Affinity V2, updates, pricing and no subscription (moved)

[Victor B]

1 minute ago, Patrick Connor said:

@Victor B

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums  

We sent email offers to all the customers like you that we could find (customers who we could see had bought in the last few weeks) , offering special prices via emails with claim links. I do not know what happened to yours so I will get that looked into in case there are others like you. Perhaps you opted out of marketing communications.

Sorry that we have not replied to your email query about this, we are quite a long way behind. To avoid the need for you to wait I have given you a complimentary copy of the V2 Universal Licence. Please check your Affinity Account you should have received an email too.

Patrick.

Thank you for your swift reply. I didn't get any email offer that you've mentioned before, but when I was reading I got the email about the complimentary universal license. I can see it in my account now.

You've came out with great class!

[Aongus Collins]

I was expecting to pay up to €300 to upgrade my Windows, Mac and iPad licences. So a price of €120  came as a great relief! (It's even less if you can claim the VAT back.) I've completed my first project in V2, and it was a very smooth experience. Aside from the headline features, the many small improvements add up.

Thank you Serif.

[lettersign]

@debraspicher I personally bought a licence for v1 ten months ago to support the developers financially because of their ideology and to stimulate the release of v2. I haven't even had a chance to use v1 yet, because it need time for adaptation. But instead in response to my support of their product I received a disrespectful attitude, no free update and tales of how gorgeous offer I received and from community sentences about how ungrateful I was.

It's a very unpleasant experience, completely the opposite of the impression that Affinity has formed through user reviews.

Edited November 17, 2022 by lettersign

[Patrick Connor]

Hi,

10 minutes ago, lettersign said:

I personally bought a licence for v1 ten months ago

Sorry that you feel hard done by. I can only see a copy of one Affinity application bought in November 2021 bought during our 30% off sale. As a matter of interest how much discount would you have expected ?

[Pixelkobold]

Hey Mr. Ash

thank you for your clarifying words above, thought I don't see any need for them. You did an awesome, marvelous job on v2 and as a customer whos been around for years now, I think the 40% off starting price for v2 is more than each customer around can wish for. I gladly would have paid even the full price, since I think that even this is (200 for the whole stuff) is more than fair.

So what I want to say is, unfortunately you can't make it right for anyone, there are always some out there who has sth to complain.

Keep on that awesome work

Gordon

[Viridian]

1 hour ago, Victor B said:

there was no info saying: "Hey, we are releasing a new version a month from now, so you may want to wait as there will be no updates to the current one. The update will be paid, so you will need to pay twice within a month".

That is why I won't be upgrading or buying Affinity product again. This lack of communication about the upcoming update is a choice of a business model. 

I've bought V1 of designer beginning of November, to be clear.

 

[Transrobotism]

12 minutes ago, Viridian said:

That is why I won't be upgrading or buying Affinity product again. This lack of communication about the upcoming update is a choice of a business model. 

I've bought V1 of designer beginning of November, to be clear.

 

I am sure that Serif didn't mean for anyone to be hard done by. I would imagine it was an oversight, and that Serif has learned from it and, I hope, they will put something in place to avoid others experiencing the same issue. Still, that said, that's no reason to abandon Serif and its Affinity range, right!? Surely, you are not going to go back to Adobe? What else is out there that can really produce professional results? 

Had that be me, I would have called Serif sales and had a kind word with representative to cut a deal. You hitting out like you've been beaten within an inch of your life is a bit dramatic, wouldn't you say? 

[Artsketch]

Since upgrade prices are not possible, please give everyone upgrading to V2 a free trash bin and some checkboxes instead.

[craftycurate]

1 hour ago, debraspicher said:

I'm confused by this stance but only a bit. I think it's a well-reasoned position to take.

You are suggesting you may come back with V3. However, you've surely read the post about how messy an upgrade price would be to implement. What happens then if V3 has the same price structure? Or are you just saying you'll hold off on V2, pocket the cash and wait for V3 to put down more money, since technically at that rate you're a new customers again. Did I get that right?

Otherwise, it sounds like you had other (legitimate) reasons for not upgrading. And that's OK. I just want to understand how the upgrade fee is weighing your decision-making. More out of curiosity.

Aside from that, it seems like from your post you're more of an investor. I think actually it is quite reasonable to take a wait-and-see approach. If the situation changes, or more features are added, etc that pull you to purchase, then it becomes something like a vote. I would've had a similar approach, especially since it sounds like you are paying for Adobe still. I didn't switch until I could justify dropping Adobe. Otherwise it made no sense to me.

Hi Debra ... yes that's pretty much it. If purchasing a new version puts us back on new customer footing, then I find I can happily wait for a future version. Had there been a returning customer benefit with v2, it might have tipped me into upgrading. The promised bonus pack for v1 customers might still nudge me that way - will wait and see what it contains!)

I understand there are complications with offering different discounts to new and returning customers - Serif will have to figure that out, and I hope their chosen path brings in a healthy revenue. When v3 comes round, I'll see what the deal is, weigh a possible purchase in context of my business needs and funds at that time, and decide. The features I used in a previous client job are in v1, and the new features aren't "must have" for me.

Also, Serif apps don't bring in any revenue for me at the moment, as I have an all-Adobe workflow, and that's an operational necessity given the projects I'm working on and my client base. So I have to be very strategic with my limited funds right now. I hope to be able to continue supporting Serif by purchasing future versions, but the current pricing model offers no incentive tbh. Not that we're entitled to some discount or other (we're not), or that its a bad deal (it is a great deal!) but I have other financial priorities for the foreseeable future.

But I still hope I'll be able to pick up a future version (or maybe v2 in a future sale) and will certainly keep an eye on developments in coming months and years.

Hope that makes a bit more sense 😃 

[gurusonwheels]

2 hours ago, lettersign said:

Gosh, dear adepts, loyal fans and faithful defenders and advocates. No one is attacking your favourite software, no one is attacking you personally. Don't take it so fervently.

There are specific categories of clients who are well understood about the specifics of creating programmes, none of them are concerned about money and none of them want to get anything for free. All they already paid. All the issues in this discussion refer only to the topic of keeping promises, the commitments made by the Serif and the fact that they do not care about their customers at all. 

Acting in a secretive way. To some customers they send a free upgrade from v1 to v2, here's a screenshot, but me who bought a v1.10 license less than a year ago and many others they have completely ignored. All this is done secretly, non-transparently and smells like blatant fraud. Why are Affinity doing this? It damages their reputation. Next time, in a few years, when there are rumors of v3 coming out, people will stop buying licenses for v2, because they will know that the developers will cheat them and will not provide an update. 

This means sales of your favourite software will fall, developers will get less money from license sales and they won't have anything to create v3 with. The fact that so many advocates have come here, regular forum users, with registration from 2016, i.e. these are people who have had a license for 6 years minimum, and these people talk about how honorable users they are and willing to buy software every day, after at least 6 years without paying anything. Sorry, but I don't believe you. Don't tell users who bought the software just 6 months ago what you would do in their shoes. You are not in their shoes. 

If you love Affinity products, want them to grow and have a future so that people buy new and new licenses in the future without fear of getting screwed, then you should all be interested in Affinity giving a free upgrade to everyone who qualifies (those who bought v1 within 365 days of release v2, in my opinion). That would be fair and it would be a case for the future so that sales don't drop a year before v3 is released. 

Don't be blind advocates!

 

i agree 100%    i feel the same ...   i got no email offer though ...

 

 

[WirlyWirly]

As someone who bought v1 a few years back, I read and understood the license terms. I knew I would be paying for major updates, and now that the time has come I'm more than pleased with the -40% discount. Even if I was paying full-retail, this software would still be worth the asking price.

 

I bought v1 on-sale ($35x3), so buying v2 for $99 comes out to being about the same as what I paid for v1.

 

Hopefully this fresh wave of revenue will provide the fuel needed to continue pushing forward. I'm excited for incoming updates and what v3 will eventually bring!

[Aongus Collins]

44 minutes ago, WirlyWirly said:

As someone who bought v1 a few years back, I read and understood the license terms. I knew I would be paying for major updates, and now that the time has come I'm more than pleased with the -40% discount. Even if I was paying full-retail, this software would still be worth the asking price.

I bought v1 on-sale ($35x3), so buying v2 for $99 comes out to being about the same as what I paid for v1.

Hopefully this fresh wave of revenue will provide the fuel needed to continue pushing forward. I'm excited for incoming updates and what v3 will eventually bring!

WirlyWirly, that's a concise and accurate summary of the situation. Like you, I'm looking forward to the incoming updates.

[Victor B]

1 hour ago, Viridian said:

That is why I won't be upgrading or buying Affinity product again. This lack of communication about the upcoming update is a choice of a business model. 

I've bought V1 of designer beginning of November, to be clear.

 

Well... They've granted me a V2 license today (one month from the purchase of V1), so I consider it solved. Can't complain. I was very disappointed at first, but not any more. @Patrick Connor Thank you👍

I hope there will be more clear communication from the Serif staff when V3 will be coming, thou.

[phillychuck]

I would have no problem rebuying v2 if I owned v1 for any amount of time, but to ask someone to buy it twice to get any sort of future features within 90 days is sad.  Sure, tons of people benefitted for years of v1 support, not me.

I have no received any upgrade offer, purchased 9/22/22 from your store (not App Store)..

Edited November 17, 2022 by phillychuck

[okmike]

29 minutes ago, phillychuck said:

I would have no problem rebuying v2 if I owned v1 for any amount of time, but to ask someone to buy it twice to get any sort of future features within 90 days is sad.  Sure, tons of people benefitted for years of v1 support, not me.

I have no received any upgrade offer, purchased 9/22/22 from your store (not App Store)..

Same here, a trail version would also be nice to see if it is worth the upgrade. As it is, I would not buy V. 1 again.

[Dan C]

3 minutes ago, okmike said:

a trail version would also be nice to see if it is worth the upgrade.

You can find a full 30 day free trial of the V2 Universal License here - https://store.serif.com/get/universal-licence-2/trial/ 

[Westerwälder]

Ich habe Affinity V1 am 16.12.2016 für 1cent weniger als 40Euro gekauft, was habe ich einen Spass gehabt mit der V1, jetzt mit der V2 habe ich auch schon viel versucht und sage gut geworden!
Weiter so und sich nicht irre machen lassen von Kritik, viele wollen ein zweites PS aber das ist falsch gedacht. Arbeitet euch ein auf Affinity V2 und vergesst Eure Arbeitsweise mit PS. 
Affinity kann mehr wenn man sich eingearbeitet hat!

I bought Affinity V1 on December 16th, 2016 for 1 cent less than 40 euros, what fun I had with the V1, now with the V2 I have already tried a lot and say it turned out well!
Keep it up and don't be fooled by criticism, many want a second PS but that's wrong. Familiarize yourself with Affinity V2 and forget working with PS.
Affinity can do more once you've got the hang of it!

Wer sich beschweren will bitte direkt an Affinity und nicht ins Forum!

If you want to complain, please contact Affinity directly and not in the forum! 

[Cantisani]

3 hours ago, lettersign said:

@debraspicher I personally bought a licence for v1 ten months ago to support the developers financially because of their ideology and to stimulate the release of v2. I haven't even had a chance to use v1 yet, because it need time for adaptation. But instead in response to my support of their product I received a disrespectful attitude, no free update and tales of how gorgeous offer I received and from community sentences about how ungrateful I was.

It's a very unpleasant experience, completely the opposite of the impression that Affinity has formed through user reviews.

Wow, so you bought one v1 app at 30% off a year ago and you feel 40% off for v2 now is not enough?? You seriously expect to get a free upgrade??

yeah, that in my book is ungrateful. 

[Cantisani]

3 hours ago, Viridian said:

That is why I won't be upgrading or buying Affinity product again. This lack of communication about the upcoming update is a choice of a business model. 

I've bought V1 of designer beginning of November, to be clear.

 

Have you contacted support? They’re arranging for people who bought the apps recently to get free upgrades. I would do that before posting about how disappointed I am.

[Alfred]

On 11/16/2022 at 3:54 PM, Ash said:

Overall I do believe us giving a 40% discount, along with the addition of the new Universal Licence of course, is offering fantastic value for money for those who want to upgrade.

The Universal Licence is indeed fantastic value for money, but 40% off £144.99 is £86.99, not £89.99.

[Patrick Connor]

13 minutes ago, Cantisani said:

Wow, so you bought one v1 app at 30% off a year ago

We don't know that for certain, we only have Serifs records to hand. Other purchases may have been made on other Apple or Microsoft stores, but we have No Record of any of those, which is my point about being unable to be fair to offer differential prices to ALL existing customers without making thousands of mistakes and upsetting everyone. A single offer price is pretty much the only easy way to do this launch and I'm sorry that each person who thinks they should have been offered something else cannot see that all other solutions present different problems 

[Cantisani]

1 minute ago, Patrick Connor said:

We don't know that for certain, we only have Serifs records to hand. Other purchases may have been made on other Apple or Microsoft stores, but we have No Record of any of those, which is my point about being unable to be fair to offer differential prices to ALL existing customers without making thousands of mistakes and upsetting everyone. A singl price is pretty much the only easy way to do this launch 

I stand corrected. I bought all 3 apps a couple of years ago, but I made the mistake of buying 2 of the apps through the App Store and one in your website. I also bought photo and designer for the iPad. 
 

I want to say I do appreciate the 40% discount and will be buying the universal license before the offer expires. I don’t care if new users get the same discount, that’s none of my business. 
 

Thanks to the whole team for making great software, and to the company for listening to us and staying away from subscription. Now that would be awful but you listened and I certainly appreciate it. 

[ashf]

Just curious, how do you validate V1 users to give away the bonus contents?

[SiedlerH6]

Thanks Ash for this statement. I personally can't understand the complaints. You an your team offered a huge suite at a professional level for a very fair price. Thanks for this excellent apps and: Please create something better than Lightroom. Just to silence all those Adobe-enthusiasts. 

[Viridian]

2 hours ago, Transrobotism said:

Had that be me, I would have called Serif sales and had a kind word with representative to cut a deal. You hitting out like you've been beaten within an inch of your life is a bit dramatic, wouldn't you say? 

I'd say that I am not sure what you were trying to achieve with this comment.