PAYG vs Perpetual
Why the new licensing model and what happened to the old one?

By Heather Nagey

If you've cruised by our site in the last week or so, you'll notice there have been some changes! A lovely new front door for one:

and some updates on the store page

As you can see, front and centre of the new store page is a brand new license type: Pay As You Go.

What does this mean? Well first of all it does not mean any change at all to existing licenses, or purchase options. You can still buy what we are terming the "Perpetual" license, in all flavours, and your updates to existing licenses are completely unaffected.

For example, click on the iOS bundle, in the pricing table:

and you will find you can customise your license, add and remove platforms, and purchase a standard LiveCode license that is yours to keep, in just the same way as before. Scroll down the bundle screen to see the options you can add and remove:

What it does mean is an increase in choice. If you don't want to lay out a capital sum on your LiveCode license, would like to try it out for a few months before really committing, or you just find it easier and more convenient to pay monthly, you can now purchase LiveCode by the month (or the year).

Definitions
What exactly do we mean by Pay As You Go and Perpetual? Here are the definitions we are using on the website:

Pay as you go

The LiveCode Pay as you Go License option provides a range of prebuilt packages at an affordable cost entry point for anyone with an interest in developing Apps. The Pay as you Go License option has no contract or minimum term. Access to LiveCode will remain constant whilst you Pay As You Go and if you are not completely satisfied it includes a 30 day money back guarantee. All Livecode Pay as you Go Licenses provide royalty free distribution of Apps. If your subscription stops the Pay as you Go licenses will stop working and therefore you will no longer have access to the LiveCode development tools, however any apps previously built with LiveCode will continue to work indefinitely.

Perpetual

The LiveCode Perpetual License option provides a selection of prebuilt packages and a package builder with a mix of free and purchasable add-ons to build a bespoke development package to best meet your specific needs. New upgrades are automatically included with the LiveCode Complete package and can be purchased as required for any other LiveCode Perpetual license. All Livecode Perpetual Licenses provide royalty free distribution of Apps. Perpetual licenses never expire therefore you can indefinitely continue to develop code with any version of LiveCode you buy or upgrade to.

FAQs

As with any change, we naturally have been receiving a number of questions about the changes. Here are some of the commonest, with answers.

Does this mean I can't buy a permanent license to LiveCode anymore?

No, not at all. The Perpetual license is what we have always sold, and it is still available. You can buy this license and you will always own the version of LiveCode shipping at the time of your purchase.

Does a Pay as You Go license expire if I stop paying?

You will no longer have access to LiveCode if you purchase this license type and cancel your monthly payment.

Do I get any updates with a Perpetual license?

You will get 3 months of updates from your date of purchase, with this license type. You also automatically receive any .01 releases. If you purchase a Complete Perpetual license, this also includes a year of updates, for all platforms.

Do I get all new releases with the Pay As You Go license?

Yes, you do. As long as your payment is up to date you get every new release we make.

Do the apps I make with a Pay As You Go license ever expire?

No, they do not. You can stop paying for LiveCode and all the apps you have already made will continue to work indefinitely.

Do I have to be online to use LiveCode with the Pay As You Go license?

No, you don't. You will need to be online when you first register, after that you can work offline. The program may occasionally "phone home" to check it is still licensed.

Why are you offering Pay As You Go?

This new license type allows a new user to get started with the professional version of LiveCode for just $19.99 a month. It's about removing barriers - finding a lump sum of $499 for a start up business can be tough, but finding $19.99 a month is a lot easier, and LiveCode can get to work and start paying for itself straight away.

About the Author Heather Nagey is Customer Services Manager for RunRev Ltd.