Subscription vs 1-Time-Payment Software

In the world of software there are two choices. Subscription based software like Adobe's Creative Cloud, or one-time-payment software such as Adobe's CS6. Subscription based software is the new breed of software that is starting to take over. Many companies are begining to switch over to subsciptions. Some people prefer paying once and acquiring only the software they paid for without update. Other's prefer the subscription for their constantly updating content. My hope in posting this article is that the reader can be more informed of the benefits of each of the two options.

Purchasing a license to a one-time-payment software is very beneficial. You pay once and you have it forever. The obvious benefit is that you won't break the bank, so long as you have the funds to purchase it once you never have to purchase it again. Read this article on Subscription Based Software.

The negative of using one-time-payment software is that what you buy is what you get and nothing else. This might sound ok, but you won't get any updates. If you want the latest tools and versions you will have to purchase the newer high priced software.

The benefit of using subscription based software such as Adobe's Creative Cloud is that it automatically updates. Whenever there is a new tool or new version, if you have the subsciption, you now have it. You won't ever have to worry about updating your software and paying a large price for each new update.

The downside of subscription based software is that you will never stop paying for your software. The moment you stop paying you no longer have any software. The fees for Adobe Creative Cloud are about thirty dollars a month. It turns into another monthly bill that you have to account for in your budget.

I hope by providing each set of pros and cons that now you, the reader, can either form a prefered preference or make an informed purchase. The one time payment software doesn't update but you get the software for life without having to pay again. The subscription base software requires you to pay each month; however, you get all the updates that the software providers produce for no additional fee. If inclined a possible good solution is to purchase a one time payment version of a software so you will always have at least something and then pay for the subscription whenever you need it for a project.