# I paid $399 for Topaz Studio and can't use the product like intended. What gives? **URL:** \ **Category:** Bugs and Issues\ **Tags:** resolved\ **Created:** [October 11, 2025, 2:33pm UTC](https://community.topazlabs.com/t/i-paid-399-for-topaz-studio-and-cant-use-the-product-like-intended-what-gives/97382 "2025-10-11T14:33:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![benprotzmann](https://community.topazlabs.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@benprotzmann](https://community.topazlabs.com/u/benprotzmann)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2025, 2:33pm UTC](https://community.topazlabs.com/t/i-paid-399-for-topaz-studio-and-cant-use-the-product-like-intended-what-gives/97382/1 "2025-10-11T14:33:43Z")
I’m getting frustrated that your customer service team fails to help me solve my problem. I’m explicit with my emails to the detail and I get quick canned responses. They are not looking at what I just purchased to explain to me the differences, what I need to do, etc. The website is vague and doesn’t explain very much. I purchased Topaz Studio, that’s $299 for TVAI, and extra $100 to try out the other apps, why not right? Expensive but Topaz is supposed to be the best, so they say. I need to run TVAI on my desktop and my laptop - 2 seats. I was told that this is no longer offered after the 10th, but I purchased on the 6th. So I’m good to go, right? Now I’m being confused with perpetual licenses and subscription based. What’s the difference? From what I understand from the site is that they are typically the same thing. Perpetually billing me annually for using the products. Is perpetual buying the product outright? I didn’t see an option for that. I would’ve done that. I’m being told that I can’t use the products simultaneously on 2 machines, in one household, because I bought a Studio subscription plan??? and that I should’ve bought a perpetual plan??? I paid $399 for annual instead of monthly. Is the perpetual plan a different price??? Your team linked me to buying TVAI for $299 AGAIN, to get the perpetual plan. I thought I already did this when I bought the $399 Studio option instead? Why would I pay for something I already paid for. Fact is, all I want is to be able to use my TVAI in both my machines at home. If the “Studio Pack” is confusing this, or preventing me from doing this, then REFUND my $100 and make this clearer on the site because email tagging without clarity for the past few days is getting annoying. Again, like here, I’m explicitly asking specifics and needs, just like my emails that nobody wants to take the time to explain. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![jo.vo](https://community.topazlabs.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/f19dbf/32.png) [@jo.vo](https://community.topazlabs.com/u/jo.vo)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2025, 2:59pm UTC](https://community.topazlabs.com/t/i-paid-399-for-topaz-studio-and-cant-use-the-product-like-intended-what-gives/97382/2 "2025-10-11T14:59:13Z")
It seems you’re quite stuck with your need. There are no two seats anymore on the Studio apps - so you’d have to revert to the perpetual apps for this. They’re not sold anymore - and even if they were they won’t get any updates. Seems like you’ll have to look elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![alanhusband-677420](https://community.topazlabs.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/7ba0ec/32.png) [@alanhusband-677420](https://community.topazlabs.com/u/alanhusband-677420)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2025, 3:37pm UTC](https://community.topazlabs.com/t/i-paid-399-for-topaz-studio-and-cant-use-the-product-like-intended-what-gives/97382/3 "2025-10-11T15:37:42Z")
Everything related to Topaz Studio is a subscription service, similar to Adobe’s Creative Cloud. You have to continuously pay to access the apps and services that come with it. Before Topaz Studio existed, there were the perpetual licence apps, Video AI, Photo AI and Gigapixel AI, that you could purchase and use “forever”, but you would only get updates for one year. After that you could pay for another year of updates if you wanted to, but you didn’t have to if you were happy to stay on an older version. Topaz stopped selling the perpetual licence apps during the transition period to Topaz Studio. The Studio apps were given new version numbers, starting back at v1.0.0 again, and dropped the AI suffix, and just called them Video, Photo and Gigapixel. ---
**Author:** ![benprotzmann](https://community.topazlabs.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@benprotzmann](https://community.topazlabs.com/u/benprotzmann)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2025, 4:26pm UTC](https://community.topazlabs.com/t/i-paid-399-for-topaz-studio-and-cant-use-the-product-like-intended-what-gives/97382/4 "2025-10-11T16:26:14Z")
That’s not what I was told. You’re not in the email thread. I was told they stopped offering 2 seats on the 10th. I purchased on the 6th so I was able to do so. Then I was told and linked to a link to purchase the “perpetual” app, which appears to be the same thing I had already purchased. Hence, my confusion. ---
**Author:** ![benprotzmann](https://community.topazlabs.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@benprotzmann](https://community.topazlabs.com/u/benprotzmann)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2025, 4:32pm UTC](https://community.topazlabs.com/t/i-paid-399-for-topaz-studio-and-cant-use-the-product-like-intended-what-gives/97382/5 "2025-10-11T16:32:55Z")
Thank you, that tells me everything I needed to know. Customer service did not explain any of that to me, regardless of how I explained it. They told me that they stopped the 2 seats on the 10th. I purchased on the 6th. They told me if I wanted to seats that I would have to buy the perpetual option, in which they linked me to it. But when I went to it, it appeared exactly the same as what I thought I have already bought. Without any explanation whatsoever, they wanted me to purchase all over again, I already paid the initial $399 and again to pay another $299 for the “perpetual", when I had no idea what the difference was. I only need TVAI with 2 seats. Nothing more. I work on my desktop and laptop at home. I don’t work in video production whatsoever, so a perpetual would’ve been fine by me, but I was told 2 seats when purchasing, now I’m told 1 seat because I bought the “wrong” version. I get better answers here than I do with the canned short answers from customer service. ---
**Author:** ![kiprode](https://community.topazlabs.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kiprode](https://community.topazlabs.com/u/kiprode)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2025, 10:56pm UTC](https://community.topazlabs.com/t/i-paid-399-for-topaz-studio-and-cant-use-the-product-like-intended-what-gives/97382/6 "2025-10-11T22:56:11Z")
If you’re able to download Topaz Video AI which I believe is currently at 7.1.5 > [@Topaz Video AI 7.1.4](https://community.topazlabs.com/t/topaz-video-ai-7-1-4/95249): > > Hello! This update to Video AI brings a small but important update to align with our latest company changes. While this release represents a significant shift for all our users, we’re excited about the future and what’s ahead. This marks the final major version of Video AI, and we’re committed to carrying its legacy forward with our new Studio release. Video AI will continue to receive occasional minor patch updates, but new AI models and major features will be introduced in the Studio version… and you’re able to run it then that should give you the two seats that you want. Put it to the test and see if you can render a video simultaneously on both your computers. If you got Topaz Video 1.01 then that only comes with one seat now. That may mean you can install it on both computers but can only use it on one at time. I have both Apps but only one computer so I can’t put what I suggested to the test. ---
**Author:** ![Mayday](https://community.topazlabs.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@Mayday](https://community.topazlabs.com/u/Mayday)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2025, 4:02pm UTC](https://community.topazlabs.com/t/i-paid-399-for-topaz-studio-and-cant-use-the-product-like-intended-what-gives/97382/7 "2025-10-12T16:02:46Z")
What happen when you [download/install 7.0.2](https://community.topazlabs.com/t/topaz-video-ai-7-0-2/92594) on two computers and login. Sometimes trying is better than asking the support 🤭 Forget Studio for now it’s not better (Starlight) even worser and more bugs, only if you need starlight sharp you can’t avoid Studio ---
**Author:** ![margaux.topazlabs](https://community.topazlabs.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@margaux.topazlabs](https://community.topazlabs.com/u/margaux.topazlabs)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2025, 11:01pm UTC](https://community.topazlabs.com/t/i-paid-399-for-topaz-studio-and-cant-use-the-product-like-intended-what-gives/97382/8 "2025-11-18T23:01:33Z")
Hi everyone! Adding some clarification since this thread may help others who run into the same questions. As of September 16, the legacy perpetual apps (Video AI, Photo AI, Gigapixel AI) were removed from the website and replaced with the new subscription based apps (Topaz Video, Topaz Photo, Topaz Gigapixel). After that date, they were only available through direct links from support, not through the public product pages. We extended last call through October 10th. One important note is that **Topaz Studio (subscription)** and the **legacy perpetual apps** are separate products with different licensing: - **Topaz Studio subscription** → one seat, subscription access, new v1.x apps - **Legacy Video AI perpetual** → two seats, standalone v7.x, v4.x, v8.x apps, one-time purchase, with optional upgrade licenses available. Purchasing a Studio subscription does not include the perpetual version, and the perpetual apps were only obtainable via their direct links during that transition window. If anyone else is unsure which version they have or how the licensing works, feel free to ask — happy to help clarify for others reading. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://community-cdn.topazlabs.com/original/3X/0/1/01f3a81387b26ce3eb3484b6327ee7b3988ca47e.svg) [@system](https://community.topazlabs.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 11:02pm UTC](https://community.topazlabs.com/t/i-paid-399-for-topaz-studio-and-cant-use-the-product-like-intended-what-gives/97382/9 "2026-01-17T23:02:05Z")
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