Love your example of buying vehicles. lol
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And yet they dominate the market, at least for now.... So it can't be all bad.Quote:
Pretty poor business model if you ask me,
Quote:
Originally Posted by ger21
I think he was talking about the subscription back dating thing, which only started about a year ago.
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That is what I was talking about. As said before, if you drive a 95 Ford and you go buy a new one, do you have to buy all of the models in between?Quote:
Originally Posted by cygnus x-1
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I agree that software maintenance is annoying, however, your analogy isn't a perfect comparison. To be closer, either:Quote:
Originally Posted by warrenb
1. When Ford sells you a new car, they tell you that if you pay an annual fee, you can get a new model each year. If there are any problems with the car during the time you are paying this fee, they will fix it for free. If you don't pay the extra fee, you still get full functionality of the original car forever.
2. Or, when Solidworks sells you software, they don't offer annual maintenance. Each time you want the latest model, you pay full price.
By the way, since Fusion is a subscription product, the comparison would be that you must pay Ford a regular fee or the car will stop working. The closest analogy is a car lease, which are never the best deal.
Of all these options, my preferred is to buy the perpetual license, and not pay annual maintenance.
A new fun feature of solidworks. No more laptop license. Your perpetual SW license use to come with that. DSS statement is some people took advantage of the second license. Great. SOME people drive over the speed limit so everyone must be punished with speeding tickets. Better remember to check in your license when you go home or to the office. Better hope you have internet access with your laptop on the road. I can't wait for their next announcement. Maybe triple the cost of subscription? Maybe ransom legacy data? I'm sure it will be in the customers' best interest.
It seems that the price and method are different in different country at present. Maybe you can contact the agent in your country. :)