I certainly understand the business decision and it comes as no surprise. When all the new “AI” products began appearing and updates of the legacy products stopped, it was immediately apparent why.
However, what concerns me is the “year of free updates” policy. If I buy a product and the next update arrives 13 months after I buy it, I will not be happy. I’ve had this happen with at least one major software company. Just like your past free-for-life policy encouraged a rash of new products, a policy with a time limit might encourage longer time between updates to try to encourage more paid updates.
I also won’t be happy if I buy a product which happens to be extra buggy, and the bugs don’t get adequately addressed within 12 months, meaning I would have to pay again to continue to receive bugfixes. I’ve been extremely disappointed with the quality of Mask AI in particular. After an update or two it’s still crashy and slow and not providing much if any value over the previous Remask. What’s it going to be like in 12 months?
Basically, one year of free updates is not a promise that I’ll get any updates at all, and potentially could encourage developers to delay updates.
A friendlier update policy I’ve experienced is “bugfixes and next major release are free”. So if you buy version 3, you get version 4 for free, along with the 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, etc. minor releases. Then you pay for 5 (and get 6 for free). Or skip 5, pay for 6 and get 7 for free. Time between updates isn’t a factor. This addresses the potential of “one year of free updates, but we update only every 13 months” syndrome.
I’ve gradually quit using several brands of photo related software over the last three years. That includes OnOne, Dx0 Photolab, ACDSee. I have purchased Luminar but find I rarely use it so I will not renew to any of their further upgrades. If I cut back more it will not be in Lightroom or Photoshop. It will be Topaz. I have, over the years, purchased almost every piece of Topaz Labs Software. I have obviously purchased some Topaz products I did not need. . I can get by with photoshop rather than Gigapixel. Noiseware or even LR noise reduction rather than DeNoise AI unless there are improvements to DeNoise AI. I believe you will find some of your software not as useful to as many photographers as you thought. Maybe there will be improvements. In the past I’ve wondered which of the Topaz products I should be using when there seems to be too many variations.
An important question: Since I already have almost all of your software is your August date considered to be the beginning of the year for Topaz products and I get free upgrades until August 2021 or is whatever I have on August 2020 the end of the year and I have to pay for updates from that date on?
This is what is wrong with our society today. Instead of being grateful for what we have, we sue a person or company because we didn’t get our way.
I’m not trying to be rude or condescending, but we should realize that these updates/upgrades come with a cost. Otherwise, why would the company improve or update their product?
I don’t believe the new policy is out of line at all. I’ve been in the hardware industry a very long time, and I know what it takes to provide new firmware for hardware. Software requires the same amount of work, if not more because of the endless possible combinations of software and hardware involved with computers. These people need to be compensated for their time AND their work. I’m sure none of you wants to work for free, and we can’t expect the employees at Topaz to work for free either.
Please consider these words before you think about filing any any kind of legal action. Have a heart please!
Seems you are breaking an agreement/ contract with your customers. Maybe you’d better ask some lawyers about your plan. That said, SharpenAI is a real help to my workflow. It has rescued travel photos I took years ago with limited equipment and slides that were scanned. It is the first sharpen software that clearly really works. A substantially nice piece of work. Noise AI is marginal. Photoshop does a better/ less intensive overhead job. I suggest you toss Gigapixel. Just exporting a jpeg in Lightroom to a DNG does the same job and in fact in my tests, better. The other software is fun but not essential like LR or PS. Can’t see paying all that extra $. And please refrain from telling us what a favor you are doing for us. You keep that up and you can get a job in the White House.
Marc,
I purchased DeNoise AI and Sharpen AI in December, heavily influenced by all I read about the free updates for life.I think this was also relayed to me in a message with support before I bought, but I may have just read it on a Topaz site. I also have influenced a few friends to try the products. Not happy with this change and price point. The annual update proposed is what I paid for the product, so 100%! When Consumer Cellular changed there pricing model on phone service and got the outcry like you are getting, they backed up and grandfathered all existing customers to original pricing. I suggest you revise existing customers to maybe 3 years of free updates and all new customer with 1 year or whatever you think the market will bear. That is throwing a bone to the folks who helped you grow, has an end date, and might not get as much negative press as abruptly ending a policy you have touted since inception. By the way, Sharpen is so slow on my fairly high end computer as to be almost unusable. I have been hoping within a year updates might fix that, but not willing to pay for you to fix it. Good luck and I hope to read of a revised policy announcement soon.
Although I understand where the company is coming from, I literally bought Denoise AI and Sharpen AI 2-3 weeks ago. I am pleased with the results of using them thus far despite how slow and buggy Sharpen can be, and at this time I do not need the other programs. I get that the company should have started with the pricing model, but 99.99 for only 2 of the programs per year seems a bit steep to me (which is even more when converting to USD, although that has nothing to do with Topaz). I can see maybe 29.99 for an upgrade per program for 2 or less (not just a bug fix - these should be free for those who own the products). I think you should take another look at the pricing model and make it worth it whether you own 1, 2 or all of them. I was sold on the free upgrades when I bought the product too. I get it, but this is a tough pill to swallow with so many other subscription costs. I will have to think long and hard how much I really need these products and if it’s another subscription I really want to add to the list - because a subscription is essentially what I feel this is. I would definitely be willing to pay that price and maybe a bit more yearly if I was able to pick and have access to some or all of the other software offered by Topaz.
While I understand that your company has to be profitable in order to stay in business, I have to question this entire process since first releasing Topaz Studio. I find it difficult to believe that no one in your company thought free upgrades was going to be a profitable company plan. As a result, this change gives one the feeling that they have been duped. As a result, it will be necessary to reevaluate the programs I use for post processing. Even a subscription option would be easier to digest than not knowing if your product will be compatible as computer systems and operating systems change and require upgrades. I have made several hardware upgrades to my systems just to make them compatible with the demands of your software even though not necessary for other post processing software. Without a known cost for your upgrades, I will have no choice but to relegate it to a secondary application instead of a primary. Time will tell how that plays out. I do think you need to rethink some of this with the possibility of a subscription option.
Carry on… Life is expensive and more expensive is normal. The software is great and of a good benefit to me so I’m on board to see that Topaz stays in business and is doing well also. Thanks for your continued attention to and improvement of existing apps we all love.
Eric - Will legacy products still be available for download? For example, will I be able to download Studio 1 now that it is off support? Extending this - will we be able to download the version that we currently own either via purchase or paid support? What would happen if an individual does not opt into the paid support model; will they be able to download the version they own?
I don’t agree with this. How can you discount ‘Lifetime Free Upgrades’?
New customers can make a decision about the value or worth of the product and terms of their purchase. You can’t change the terms of an agreement AFTER the fact.
I’ll add my two cents of real customer (retired engineer, hobbyist photographer) feedback:
Your support team doesn’t read emails, and answers with non-related marketing hype
“subscribe to our newsletter to receive notice of our promotions”
While Denoise AI is a quite a great noise reducer, $79 was “over-priced” for the value to a non-professional
When you offer discounts on the entire product line, don’t hide it deep under a “Discount on Studio” ad
Get your Black Friday, Cyber Monday discounts in-sync and announced in advance
Just so you know, I am not upgrading Denoise AI to 2.x because I really like the slider you took away.
I prefer the model of free minor updates, and heavily discounted (50% to 70%) major upgrades
If you want $100 of my money, release a lightroom replacement (non-destructive edit, catalog and organizer with lightroom import. That’s the standard I use - I paid $100 for Lightroom and am not upgrading my Mac to keep using it. I have never paid over $100 for software, and can’t see myself starting.
Your new upgrade changes are absurd; and your upgrade fees are ludicrous. Why don’t you simply convert to subscription based system; that is essentially what you are doing. Before I retired I worked for a number of different software companies and I can recognize (smell) marketing BS. Take a moment to read the text in the email that was sent today. It is total BS. You have been brainstorming ways to make more money, not to add value to customers! “Add Value” you use the same old tired lines about wanting to provide customers with better products and better services; more BS. Again, you want to make more money. Good grief you are still using the same marketing clichés I heard years ago. Eric Tang’s message is no better.
I have refused to buy subscription software from Adobe and I will not buy subscription software from you. You can call it what you want but if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck…
You started out as a good company with good products and for the last few years you have been going downhill. I will focus my attention on Luminar and ON1 products.
I have just bought the aerie of apps. A major reason was free upgrade forever.
Now is it lost forever haha. Just like any software company.
Almost as same price as the major apps. So is life nothing is free.
I think it is a ugly way to do it on . No announcement in advance.
Another company was ad it more than a year in advance. All who had licewnce get it free for several years . Licence was good for 4 years more and after that it was pure pay for upgrade as your way.
I feel little tricked by the way this happens.
Just wanted to see if there is anyone from Topaz following the discussion and able to provide answers to questions like continued support for Studio 2 and plugins under the new support arrangement
Completely ridiculous! “Within the last few years, though, we started to realize something. Product development and research is expensive!” A CEO is a businessman, and a smart businessman should have seen in the future…not selling his products with free lifelong updates, and then changing his mind, AFTER a lot of people have bought his softwares. Your new policy should be applied to NEW buyers only, and for future new products. With this new policy, coming suddenly from out of space, Topaz Labs shows absolutely no respect at all to its clients! Can’t trust you anymore!
