Thanks for the information posted in this thread so far @bluefrog. I’ve looked for this detail in your news and blog but haven’t found it, apologies if I’ve overlooked it. Is it planned that the yearly upgrade/update cost will be €99?
You’re welcome!
And yes, if you’re running the Pro edition.
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Thank you! I am indeed running that version. Congrats on launching the public beta, looking forward to playing with it. This is a significant change to the potential cost of using Devonthink, and I wonder what kind of a factor that will be in my (and other users’) evaluation of DT4.
Congrats on getting the public beta out!
Thank you!
And as I’m a broken record for the sake of everyone’s data, make sure you read this…
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It’s expensive. If it’s expensive for Europeans, whose salaries are in euros, imagine how much more expensive it is for a Brazilian, whose salary is in reais. Hahaha!
That said, to be honest, DEVONthink has the most powerful search engine I’ve ever seen. It’s so good that it’s probably the main reason I’m sticking with a MacBook.
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I am happy to finally see a clear answer on this. So, for users of DT Pro the total cost is:
Purchase of license for DT 4 Pro and first year of updates ($199 or a $99 upgrade for existing licensees of DT3Pro)
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$99 for each seat beyond the 2 included or $49 to upgrade each additional seat from DT3Pro
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$99 per year in perpetuity for the “extension” to access to future updates (assuming the user wants bug fixes, security patches, for it to work with future versions of MacOs, etc). Additional seats are covered by this $99 and there is no additional annual ongoing cost for additional seats.
Now my only remaining questions are:
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It’s unclear whether the “extension” and access to updates covers minor versions or would also cover future major updates. I would assume so as this is the “flexible and modern” model that most subscription-based services seem to use, but you never know.
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Am I forced to upgrade all my existing seats now?. I have some that I no longer use but I don’t see the ability to remove them in my cart while upgrading (though I can increase the seats just fine)
i just want to correct my earlier statement about intellij. i just checked the license and it actually becomes cheaper the longer you have been paying (third year is 100 instead of 170). that makes a lot more sense.
anyways, there is of course another interesting question:
do we believe that devontechnologies can even deliver on the value of an upgrade? What I have seen over the last few years, I would say the answer is no.
Release plus 1 year is probably capturing the majority of the value for a while. Esp. since DT has not figured out how to ship software with this licensing model (yet)
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regarding the seats, log into your account, go to licenses → DEVONthink (pro) → devices and press the edit button. there you can remove the seats you are not using anymore
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Thanks, but that just deactivates the device. You still own the seat and it appears to be mandatory to upgrade it when upgrading your overall DT license. I have additional seats that I do not want to upgrade (and would be willing to lose them in the process as I no longer need them)
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You don’t extend individual seats. You extend your license.
For example, I have a Server license with 10 seats. My extension is $149.
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Thanks for confirming that part. I don’t “extend” seats on an annual basis, but it seems that I do need to “upgrade” them for $49 each.
Can you take a stab at the other 2 questions I explicitly called out? I’ve been a happy DEVONthink user since July 2006. I’ve always thought that you delivered a quality product for a fair and clear price. But I’m a bit confused with this new model and, based on the discussion in this and other threads, I’m not the only one.
So if I have a DT3 license and use the DT4 beta, what happens when the beta ends? Do I have to go back to DT3 if I don’t pay for a year of updates?
Question 1 would cover minor releases. Major releases I can’t speak specifically to though what constitutes major versus minor is likely to blur.
Question 2 should already be answered.
Technically, you’d have the trial period of the public release to think about it, but then yes, you’d have to upgrade your license or return to using version 3.
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Well, I’ve purchased my extension. Not sure exactly the extent I’ll use the outside AI, but will definitely mess around with it. Cheers guys!
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This is so ham-fisted. I can imagine the DT team sitting around the meeting table congratulating each other on what a good idea this is, but it’s complicated and confusing for those of us who have been supporters for a long time.
What’s a licence, what’s a seat? Why is the server more expensive? What’s included? Do I need to pay for both? I
I’m based in Brazil and this the software is very expensive. I want my growing children to use the app too, it’s one of the reasons I pushed them towards using a Mac instead of a Windows machine…
Like I said, ham-fisted, seemingly tone deaf, extravagantly priced… Just disappointed all around.
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And don’t forget the AI is optional. Not everyone wants or needs it, but it’s there should anyone want to use or even have a play about with it.
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Except that it’s not. The specific problem that I asked about refers to upgrading only some seats. I have 4 seats. I only need 2 now. If I choose the “DEVONthink Pro 4” line item in the “Updates & Upgrades” section, it wants to charge me “$99 (license with 2 seats) + 2 x $49 (additional seats)” = $197.00. I can add this to my cart and add additional seats for $99 each, but cannot remove the seats I already own so that I can pay $99 for 2 seats (and throw away the other 2).
To make matters worse, there is an option in the main My Account page to “Upgrade” under the “Your License” section. If I select “Upgrade”, it adds a $49 “DEVONthink 4 (Extension)” to my cart. This sure looks like I can upgrade to DEVONthink 4 and get updates for the next year for only $49 instead of the $199 in the license details page.
So which is it? Does it cost me $199 to upgrade, or $49? Not clear at all but probably moot at this point.
Honestly, this is the most confusing process I have ever seen (and I dealt with Microsoft Enterprise pricing 10+ years ago). At this point, I have basically convinced myself that I can be done with DEVONthink. It’s no longer the unique, seamless, end-to-end solution that worked with my ScanSnap, did OCR, and managed my files like DT Pro Office did back in 2006. Most of that comes OOTB with ScanSnap and it’s bundled AABBY software now and AI can handle the rest. It’s tough to justify paying $500+ over the next 5 years for it. Maybe I’m misunderstanding the costs, but how would I know? I can’t get a reasonable, straightforward answer. It’s unfortunate that it ends this way after 20 years.
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What’s a licence, what’s a seat? Why is the server more expensive?
I am not sure what you’re confused about here. Absolutely nothing has changed in these regards.
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You purchase a license. That identifies the edition you’re running, e.g., Pro.
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You immediately get two seats – per-machine licenses – to be used on two Macs. So logically you’d have e.g., the Pro edition, running on two Macs.
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Server is intended for business, academic, or larger group collaborations, or individuals who can afford to use it in smaller use cases. The pricing has not changed in six years.
What’s included? Do I need to pay for both?
- What is included in what?
- Both of what?
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Yeah I understand. I know there are some things that could be done. I haven’t been all in on the AI thing. Admittedly late to the game. But I’ve been messing around with Ollama and DeepSeek for fun.