Hey Seb,
Would you ever consider adding additional licensing options? For example, 3 month or 6 month subscriptions for a discounted price? Or even a flat out lifetime license?
Thank you,
Alejandro
Hi Alejandro,
It was always the plan to introduce an annual subscription with a small discount - I just haven’t got around to implementing it yet. It would require some thought and work - for example it would likely mean that you could no longer upgrade for a month at a time, all upgrades (and downgrades) would be a minimum of a year. I think that’s ok but I need to think it through and make it clear in the communication.
I can also sometimes offer prepaid licences in special circumstances, for example for permanent installations or touring setups where people don’t want the worry of the machine needing to connect to the internet every month. It’s a minimum of 12 months, and are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. It’s not something I can offer to everyone because of the admin.
So I’ve kept things the way they are for now to keep the system very simple. Every extra licence type adds administrative overhead, and at this stage I’m trying to avoid making things more complicated than they need to be. But I do plan to add the annual option when I get a bit of spare time 
.
Regarding a lifetime licence, that’s much less likely. The subscription model is actually what has allowed Liberation to be sustainable so far, even though the user base is still relatively small. A lifetime model tends to require upgrade pricing, paid major versions, and other mechanisms to keep development funded. Personally I don’t love those systems - they can create pressure to constantly chase new customers or add unnecessary features just to justify upgrades.
Subscriptions let me focus on improving the software for the people who are already using it, which feels like a healthier model for this kind of project.
That said, I’m curious - what made you ask? Is there a particular situation where one of those options would help?
Seb
Hey Seb!
I’m more of a one-and-done kind of person. Instead of paying monthly, I’d prefer the option to purchase a longer-term or full subscription upfront. I do lasering as a hobby—mostly small shows with friends, nothing major. Right now I only buy the subscription for the month I’m using it, but that sometimes discourages me from using the software because I have to remember to go back and purchase it again. If I forget to renew, I’m basically locked out until I subscribe again.
It would be great to see more options where users can buy access for a longer period of time.
Also, if possible, it would be awesome if the first monthly tier included support for one DMX device. That way people like me could understand how it works and let others experience it before deciding whether to move up to a higher tier.