Last Chance to Obtain Perpetual Licenses for AutoCAD LT
Autodesk has announced that the current quarter, to 31st January 2016, will be the last in which perpetual licenses for AutoCAD LT will be made available to customers. This means that any customer that wants to continue with the standard license instead of switching over to the Desktop Subscription option rental model, will need to ensure they commit before February next year.
In addition, buyers of perpetual licenses will also need to take out annual maintenance to ensure they get updates. However, while it is yet to be finally confirmed, Autodesk is expected to reduce the price of perpetual licenses by a similar amount to that usually charged for the maintenance contract.
While this will make the perpetual option more attractive, the Desktop Subscription is still better value financially. A permanent licence carries an RRP of £875, while Desktop Subscription for AutoCAD LT is £380 per annum, so it will take user who purchase a perpetual license more than two years to get return on investment, but that’s without the maintenance subscription, so at the full price, it will take longer.
Autodesk has not yet given any indication on how much longer it will offer maintenance updates on the perpetual version, but the direction is clear and the company continues to drive customers towards the cloud-based Desktop Subscription option.